#oc: Roslynd

[captainderyn]

I’m in my ✨agent feelsss (tm)✨ and have we considered the following:

All three idiots are painfully loyal to each other. You would think of the three of them, Five would be the one that is “ImpInt first, friends second” but NOPE he’s the worst of the three. He’ll burn it to the ground for his people. What makes him different? Because everyone assumes he’s ImpInt before all else and he’s cultivated his reputation around that, he can get away with so much more in the way of taking care of those close to him AND his subordinate agents.

This is why he becomes so frustrated when he can’t pull strings to get Era out of What Happens To Cipher Nine. It’s one of the first times his loopholes don’t get him anywhere except the door slammed in his face.

Roslynd intensely advocates for all the cipher agents, probably more than she should as a fixer. Her concern should, per policy, just be Five. But she’s gotten in the faces of her superiors to advocate for the ciphers. There’s a reason Five is Agent Dad and she’s Agent Mom.

Building on the Ciphers, though it absolutely breaks policy, Five and Roslynd host home cooked dinners for the small, tight knit cipher deapartment. Many of them don’t have families to go home to and they deserve a hot, home cooked meal.

Referencing Five again, Roslynd and Rhys will be the first to put themselves between a threat and Five, whether he likes it or not. Especially by the time he retires from ImpInt, he’s one of the most effective Ciphers but I would argue the one on the thinnest hairpin of self destructing. It drives him crazy, but they don’t stop doing it from the time they’re in the Academy to the time Five medically retires.

Rhys is just as much Agent Dad to Era as Five is, even if she gravitates more towards Five. He’s always been behind the scenes trying to protect and help her. That’s OUR agent daughter (says the Dream Team)

[tiredassmage]

35 for oc asks

[Little OC Creation Asks]

35. What things do you most want to see in someone’s OC? Or what do you always find the most interesting? Or stimulating, if you’re in that sort of mood?

I... honestly just want people to have fun with their blorbos? I genuinely do not have to get anything or everything, but if I see someone is getting joy out of their blorbo and sharing their blorbo lore, fuck yes tell me more about blorbo from your brain!!!!

Though I suppose I find interesting threads in themes like loyalty and devotion. If I may plug some amazing mutuals (fic rec fic rec fic rec!!), @kemendin draws me in with Khel & Quinn, Cas & Scourge with such themes, @eorzeashan's Eight's dynamic with Jadus has genuinely changed my understanding of Imperial Agent, I think, in such a delectable way and Eight just fascinates me. I want to study him under a microscope. And @captainderyn has me hooked on Five (I have... a thing for troubled Imperial Agents. Can you tell???) and I'm adopting Roslynd and the terrible little dysfunctional agent family that is Era, Five, and Ros. I'm getting Mor lore about her Struggle(TM) to Represent and just khghlfdaflsdf. BUFFET. I AM BEING FED. SO WELL.

They're all amazing ocs who have incredibly passionate creators behind them and it just shows in what they go through. I love the journey of finding what motivates a character, what drives them, what do they value, what do they value enough to break for, to live for? What's their dynamic like with the people who see them like no one else? I will always show up for that buffet.

So, I guess if I had to sort of itemize the list as like development questions, who or what are they loyal to? What does loyalty mean/look like to them? Is it important to them to keep promises, their word, etc.? Is that different for people they're close with and people they know just more professionally? Do they like what they're doing, their current direction in life, etc.? Is there something they'd change? Is there someone or something that makes or would make them want to change? I love to see their connections.

But I literally cannot emphasize enough how much joy I get just from people enjoying their characters. That's your fuckin' EPIC blorbo that you shared! That can take a lot!!!! And if I could, I'd fight everyone who ever made that process difficult because the joy I've been lucky enough to experience rather consistently in my time in fandom has been sharing and connecting with other people over love for characters - and a lot of it has been through ocs. I am constantly delighted by being able to share in that process with others. Be ungovernable!!!!!! Be obnoxious!!!! It's good for the soul!!!! This is the blorbo website!!!!! I can and I WILL make homemade sharpie rooting for them signs if that will make your experience better!!!!

[captainderyn]

2. "Don't Worry, I've got you." [Fictober 2023]

Day 2: "Don't worry, I've got you."

Genre: Fanfiction (SWTOR)

Rating: T

CW: None

Summary:

There are some things that Roslynd has learned since being reunited with Rhys and Valetyn. That Rhys needs to talk after a mission, and Valetyn needs to be alone. While she can do what she can to support them, there are some things Roslynd will never be able to understand about their line of work without being a cipher herself.

READ in FULL ON AO3

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Keeper shooed her from her office as the chrono struck eight in the evening, admonishing her for staying three hours late as though he didn’t routinely appear to live in the building and very rarely took breaks. 

“Go home, Fourteen.” He ordered like a father orders their child’s best friend, his eyes slipping to the simple ring she always wore. She clasped her hands over each other, worrying her fingers together.  

“Yes sir.” 

He inspected her for a moment longer, then glanced at the watch on his wrist, “And come in late tomorrow.” 

Keeper new. Somehow that man always knew. She flashed a tight, but thankful smile at him, “Will do, sir.” 

This late after the usual work day ended the hall to the main foyer was nearly empty, most of the agents working swing or night shifts sequestered away in offices or briefing rooms. The clicking of her heels echoed around the vaulted ceilings. 

Rhys met her at the entrance to the foyer, his smile failing to reach his exhausted yes. 

Before she could even say hello, his hand landed on her shoulder, steering her away from the taxi pad and towards the lounge tucked in the far corner of HQ, “Walk with me, Ros.” 

“Why?” Roslynd craned her neck to look over her shoulder, to where a lone taxi swept back into the hyperlanes. Rhys’ hand gripped her shoulder tighter, driving her forward. 

“To have a drink.” 

She frowned up at him, at his neutral expression cut with dark circles under his eyes. Rhys never drank after returning from missions, especially ones like this that had labored on longer than they should have.

“Where’s--?” 

Rhys flicked his eyes to hers, a partial warning there as they neared the threshold, “He’s fine.” 

[captainderyn]

Welcome Home, Agent [Fic]

Summary: Fresh off of her first mission as a junior agent, Erabelle returns to Dromund Kaas to be debriefed by Keeper. She meets two agents she will be working with, including a familiar face. (or, for those familiar with the Deryn-lore: the agent family meets!!)

--

Returning to Dromund Kaas was a whirlwind.

The travel time between Hutta and Dromund Kaas had hardly been restful, in fact Era had spent so long on her datapad going over mission debriefings and writing her reports that her eyes were dry and overused.

She hoped the longer she worked in the field, the easier mission reports became to write. Though they'd written report after report at the Academy, she still had the template and suggestions given by her instructors pulled up in another tab. It wouldn't do to make a mistake on the first document she sent to Keeper.

By the time they landed and she stepped back into Kaas City for the first time in weeks, her acid eaten and oil-smelling undercover clothes swapped for her pressed Intelligence uniform, she took a deep breath of the humid air and felt part of her relax.

Though nerves still fluttered in her stomach at the thought of facing Keeper in-person for the first time since she'd graduated from the Academy and at the thought that this was her first solo mission completed, Kaas City was home. She didn't have to worry about unexpected enemies leaping at her from corners or hutts putting targets on her back just because she looked at them wrong.

At least in Kaas City, she was far less out of her depth.

"Agent," Keeper turned to face her, fixing her with a analytical stare. Era snapped into a parade rest, squeezing her hands tight behind her back. Something in his look ignited that nervous, rapid pace of her heart once again, "I was reviewing your actions from Hutta. It seems as though you kept yourself quite busy."

It was true, she had taken on far more tasks than were strictly listed in her mission plan. All of those secondary missions had sprung up organically, and none of them had compromised her main work. No one had told her anything about whether that was permissible or not.

She swallowed, "At the time, that work seemed the best way to establish myself in the community as the Red Blade. It spread my name around, made people less suspicious."

As Keeper consulted his datapad, she shifted and tried to wipe her sweaty palms on her trousers as discretely as she could.

"You do a remarkable job improvising and thinking on the fly, agent." He mused, latching onto her once again with that unreadable expression. Was it disapproval? Anger? Approval? Just his face?

"Yet there were many times you took unnecessary steps to avoid violence. Why?"

Disapproval then, was it? Era's stomach dropped straight to the floor, "Sir, in those moments I felt that violence would only cause more issues down the line."

When Keeper's eyes narrowed, she squashed down the feeling that she'd chosen the wrong answer. Her palms were clammy again, she wanted to wipe them, but Keeper was still studying her.

"Cipher Five highly recommended you coming out of the Academy. It was on his professional opinion and praise that I designated you to go to Hutta."

While in her final briefing with Cipher Five, after the cadets' final mission simulator, he'd told her he saw her potential for the cipher track, she'd doubted he would actually advocate for her career like that. He'd been aloof, distant from his cadets throughout every training module...had he actually cared where they would end up?

"I don't plan to waste such high praise." Era cleared her throat as her voice hitched, nerves constricting her throat. Her mouth felt full of cotton, too dry and thick to speak, "I will adjust my course according to your recommendation, Keeper."

The older agent sighed and closed his eyes, but when he looked at her again something in him had softened. The lines had eased over his brow, at the corners of his mouth, "You can relax, agent, I am not going to drop you from Intelligence after your first solo mission. You did well."

She dipped her head, forcing out a deep breath and trying to roll some of the tension from her shoulders. His endorsement did not soothe her as it was probably meant to, the footing she stood on still felt remarkably shaky, "Thank you, sir."

"I still do not like Darth Jadus' involvement of a junior agent on this mission." Keeper mused, "You are still gaining experience in the field, and it does not feel right to throw you into this blind. As such, you will have two agents that will be supporting you on this mission alongside Miss Djannis."

Goosebumps shivered down Era's arms at the thought of Darth Jadus in his imposing mask, towering over her and telling her that he was watching her closely. That level of scrutiny from a Sith might as well be a death sentence waiting to happen. Whatever she had done on Hutta, perhaps she should've done less effectively, if it would've meant losing Jadus' interest.

Keeper spoke into an intercom at his desk and within moments the doors behind her whisked open. Two agents swept in, the door hissing shut behind them, and they both fell into matching positions of attention.

One agent was completely unknown to her, a woman with slicked back black hair and a buzzing energy about her, as though her mind was zipping several steps ahead of whatever her body was doing.

The other had a familiar, inquisitive look fixed on her. A look that had always been followed by some kind of constructive criticism that had often infuriated her in her classes.

Cipher Five looked the same as he had at the Academy, if less well rested. When she finally glanced over at him, he gave her a slight nod as a greeting. It was nearly friendly, for him.

What kind of mission was this if Keeper was willing to have Cipher Five watching over her? Something bigger than her was moving beneath the surface, she just wished she knew what it was.

"Agent, this is Watcher Two." Keeper gestured to the woman, who offered a polite wave, "She is incredibly smart and will be your diapason back here to headquarters. She will have any and all information that you need."

He motioned to Five, who had eased into a parade rest, "And consider this your reintroduction to Cipher Five. Given his interest in your progress, he will be monitoring your mission and will be a resource for you to turn to for all things an operative should know."

Era wasn't sure if she was meant to salute, wave, or just say hello. She settled for the most formal of the three and added, "I'm looking forward to working with you both."

"I monitored your operation on Hutta, it was quite impressive. I look forward to working with you as well, agent." Watcher Two offered her a warm smile, "Come to my office after this meeting, I'll give you more information on your next steps back here on Dromund Kaas."

"I'm glad to see you surpassed my expectations for your first mission." If she wasn't mistaken, there was a bit of an 'I told you so' in the glance Five darted to Keeper, "Seeing your progress going forward will be most interesting."

Keeper dismissed both agents, motion for her to wait just a moment before leaving as well, "You are back on Imperial soil, agent, you needn't hide that you're a member of Imperial Intelligence with this mission. Welcome home."

--

Five and Watcher Two were gone when she slipped from Keeper's office.

Era scrubbed her hands down the front of her pant legs, undoing her bun and twisting it back into place just to give her shaky hands some way to work out her excess energy.

It could have gone worse. It most certainly could have gone better.

She couldn't decide if she felt more secure, having the knowledge of Five and Watcher Two to fall back on, or if it left her feeling more scrutinized. There was a slim margin of error with this mission, and all of her missions going forward as it sounded, but wasn't this what she had signed up for? What she'd worked tirelessly for?

"Agent, Keeper didn't tear you up too bad, did he?" She jolted from her thoughts, body slipping into an automatic attention before she registered who it was in front of her.

She didn't know him, but his uniform had the Cipher designation in his ribbons, just as Five's did. He was a mountain of a man, the row of ribbons on his uniform at her eye level.

But his face was jovial, a neatly clipped beard framing a wide smile and bright eyes edged by crows feet.

"Uh...no, he didn't...sir."

The cipher agent waved off her title, waved off her attentive stance, "Relax, agent, no one's going to throw you to the curb. Besides, you'll be one of us in no time if Five has anything to say about it, so we might as well act as such."

Era blinked, unable to even pretend that she knew what the other agent was talking about, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Cipher Seven!" A sharp voice barked from across the common area packed with data terminals. The agent, Cipher Seven, rolled his eyes to the ceiling before smartly pivoting and snapping a salute.

"Fourteen!" He greeted, remarkably casual for the stormy look the woman who stalked towards them was wearing. She held a stack of datapads in her arms, but it did not make her any less intimidating.

A very small, very out of line, part of Era couldn't help noting that she was terrifyingly gorgeous, marching towards them. She stuffed that thought away, punted it away, really, trying her best not to shrink back and make herself as tiny as possible.

"You had better not be getting our junior agent's hopes up." The woman spoke sharply, "And don't put promises in Cipher Five's mouth that he can't keep."

Cipher Seven made a face, gesturing back towards Era. She did her best to disappear right on the spot. It didn't work.

"I'm not making promises, Fourteen, but Five has been pushing for this designation since she graduated from the Academy. Knowing someone's in her corner is paramount in this field, you know that."

"Cipher...Fourteen, ma'am," Era forced out, trying not to cow when Fourteen's attention shifted to her, "I really don't understand what's going on."

Then, to her surprise, Fourteen's entire demeanor softened. Her eyes, which had been dark wells of irritation when fixed on Seven, brightened and her entire being shifted towards something almost motherly.

"Fixer Fourteen, not Cipher." She corrected gently, "What Cipher Seven was trying to do was let you in that you already have a lot of support here at Intelligence headquarters. We've been sorely lacking in new agents recently, and we're all excited to see what you do. And while Keeper is the one who assigns designations, Cipher Five, the agent heading the Cipher division, has high hopes for you."

"That's what everyone keeps saying." Era pushed away her uncertainty, keeping to herself that that sounded like an awful lot of pressure was just dropped onto her.

Seven snorted, "Don't look like its a death sentence, trust me, Cipher Five is a lot more bark than he is bite."

Fourteen leveled another look at him, and something Era couldn't parse flashed between them. Clearly there was some connection between the three that she wasn't privy to.

"Cipher Five has your best interests in mind." Fourteen added to Seven's statement, "He will do everything he can to support your growth as an agent. As will we. You'll never go without support here. We know how overwhelming it is when you first start."

Seven nodded, offering her an encouraging smile, "And, about how your first meeting with Keeper went, don't take it personally. He has a lot on his plate right now, it's not really about you."

That brought her more comfort than she thought it would and she offered a small smile of her own, "Well...thank you. I look forward to working with you all then."

Fourteen beamed at her, "Welcome to the family, agent."

[captainderyn]

1. It's not too late, let's go." [Fictober '23]

I said I was going to be late to the party :)) but I have a lovely block of writing time at least one or twice a week with this new job, so I figured why not give it a little try (plus @tiredassmage enabled me so hard with the idea of Agenttober that I couldn't at least put something out :P)

Day: 1

Fandom: SWTOR (pre Imp Agent story)

Genre: Fanfiction

Warnings: None

Summary: It was always supposed to be the three of them, the dream team: Roslynd, Rhys, and Valetyn. They were supposed to stick together, become cipher agents together. A training accident derails all their plans, leaving Roslynd feeling lost and dreading their last day together at the celebration that was supposed to be the best day of their budding careers.

Read Full Fic on AO3

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A year’s worth of stress, blood, sweat, and tears released across the graduation pavilion in thrumming music and strobing lights. Newly minted Imperial Intelligence professionals, strung so tightly after walking the tightrope of success and failure, let out everything they’d been holding within themselves. 

It was a night to be remembered, or, more than likely, filtered through a hangover stupor the next morning, filtering fact from fiction through a raging headache. 

Sipping at her fruity drink, which Roslynd had told the bartender to make extra strong, Roslynd couldn’t find it within herself to muster the same excitement. No, it wasn’t the cautious anticipation that knotted in her stomach. It was dread. It was guilt. It was something gross and bleak, and miserable. 

The countdown set for this night, the one she’d tick down every morning as she’d unwound her curlers from her hair, had stopped a month ago. Ever since she’d stumbled back into her room, clumsy on crutches, it’d laid face down on her desk where she’d slammed it down in a fit of tears. 

“I wish you were coming with us.” Valetyn’s touch was feather light on her shoulder before one arm went around her waist. She leaned back against his chest, brushing against the silk of his shirt. Her gut twisted again; the rich purple of his shirt, the purple sheen of her dress and matching earrings, Rhys’ violently violet tie, all chosen to match when they’d been certain all three of them would be getting on the transport to some backwater planet tomorrow. 

Back when they’d been certain their trio would be moving on as one. 

[captainderyn]

Runs at your inbox at full speed. 6, 11, 15, 25; otp asks for Ros + Five!!!!

Ask and ye shall recieve Roslynd/Five goodness!

EDIT: I put this is my drafts for safe keeping in JUNE and forgot it was here I am so sorry

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6. Do they have pet names for each other? Do they like them?

Not so sure that these quite fall under pet names, but Five's one to call Roslynd, "My love/dear/darling" very very frequently in his smooth Kaasi accent that would make anyone melt like butter. It also isn't a pet name but he's one of the only people to call Roslynd by her full name instead of Ros, which in its own way carries a bit of intimacy.

For Roslynd, she knows that Five has gone by his cipher designation for so long that calling him Val (very rarely Valetyn) in of itself is like calling him by a more intimate name. I think the most pet-namey she gets with him is "my love/love" consistently. But she's also absolutely come up with the most ridiculous nonsense known to man that makes Five stop in his tracks and go "WHAT did you just call me??"

11. What good do they bring out in each other?

OOF so much. They both bring out so much good in each other. Roslynd grounds Five a lot, especially when they first reconnect and he's still actively in the field. She reminds him of his humanity, that he's not just a weapon. She also brings out a sense of humor in him, albeit dry. Five is a very serious person who often takes things very literally and Ros helps him loosen up a bit, get a bit more mischief in him.

In their Academy days, Roslynd brings Five out of his shell. He was very content to work-aholic his way through training and exist on his own, but Roslynd (aside from challenging him academically in their little rivalry) dragged him out away from studies and that's how he met his core group of friends, such as Rhys.

Conversely, Five brings out a mellower side of Roslynd. She's very intense in a very high energy way, and Five's quieter form of intensity tends to balance her out. They're both lovely counter balances to each other. Roslynd also finds that Five brings out a softer side of her, one who isn't as sharp and down-to-business.

15. What habits or characteristics have they picked up from each other?

Roslynd has picked up getting way too attached to the agents from Five.

Roslynd picked up making her office less clinical and more home-y from Five. She didn't realize she could bring in softer lamps that don't give her headaches until she went into his for the first time and went "WAIT you changed the lighting??" xD

Ros has definitely found herself accidentally falling into some of Five's mannerisms in conversation, such as his nonverbal acknowledgements or irritated "hmphs" (you know when you're around someone long enough you start picking up their vocabulary as your own?)

Five has definitely picked up on things from Ros, he's just refusing to offer them up in my brain.

25. Who said “I love you” first?

This might be unexpected, but Five :3

In their Academy days when they had their 'right person wrong time' thing going, Roslynd voiced how much she cared for Five and it was painfully obvious that he's in denial head over heels for her but was never voiced as "I love you".

By the time they begin working together again, Roslynd is just so relieved to have Five back in her life while still recognizing there's several years of trauma now on the shoulders of the man she loved/loves and she doesn't know if he still feels the same. So she is generally content to just things take their course and go where they may. It's Five who finally takes that step and admits his love for her and they go from there!

[captainderyn]

31, 40, 48, and 50 as an optional bonus from the OC asks

Thank you for the asks <3

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31. Pick one OC of yours and explain waht their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything)

I'm trying to think which of my idiots would be the most tumblr-bound lol out of my current OCs. V would run a helluva shitpost blog. Like you know the Heritage Post level shitposts? That is absolutely something she would be fantastic at. But she'd constantly be night blogging: "V, why are you posting at 3:43am?" "Don't worry about it".

Era, on a completely different note, if she was given the time would have a beautifully formatted, gorgeously aesthetic blog showcasing her paintings, her painting set up, scenes around Dromund Kaas (especially the floral gardens) with everything carefully curated. Theme? Moody pastels. Photosets? Color coordinated.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

I have SO many fond memories linked to my characters, especially ones I've made since joining tumblr back in...*checks notes* 2016ish as I've really built myself a fantastic community of mutuals that are so supportive, have engaged me with my characters all the more, and created some truly stunning joint worlds. I'll highlight a few that I've stumbled back across while digging through tumblr (though its absolutely NOT an all encompassing list):

The entire Fictober 2019, where I wrote Moments in Time will forever be special to me; it was my first attempt at fictober and the outpouring of love and support and excitement to follow ficlets of Wulfwryn and Raenor (who were NEW) was so inspiring and as we've seen they've become some of my most written characters <3

Emeldir's Traffic Cone Jacket Saga aka the series of in game shenanigans, fics, and prompts that @greyias and I clowned about a few years ago but keep resurfacing every once in awhile :P

Co-writing fics and writing duo fics with mutuals, especially the Idan and Terrance Odessen Reunion that @lumielles and I wrote pair fics for. There's something so beautiful about writing together with friends.

The enabling you all do >:D the Dream Team of Five, Roslynd, and Rhys wouldn't exist if @tiredassmage hadn't encouraged my tomfoolery with pulling Five off the shelf and breathing new life into a character I didn't think I'd feel inspiration for again and that truly is the story with so many of my characters. They wouldn't exist without y'all! Not in the way they currently do.

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure?

Its a pretty solid toss up between Raenor and Tucdela. Hmmm...nah, I'll go with Tucdela because Raenor has his super saucy side which while that DOESNT mean he isn't the most perfect, cinnamon roll, it does mean he's a little less "pure" :P

50. Give me the good ol' OC talk here. Talk about anything you want.

Terrance has been on my mind a lot lately (hence the stumbling back on the fics) and I really really need to talk more about him because not only is his and Idan's dynamic fantastic, but I actually really popped off with him when I created him. The idea of a miraluka who struggles really really hard with using the Force to "see" as he gets overwhelmed extremely easily, especially on high population planets (like Coruscant) or highly Force attuned planets (Tython, Odessen) is something I want to explore more. That, and I need to write more JediSon and JediDad because Idan really comes through and extends a kind hand to a young kid who has not been shown that. The simple things like a cup of tea, or some spare soft fabric for his eye covering. I need an excuse to go wild over Terrance lol

[captainderyn]

Kiss prompts for whoever speaks up: …as a ‘yes’.

This took me forever to answer, but Five and Roslynd (pre-relationship...sort of) spoke up! Thank you for the ask :)

Five/Roslynd

--

Staring at the name written in bold text at the top of the dossier, Roslynd wondered exactly what strings of fate had crossed as she wove through the hallways of Imperial Intelligence headquarters.

Her sharply polished boots clicked across the tile with each measured step, far steadier than her heart, which galloped away out of control beneath her pressed jacket.

It had been years. The coincidence would have been funny had she not run into Rhys, now designated Cipher Seven, and received an off the record briefing with details Keeper had left out of the dossier.

Many details.

Roslynd paused at a nondescript office door, closed, the windows into the hallway tinted so it was difficult to make out more than the shadow sitting behind the desk.

Though she raised her hand to rap her knuckles on the door, she paused and glanced once more at the dossier.

Designation: Cipher Five

Legal Name: Valetyn A. Slovoko

The name plate on the door read Cipher Five, followed by a hand written note tacked beneath listing out when he'd be in office.

She knew she was stalling, rocking side to side, but she inspected the note. His handwriting had always been frustratingly neat where hers had always been rough scrawl, his letters still slanted ever so slightly to the right. Figures he'd still hand write everything when he could.

If she stood out here any longer he'd probably come and investigate, there was no way he hadn't seen her shadow pass by the window. She let her knuckles fall thrice against the door.

"Come in." The familiarity of his voice struck deep in her chest, tugging at long buried strings.

She pressed the pad to the side of the door frame and it slid open with a soft swish. A rush of cool air from the vent in the ceiling washed over her, sending a shiver down her back.

Valetyn's office was exactly what she would expect it to be. Clean kept, bare bones, but pockets of himself hidden away. She recognized the old globe of Dromund Kaas on a shelf behind his desk. She distinctly remembered every time he'd snapped at her to quit spinning it when he'd been trying to study and she'd long grown bored of the tedious readings.

The harsh overhead lights were switched off in favor of two lamps, lit with soft yellow bulbs, enveloping his office in a cozy wash of light in contrast with the gloom outside. Why hadn't she thought of bringing lamps into her office?

Seconds ticked by with her silence and she knew she should say something, snap a salute even if she technically out ranked him, anything to not make things awkward. Though the door had hissed open, he hadn't ceased typing. The keyboard clacks were distracting.

Her mouth was bone-dry, her eyes locked on Valetyn. Her brain was spinning in circles, fumbling several different words into an unintelligible tangle.

He broke the silence first, flicking his wrist to check his watch, "If you've got something to say, say it quick, I have a meeting in...well, now."

The bluntness, she couldn't stop her soft chuckle, "Glad to see you're still one for pleasantries."

He paused, head whipping up. She froze beneath his gaze that fixed on her, watched transfixed as his eyes narrowed, then softened, his brows drawing low. Once more he glanced at his watch, then clicked on his monitor before his eyes snapped back to her.

She might as well be pinned in place by that look. The years gone by had dampened the memory of how intense his presence was.

"Fixer Fourteen?" Though formal, the edge smoothed from his voice.

"I'm she." Roslynd shifted her datapad from arm to arm, daring to step deeper into his office. The door whoosed closed behind her as she moved from the motion sensor.

A sense of intimacy hung in the closed space, she tried to shake it off, "It's good to see you Val."

"That's classified."

Her brows knit, "...what?"

"My name." He closed something off of his monitor and pushed his chair back to stand, "That's classified. It's Five."

Rhys had mentioned Five had his...tendencies. Things he'd latched onto over the last decade of service. He'd mentioned other things as well, some more concerning than others.

"Alright then...Five." She pressed her lips together at that, "It's my understanding that Keeper had assigned me to take over for your previous fixer. It appears we'll be working together again."

If she wasn't mistaken, a ghost of a smile flitted across his face. But that couldn't be right, it was gone before she could catch it.

Their meeting was brief, it had been timed to be an introduction as if they were strangers, not the reunion of two old friends or...wherever they had stood when he'd left for his first assignment.

While she should've been listening without distraction as he explained his work preferences, how he worked most effectively, she couldn't help reconciling this Valetyn with the one she'd known.

He'd always been handsome in a refined, old fashioned way, but the grey coming in at his temples, the crows feet forming at the creases of his eyes, had aged him like fine wine and it did little to help her focus. Valetyn always looked like he would be more at home in a plush library with a glass of whiskey than the gleaming chrome of Intel.

Rhys hadn't lied about the effect this work had on him though. While Rhys was all healing scars and a heavier build, Valetyn was sharp lines and dark smudges under his eyes.

"Fourteen, are you listening to me?" Her designation swept over her and Valetyn repeated himself, "Fourteen?"

She blinked, realizing too late she'd been staring at the clean pressed lines of his uniform, how it was either better fitted than those issued by the Academy or he'd filled out, "Sorry, I promise I've been listening."

It was nice to know she still had a type. Her cheeks heated. His lips most certainly twitched up at the corners now before that too flitted away.

"I'm looking forward to being a team again." Roslynd cleared her throat, "And maybe getting to know each other again, covering these last several years."

If she could pick things up with Rhys like a day hadn't gone by, maybe the same could happen with Val. If time hadn't changed them both too much.

A chime sounded from the monitor on Five's desk and irritation settled across his features, hardening his eyes and deepening the lines across his forehead.

Roslynd made to take a step back, glancing back towards the door and checking her own watch, "I should let you get back to it, seems like Keeper has you booked."

Valetyn grimaced, leaning across his desk to click something several times over until the chiming stopped. She was reaching for the door when he caught her hand, her fingertips almost grazing the button.

He paused, wrapping his fingers around hers in a gentle squeeze, and his eyes darted between their hands, her, and the door. Then he blinked and before she registered what he was doing, his lips brushed across the back of her hand.

"I'm looking forward to working together, Roslynd."

The way he said her name washed over her in a rush of heat, rising up her cheeks. His monitor began chiming again insistently and he scowled back towards his desk.

"We'll meet up later." Roslynd managed to get out with some semblance of normalcy, mashing the door button with a hand that didn't want to work. Her skin was alight where his lips had brushed.

Valetyn gave a nod, alright slinging himself back into his chair. Whatever glimmer of energy she'd seen flash through him when recognizing her had drained out of him.

She slipped out the door, letting it close behind her before she let out a breath, tucking her datapad under her arm so she could press her chilly hands to her flaming cheeks.

"How'd it go, Ros?" She jumped, the datapad slipping from beneath her arm. It clattered to the ground and she swore.

"Dammit, Rhys!"

"Stars, Ros, you're redder than a Korribani sunburn, did it go that bad?"

Glowering at him, she grabbed his arm and tugged him out of earshot of Five's office, "No not bad, idiot, could you say that any louder?"

Rhys trotted after her, grinning from ear to ear, "Ooh, I see. So I see you've still got it bad for--"

"Shut up, Rhys." She warned, glancing around pointedly for any other agents milling around. It didn't take much to get the rumor mill turned in this office, especially in a division as small as the ciphers. Nothing would help her working relationship with Five than putting him into the spotlight ten minutes after she'd stumbled back into life.

"Fine." Rhys held up a hand in surrender, "But after hours? Meet me at the bar on the corner of Tenth and Quadrant and you're going to have to tell me exactly what he did."

"Fine." Roslynd grumbled, tucking her hand close to herself. She swore she could still feels his lips on her skin. It was benign, chivalrous in that infuriating way of Val's, but filled with so much promise. Clearer than any words he could've said.

That whatever bond they'd built, whatever comradery they'd shared, wasn't completely lost.

[captainderyn]

touching prompts #14. putting an arm around the other’s waist

Knitter!! Thank you for this, so sorry its taken me forever ;--; I had half of it written, then Life Happened, but now its finally clicked! And its angsty, special just for my favorite angst-machine-mutual <3

Spoilers, I suppose, for Corellia of the Imperial Agent storyline

Five/Roslynd

--

Five scrubbed his hands across his face, pressing his forehead into his palms as he tried to stretch the tension from his neck. His entire body was taut, drawn tight and ready to snap. Each hour that ticked by on his chrono, with him twisted like a pretzel in his desk chair, didn't help. Nor did the words that kept him tethered to the data terminal.

The only thing that had changed was the time, each minute crawling by agonizingly slow.

He dragged his hands from his face and through his hair instead, tugging on the strands and level an exhausted glare at his screen.

Agent [REDACTED], [REDACTED]  Designation: Cipher Nine Last Known Location: Corellia, [UNKNOWN], Timestamp: 16:35 Dromund Kaas Standard Time Status: Missing In Action  Notes: Cipher Nine failed to report in at scheduled time to supervisor. Reports from war zone indicates possibility of agent being compromised. 

The anxiety had long since gone from sharp, stabbing jolts to his chest and gut to an ice-cold hum that froze him to his office. All he wanted to do was turn off his terminal, turn off everything, rewind before this tracker had pinged in his messages from Keeper.

But he couldn't.

It should've been him out there instead. That coiled serpent of anger still hissed and rattled inside his shelled out mind. That beast had been growing for years now, ever since the Minister had proposed the Star Cabal mission.

If he'd known this is where they would be, he never would've nominated Era as his top agent. If this was what giving her the recognition he thought she'd deserved, then he would've gladly faced her young, reckless ire and put her squarely in the middle of the pack.

Maybe if he'd done that, the then-Keeper would've reconsidered putting him forward on the mission.

He tugged harder on his hair, squeezing his eyes closed. His lids were gritty, heavy with lack of sleep. His body wanted to drift off, slip away. His mind wouldn't allow it.

With a soft whoosh, the door to his office slid open. He peeled an eye open, shoulders deflating, "You were supposed to be home hours ago."

Roslynd let the door slip closed behind her, enclosing them in the darkness of the office, lit only by the lightning strikes outside and gentle glow of the city, and the two lamps in either corner with their yellow glow.

"I could say the same to you." The heels of her uniform boots clicked against the floor, silencing when it met the carpet beneath his desk, "I figured you wouldn't be leaving anytime soon."

He'd stay here all night, keeping vigil, if Keeper would let him.

"There's still no word on her." The words came out raw, guttural. He cleared his throat.

Roslynd set down cups; he hadn't realized she'd brought coffee with her. The smell of his favorite late-night roasterie reached him, even if it roiled his stomach right now.

When she went to grab the second chair at the end of his desk he shook his head, pushing back his chair and holding out his arms. She paused and he gave her a single, pleading look. Her brows drew together, lips pressing thin.

But then she settled in his lap, her arms around his shoulders as one hand carded through the short hair at the back of his head. Perhaps, later, the paranoia about another agent seeing them like this would sneak in.

For now though, the blinds were drawn, and he needed her steady strength.

"Breathe, Val." Roslynd murmured, hand running up and down his back.

He drew in a shuddering breath, wrapping his arms tight around her middle and pressing his forehead against her shoulder, "I can't do this again."

Not one more ceremony with no body to bury. He couldn't handle the Minister handing him a velvet-padded box with another tile for the memorial wall, another name of one of his agents etched within.

Roslynd's hand paused, fingers clenching into his uniform, "I know."

Every time he lost another agent, a piece of him died too.

But this would be losing Rhys all over again. This would be worse.

His voice dropped low, cracking, "That's our daughter out there."

If he'd done his job right, he would've had a cold detachment from her like Intelligence preached. If he done his job right she never would be out there at all.

Of all the agents he could've failed so miserably, so completely, it had to be Nine. It had to be Era.

There were no words to say. Roslynd sniffled, but just continued the gentle motion of her hand. Five didn't want her to say anything, didn't want empty platitudes. Her presence was enough. The weight of her arms around him was enough.

When his terminal pinged with an alert, Five tightened his arms around Roslynd's waist, squeezing his eyes closed so hard that stars burst in the darkness.

"I don't want to read it." His voice shook, his stomach already dropping to the floor, "I don't want to open it, Ros."

For a long stretch, Roslynd was silent, but he knew, he knew from the way a tremor went through her entire body, the way her grip tightened so that it was almost suffocating.

"Val..." An exhalation, and she tried again, though Five was already shaking his head.

"No."

"An explosion was detected at a Corellia military museum."

A switch flipped somewhere in Roslynd, Five knew that distant, clipped voice. He squeezed his eyes even tighter closed against the burning.

"No."

"Agent designated Cipher...Cipher Nine's coordinates match those of the museum. Status updated to--" She heaved in a breath, "Status updated to killed in action."

A sanitized, cookie-cutter message that'd been sent to him dozens of times. Impersonal, clinical.

One he'd read over and over and over again.

But when he lifted his head from Roslynd's shoulders, clearing his vision, and saw the red mark on her file, saw Nine's picture from the day she'd pinned on as Cipher, defaced with an ugly red KIA...

His world shattered.

[captainderyn]

[Fic] To the Brink

Summary: Five finally reaches a breaking point in his Imperial Intelligence career that jeopardizes not only himself, but the well being of Roslynd has well.

Warnings: Implied torture, implied past addiction

Notes: This was meant to be a prompt fill...it is instead a lot more than that. I ramble more in the tags lol. Hope y'all enjoy the first fic with Five and his new wifey...of course it'd be angsty.

This is set ~2-3 years prior to the start of the Imperial Agent story line.

--

"Cipher Five are you listening to me?"

Five tilted his head back against the tree he hid behind, the thorny bushes concealing him from view scratching and catching against the thick material of his uniform.

"I'm always listening to you, Fixer." He murmured, blinking up at the sun that dappled between the thick foliage above him. The green blurred in front of his eyes and he squeezed them closed before peeling them back open.

Shaking his head didn't work either and he scrubbed a hand across his face, keeping himself in the darkness as he focused in on the voice coming in through his ear piece.

Roslynd's voice encompassed him, the familiar cadence a balm to his fried nerves. He yawned, keeping a hand over his eyes to focus solely on her voice instead of the blaring light of his visor's HUD.

"...haven't received new intel since I briefed you yesterday. They've got their movements and plans locked down tighter than the Dark Council's donation history."

Her words blended together in a series of syllables and sounds, relaxing none the less. The soft clip of her accent wrapped around him and he didn't realize the darkness had changed around him until the scrape of bark against the back of his neck and her voice sharpened,

"Five? Cipher Five!"

Pulling his eyes back open, he let his hand drop back down. Rocks may as well have been dragging down his eye lids, "Mmm, I'm still here Fourteen, don't worry."

He could practically feel her displeasure through the comm channel. If they were in the same room, she'd be staring him down with that look on her face, where her brows drew low over her eyes and her lips pressed together until she figured out exactly how to professional rip him a new one. Her hands would be on her hips in the way she always fell into when irritated.

A pang went through him. What he'd give to not be sitting out here in this oppressive humidity of some backwater planet and instead back in Kaas City. 

"As your Fixer, I think you should call off this stakeout and return to base. It's already been several hours with no changes in information. This is not sustainable for the mission."

As far as the record keeping software that monitored and scanned their secured comm channel to report anything off Imperial Intelligence cyber specialists it was just simple concern in Fourteen's voice.

He caught the edge in her voice though.

The HUD in his visor lit up, tracking a series of alerts. He scanned through the text, sifting through what information was actually important as the text disappeared faster than he could read all of it.

"Our targets have made their late arrival. The mission can still be completed."

"Cipher, I think its best to withdraw from this mission." He heard Fourteen clicking through screens through the comm, her fingers flying across the keys, "Your latest biometics--"

He palmed an adrenal stim from the pack at his belt, injecting it in one fluid motion. The location smarted from others he'd previously injected over the long hours of this stakeout, the rush of energy it gave like static through his veins. That was the last one he had in his pack. In yet another practiced motion, he pulled a fortitude stim as well, that one like a rush of cold, clarifying water through his mind.

"I only desist when I receive orders from Keeper." He reminded her.

An ache went through his chest, he wasn't sure if it was from the stims or from the stilted breath Fourteen loosed over the comm. It was the last bit of the woman beneath the agent he got before that cool, level tone returned.

"Understood. I expect you to report in no later than 1600 Kaasi Time. Standard recovery procedures will commence within the next day if that deadline is missed." 

He didn't miss the slight waver in her voice on recovery. Gathering up his sniper rifle, Five hovered his hand over his ear piece, "Heard loud and clear, Fixer. Going dark."

The silence when he clicked off his calm set his nerves back on edge. Even when she was silently pulling up information to brief him on, Fourteen's company through the static was a tether to him.

He crept to the outlook he'd scouted earlier, pressing himself down among the swaying grass and pushes. A few thorny leaves scraped the back of his neck and he grimaced.

The last adrenal stim pushed his luck too far. He could feel his heart hammering erratically against the ground as he flattened himself against the earth, bracing his sniper rifle so he could zero in on the approaching targets. His hands were shaking and he gripped the body of his rifle tighter, peering through the scope.

Each blink felt too heavy, threatening to pull him under.

His target came into view, the speeder crawling along.

Taking a deep breath, Five steadied himself and aimed.

Fired a single shot.

And missed.

---

Roslynd flipped her wrist up, staring at the screen of her watch for the third time in the last three minutes.

15:55

15:56

15:58

She'd gone two minutes without looking, a new record. Instead of checking her watch again as she let the screen go dark, she checked her datapad. Nothing.

Checked her earpiece for any messages she might've missed. Not a single notification.

All of her other briefings and meetings were over for the day. The agents were packing up their things to leave for the night, closing down the building except for those working the overnight shift.

Roslynd herself was supposed to leave at 17:00, after Five reported in and confirmed the status of the mission. The hour she'd given herself after was to write up a quick report, to be finalized and sent to Keeper tomorrow morning.

She toyed with the ring on her finger, the stone catching the blue light of the sleeping data terminals.

Keeper passed by her office and she darted out the door, falling into step alongside him.

"Cipher Five still hasn't reported in." She tried to keep her voice steady, to not sound too harried. Inject just enough of her frustration to make it seem like she was just pissed off she may have to stay past her scheduled departure.

Keeper glanced askance at her, the wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes deepening as he checked his chrono, "He still has time to report in."

"The mission was planned to take less than an hour, the other three were to provide a buffer for him to return back to base. You know how punctual Cipher Five is and I set the deadline for today to account for that, this is unusual behavior.” 

The older agent studied his chrono once again, before fixing Roslynd with a long look. His eyes dipped down to where she was still fiddling with her ring with enough force that her skin was turning red. She dropped her hands, gripping them in a tense parade rest behind her instead. 

“Fixer Fourteen, I think you should retire for the night, the Fixers for tonight’s shift will monitor comm traffic for Cipher Five’s report. You’ve put a lot of overtime into this mission. Besides, you have someone waiting at home for you.” 

Keeper always had a habit of caring for his agents too much, giving them more leeway than many of the Sith breathing down Intelligence’s neck wanted. Treated them too much like people, with lives outside their work instead of means to an end. 

She blinked against the burning in her eyes, trying to keep her voice from sounding too robotic as she said, “Will do, Keeper, thank you.” 

Knowing damn well she’d be returning to an empty apartment, with only the fluffy feline Agent to greet her. That she'd be lucky to get more than scattered minutes of sleep tonight.

She didn't miss the knowing look Keeper sent her way before bidding her good evening and leaving her standing in the hallway. She simply chose to ignore it.

---

Three days.

The longest thirty-six hours of her life. Hours that wouldn't pass faster no matter how much she paced, how much she tried to work away.

Nights spent awake, trying to quiet Agent's own pacing and yowling as he refused to settle into Roslynd's lap and insisted on searching for Five.

It was twenty-four hours after Roslynd left headquarters that recovery procedures were enacted and a team was sent to the backwater planet Five was meant to be on.

Roslynd had watched their progress from her office, tuned into the feed from their comms and watching their progress on the map spread on her second monitor.

They found him trussed up in a backroom of their targets' hideout, so bloodied, swollen, and bruised that their identity scanners threw errors. One of the junior ciphers on the recovery team cut Roslynd's access to their HUD visual feed.

Roslynd cut her own access to their audio feed soon after, when their questions to Five returned near-unintelligible, garbled answers. What had they done in twenty-four hours?

Rocking back in her chair, she scrubbed her hands over her eyes, pressing so hard she saw stars.

"Fixer...?" A tentative voice paired with a knock on her door. She nearly leapt out of her skin, thankful that she'd already closed out the tabs she'd been keeping on the recovery team, "Keeper wants to see you in his office, something to do with your current mission."

Her stomach dropped, but she pushed her chair back anyway and walked on shaking legs to meet Keeper, putting any indication that she knew more than she was supposed to far, far down inside her.

"Fourteen, you look awful." Was the first greeting she got as she closed the door behind her and pulled the blinds as he motioned for her to do.

She fell into a parade rest, pressing her lips together, "I've been concerned about the mission, sir."

"Then you'll be relieved to know that the mission was a success. Cipher Five eliminated his assigned targets."

It took everything in her for her only reaction to be a tilt of her head and a quirk of her brow, "Oh? So the mission is a success."

Keeper scrubbed a hand across his jaw, frowning at something coming through on his datapad. The blue light cast deep shadows over his features, "With collateral damage, yes. As you've probably guessed, Five was compromised in the field."

She knew, she knew and it still ripped through her heart with enough force that her knees quaked and her head went light, "Tell it to me straight, sir. What condition is my agent in."

My agent. My assigned field partner. How would his failure reflect on her. Nothing more.

Still, Keeper motioned for her to sit, steepling his hands when she did. Everything about this was so far beyond acceptable protocol. As Fixer she was not entitled to this information, all she needed to know was that the mission was a success.

She was focused too hard on keeping her breathing steady and her eyes dry to care what Keeper did or did not know. At least the blinds were drawn, at least no other eyes were watching. She clenched her hands, clasped in her lap, so tightly that her knuckles popped. 

“Preliminary data suggests he hit his targets then experienced some manner of incident. The remaining adversaries took advantage of that lapse to take him into custody and attempt to extract information from him.” 

Information that he wouldn’t have given, especially not after only twenty-four hours, though the mere thought sent a lurch through Roslynd’s stomach. She stared hard at the screens behind Keeper until she felt like she could breathe again.  

Keeper’s voice softened, no, quieter, so that she had to lean forward to hear, “I’m placing him on medical leave upon his return. Clearly something is going on, and I’d rather my senior Cipher be out of office temporarily than lose him all together.” 

“Thank you.” She got out from behind  the lump forming in her throat and nodded along as Keeper picked his voice back up, returning to that clinical tone. 

“As Fixer you are not permitted to debrief him while the medical staff perform their evaluation of him. However, as you’re the one most acquainted with working with him, I would like you to see to it that Cipher Five makes it to a taxi home.” 

Roslynd glanced up at Keeper, at the raised eyebrows wondering if she’d deny it. She didn’t have the strength to, “I’ll make sure he makes it home, sir.” 

“Good,” Keeper looked older now, worn down and weary. How difficult it must be to watch his agent get picked off like flies on the daily and so rarely be able to do anything, “Dismissed, Fourteen. The shuttle is set to arrive by evening.” 

She tried to remind herself as she busied herself with her remaining work and placing an order for supplies to be delivered to their front door by the evening, that things could be worse. Plenty of agents didn’t return from these kinds of incidents after a paltry two days of being MIA, plenty didn’t return it all. 

Instead of soothing her, it only gaped the pit in her stomach further until she found herself paralyzed in her desk chair, spiraling down all the what ifs. She was stuck thinking circles around the folder tucked in her desk drawer at home, where Five had methodically laid out all relevant information, desires, and plans for her if he were to ever not come home, when another agent came to notify her of Keeper’s order to retrieve Five from the medbay. 

It wasn’t another younger agent, but another cipher. One of the few remaining from her and Five’s graduating class from the Academy. The one agent Five would probably consider a close friend outside of the office. 

Cipher Seven gave her a grim smile, “You look like shit, Ros.” 

She aimed a withering look at him as she gathered her things and slung her bag over her shoulder. She tried and failed to keep her hands from shaking. Her muscles would ache tomorrow from all her trembling, “Keeper said the same thing.” 

Seven snorted a laugh and it eased some of her tension. It couldn’t be horrible news if he could laugh, “Do you know how he is?” 

The cipher slung an arm around her shoulder as they walked, waving off the few nosy agents trailing them. A breach of decorum, most certainly, but headquarters was well past closed, and they’d been here long enough to bend a few rules, “You know Val, pissed off as ever that something went wrong in the first place.” 

She pursed her lips at the bold usage of Five’s name, even a nickname. He hated using it anywhere near Intelligence. No matter that his full legal name was written in his files. It was his little bit of paranoia that he clutched closely, the same paranoia that kept him from wearing his wedding band. 

She supposed the last few days was proof as to why exactly he did that. 

“I’m serious, Rhys.” She snapped, but breathed out a sharp breath from her noise and softened her voice, “Keeper didn’t tell me much.” 

She knew Rhys had a habit of diffusing with humor, but there was no place in her shot nerves for jokes or light comments. He was lucky she could speak at all. Thoughts of that stupid folder still threatened to steal her concentration. 

Another reasonable, yet agonizing, part of Five’s need to have everything meticulously in place. 

“Shit, sorry, I know.” Rhys winced, “As far as I’ve been told he’s better than when they found him. Nothing that isn’t just superficial. The team that found him says he’s slept off whatever cocktail the bastards used to try and get him talking.” 

Another piece of her relaxed, and she blinked towards the ceiling, “Good. He seemed…off when I was on the comms with him before it happened. He wouldn’t listen to me when I told him to back off the mission.” 

Close friends as they were, she couldn’t bring herself to share the sinking feeling that she knew exactly why this mission had gone wrong. Something in her stopped the words that Five was hurtling down a dangerous path, getting closer and closer to some edge she couldn’t see because of the demands placed on him. 

Rhys already knew that Five had barely been home, sent on mission after mission by Keeper on behest of his higher-ups. He could infer enough from that. 

“He’s going to have a fit when he learns that Keeper put him on forced leave.” was all Rhys offered. The ‘it’s necessary’ went unspoken, even if it meant Rhys was going to be picking up the slack. 

Roslynd kept a remarkable leash on her composure as they slipped into the medbay. She was even more impressed with how steady she kept her voice as she leveled a look at Five and simply said, “Keeper’s directed me to make sure you find yourself a taxi home.” 

If she looked like shit, then Five looked like death. Though he’d been given a pair of loose black pants and long sleeved shirt instead of his dirt and blood stained uniform, that didn’t hide his face. His eyes flitted up to her from beneath deep bruising that extended over his nose all the way down to his jaw. 

The hands that circled the cup, filled with whatever concoction the med droid was harassing him to drink, were no better. His knuckles were scratched and cut up to the point she wondered how he held the cup at all. 

Superficial, Rhys had said. Superficial still hit her like a punch to the gut. It took everything in her to nod at the medical droid and ask, “What is my agent’s prognosis?” 

Rhys slipped beside her to help Five up. She didn’t miss the way Five winced or the way he moved like his entire body hurt. Nor did she miss the heated, quiet conversation between the two friends as Rhys stabbed a bendy straw into Five’s styrofoam cup and snapped at him to drink up. 

It was a sweet bit of normalcy as the medical droid pulled up its diagnostics, “Cipher Five is recommended limited activity until contacted by his supervisors with further instruction. It is also recommended that Cipher Five cease usage of adrenaline based stims.” 

The droid padded off to the next curtained off area, its monotonous voice picking up again, but Roslynd’s eyes were fixed on Five. He had his eyes fixed on the ground, focused on putting each foot in front of the other and snapping at Rhys to keep his hands off when his friend attempted to help him. 

At the weight of Roslynd’s stare he glanced up, expression going unreadable at whatever he found there. 

Rhys walked with them until they were out on the taxi pad. He had his uniform jacket pulled up over his head against the incessant drizzle, stopping just shy of the roof’s overhang. 

“Get home safe.” he told them both before looking at Roslynd, “And don’t worry about coming in tomorrow, Keeper already doesn’t expect you.” 

The old man was watching out for them once again. Roslynd didn’t have the energy in her to give anything other than a nod. That was all she’d been able to muster consistently: nods. 

Even if her head was beginning to spin too much to even manage that. The lack of sleep and her inability to keep much down was catching up with her. 

Five glanced over her shoulder before sliding close enough that their arms brushed. Then his fingers hooked through hers, his thumb brushing over her ring. The gentle touch was enough to bring tears to Roslynd’s eyes, that slid down her cheeks and mixed with the rain as the taxi finally pulled up. 

He kept their hands interlocked, his thumb brushing over her knuckles, all the way home. Until they slipped through the door and with it slipped away Five and Fourteen. 

She pointed to the couch, a silent command, and he toed off his shoes to obey as she shrugged off her rain soaked jacket. Agent careened from the bedroom, chirping and brrup-ing with his feathery tail straight up in the air. 

In the short time it took her to hang up her jacket, Agent already claimed Five’s lap, purring so loud that it seemed to shake the entire couch. Roslynd tucked herself on Five’s other side, falling against him as his arm looped around her waist and pulled her close. 

He grunted in pain as she connected with him, but tightened his hold when she tried to scoot away. She relented, resting her head on his shoulder with as much care as she could. She didn’t even know what beneath his shirt looked like. If it was anything like what they’d done to his face…well. He’d be sore for a while. 

“I thought I’d lost you, Val.” she finally broke their silence. 

Five leaned his head against hers, his hand trailing up and down her side as she added, “What happened?” 

“I don’t know.”

 She hadn’t realized the rough gravel to his voice until now. Did that mean that when they…had he been…? She squeezed her eyes closed against the unbidden images of the pain they’d inflicted on him, on the shouts and screams that must’ve been torn from him to shred his voice like that. His arm tightened around her. 

He cleared his throat, though it did nothing to help, “I remember taking out our key targets, then nothing until I woke up in their safe house. I don’t know if I passed out, or if they hit me with a neural detonator, or a concussive shot…” 

Roslynd reached out to brush her hand over Agent’s furry head. The cat pushed his head into her touch, paws frantically kneading Five’s stomach. 

“Stims again?” She kept her voice neutral, even as she felt Five slump next to her, as if he’d been waiting with baited breath for her to bring it up. 

“I didn’t realize how bad it was getting again.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and she followed the motion, watching him card his fingers through strands that were going gray at the temples. 

She hadn’t realized how often he’d been gone, how often Keeper had been sending him out on missions until she stopped to wonder how she hadn’t noticed yet. She was so used to working with him on the job, to speaking with him daily but…she hadn’t seen him for more than a few days at a time in three or more months now she realized. And most of those days had been spent sleeping, resting with the stress their job put on them. 

Her stomach sank and she turned her face against his shoulder, steadying herself in his warmth. 

“Keeper is granting you leave.” She admitted into his shoulder, not amending that ‘granting’ was a pretty word for ‘forcing’. 

“I know. Rhys told me.” Five sighed, “I’d also talked to Keeper before this mission about transferring to a position here for a little while.” 

She hummed in interest, trying to remember if he’d already mentioned this before. 

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but Keeper wants me to take a stint instructing at the Academy. Wants me to evaluate the cadets for potential cipher designations.” Five interlocked their hands again, “I can’t keep going like I am and I don’t want to spend more time away from home than not.” 

He’d been working like this for over a decade of his career in some capacity or another. The Cipher designation was a risky one and each time he left the odds stacked further and further against him. He and Rhys were already an anomaly. Most of the Ciphers they’d graduated with were nothing but names on the memorial wall now. 

Roslynd allowed herself to sink into Five, take in the fact that he was here, that he might be staying here, and at Agent, purring so hard still she was surprised he still had breath. 

Her little family. Their little family. 

Together, okay. Not broken, not lost. 

“I think that would be perfect.” she murmured, realizing in the silence after that Five had fallen back asleep, his breaths soft against her hair.

[captainderyn]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Saw @tiredassmage post and remembered it was Wednesday xP

I’ve mostly been chugging away on original stuff but I do still have this Five/Roslynd fic I’m poking at!

For years Five had squashed the rumors of their relationship, silenced the junior agents when they’d gossiped and speculated. There always came a time where they learned exactly why he’d worked so hard to keep things quiet. Why he’d hushed every murmur of something more than coworkers.

It only took losing one person you loved to change that attitude.

Roslynd sighed against his hair, “Still no word on her?”

He shook his head, “None.”

Part of him fussed that he should say more, that he knew Roslynd worried when he withdrew and went near-silent. But there wasn’t any more to say. He had no words left.

Instead, he pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. She was warm, familiar, and the coiled tension inside of him eased so he could breathe just a little easier. She’d always had that effect on him, even back in their Academy days. It was almost uncanny.

For the first time in hours he slipped his gaze from the screen, turning his face to bury against the soft fabric of her sweater. She stroked her hand through his hair, threading her fingers through the greying strands at his temples.

[captainderyn]

OC Tag Game

Ehehehe thank you for the tag @tiredassmage <3

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Favorite OC:

Oh man...oh how can you ask me to choose my favorite? In all honesty it kind of rotates depending on what game I'm fixated on that most that day/week/month lol. The usual havers-of-my-fixation are Five, Ryn, and Raenor & Wulfwryn (they come as a pair, fight me).

(But, just between you and me goers-of-tumblr, Five and Raenor are pretty tied :P)

Newest OC: I'm not going to count my Ryder from ME:A because I haven't introduced her here yet, so I'd say Roslynd. I wanted to create her in theory for awhile but then I got bit by the agent bug thanks to @tiredassmage and finally actually created her!

Oldest OC (length of time you've had them): As far as some form of their existence in the source material, probably Wulfwryn. I created her waaay back in...oh man...2011/12 when my Lord of the Rings hyperfixation was really sparked. Though I was an early middle schooler at that point, so naturally Wulfwryn was a thirtheenth walker insert and also far less developed and nuanced its a good thing I didn't post in the internet

However, in any iteration, probably Emeldir and Wren. They've been two of my longest standing OC concepts that have kind of bounced from universe to universe from old RP forums, to LOTR, to SWTOR. Though they're very, very different now. Emeldir used to be a wolf shape-shifter and Wren used to be far less of a WLW boss ass bitch.

Emeldir is my oldest SWTOR OC though, he was my first character way back in 20...uh...2015/16 when I first picked the game up.

Meanest OC: See, I'm really bad at making mean characters so I'm not sure xD Wren is probably the one who gives the least fucks and is more likely to put you in your place. She is a Dark Counselor after all, she's got to have an edge to her to succeed.

Softest OC: Raenor my bby boy (affectionate, that's a whole ass 500+ year old elven man). He is absolutely my softest OC who gets dragged into The Plot. He just wants to love Wulfwryn and create his music but instead Things Keep Happening.

Most Aloof/Standoffish: *trying to card through all my OCs, I have too many, especially Dragon Age ones I haven't talked about in awhile). I would say Five, only because that's how he is with basically everyone except Roslynd, Era, and his junior agents in the Cipher Division.

Dumbest (affectionate): This one probably goes to Ien, but I haven't talked about Ien in awhile he's fallen off the radar :') my idiot freckled blueberry smuggler. He's dumb as rocks (by choice).

For OCs I talk about regularly(ish) that has to go to Emeldir. He very book smart, but very young and naive at the start of the class story and very much NOT what you expect from a smuggler's personality and so many times Risha has to keep him from getting scammed because "NO they aren't being nice, they will take your money, no they don't actually need your help."

Smartest OC: Five and/or Ryn no contest. Five is smart as a whip, he needs to be and he's very logic-minded.

Horniest OC: *sigh* V. This woman cannot stop being horny for Judy even when we have plot to do. She's singularly minded, that one.

Ryn is also surprisingly horny but neither she nor I understand why she's attracted to turians, if she's actually attracted to turians at all, or if Garrus just Got Her With That Voice And Personality and the rest just kind of happens. So let me correct myself, she's *VERY* horny for Garrus, I just rarely write it because I don't understand physically why.

OC You'd Bang: *bisexual panic* Ha..ahaha...quite a few of them. Let's see, Five I accidentally projected My Type Of Man onto so definitely him. And also Ryn...very much Ryn, I mean *c'mon* yes Shepard hold me in your buff arms.

OC You'd Be Best Friends With IRL: Probably Emeldir ngl, he's so nice and chill and really just a quiet guy and by proxy that means I get a token extrovert friend in Rielay. I would love to be friends with Era but I definitely feel like she'd be way cooler than I am IRL.

Tagging... @storyknitter @queen-scribbles and @greyias if you'd like to join!