Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I love Crow's relationship with John cx
He's starting to view him as more of a father figure

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Apparently, there was a lot more to horseback riding than Crow had expected going into his first lesson. From the way he held his reins to the pressure he applied with his heels, almost every move he made was an indicator to his horse about what to do. Baine responded to each twitch and tug with obedient precision, even if the motion had been made accidentally by the novice on his back; and occasionally, he pawed at the ground in frustration when the viceroy inadvertently sent him mixed signals. The learning curve was steep, and it became clear that it was going to take much more time and effort before he would feel comfortable enough to manage the stallion without oversight.

Above all, John stressed the importance of proper posture, explaining that a rider could easily lose his balance or fall off his mount if he wasn’t stable. At first, Crow hadn’t taken him very seriously, but as soon as he began to practice transitioning from a walk to a trot, he realized quickly that he would have to follow the knight’s directions if he didn’t want to give himself a headache from being jostled about by the horse’s bumpy gait. From then on, he focused more intently on matching Baine’s movement when they increased speed. Rather than just sitting in his saddle and being bounced by the animal, he raised and lowered his rear the way the older man described to make the ride more comfortable for both him and his steed.

By the end of the lesson, he was able to command the stallion to walk, stop, change directions, and even trot in a straight line. John seemed impressed with his progress, though it was hard to tell for sure since his facial expression rarely changed. The biggest clue he offered was a comment he made when they were back in the king’s stable preparing their horses to be returned to their stalls.

“Your father has instructed me to make sure you’re ready to handle the trip to Gorm before the end of three weeks,” the knight announced as they disassembled their individual saddles. “However, I think you’ll be ready well before then.”

Crow casted him a sidelong glance, slightly surprised to hear any praise come out of the stoic man’s mouth. It was flattering, but for once, the egotistical former thief couldn’t bring himself to accept the compliment. “I don’t know about that,” he said apprehensively, sliding Baine’s saddle down from his tall back to return to storage. “I almost ran him into the fence at least five times. Isn’t the border between Brerra and Gorm mountainous?”

“It is, but there’s a wide trade route that the king outlined for your trip to decrease the risk of any accidents,” John explained.

“What about ice?” Crow objected. “It hasn’t been cold enough to snow here yet, but it’s still almost winter. I thought the mountains were supposed to be dangerous at this time of year.”

“You’ll be fine as long as you stay alert,” Penelope’s father asserted. He pursed his lips and stopped what he was doing to turn toward his student, lowering his voice as he added: “Besides, it’s entirely possible that you won’t have to go at all.”

“I hope not,” the viceroy sighed. He glanced at John briefly before they both finished putting their riding gear away and returned the horses to their stalls.

Walking back to the castle, Crow kicked a small rock down the dirt path as his mind wandered to the upcoming party and his father’s decision. He wished he could do more to help Penelope convince Albin to seek a peaceful end with Younis, but at the moment, all he could do was wait and hope everything she was doing would be enough. It was impossible to tell if the king could be persuaded when they were so close to his scheduled departure for Gorm. If the support she rallied wasn’t enough, there would be nothing else they could do. It was frustrating to feel so helpless.

John seemed to notice the dip in his mood. “Everything will fall into place,” he said suddenly, interrupting the silence that had fallen over them. “There’s no point in worrying.”

Crow jerked his gaze up at him, startled by the knight’s accurate reading of his thoughts. In the next moment, a curt scoff escaped his mouth, and he looked away again. “Was I really that obvious?” a half smile tugged at his lip as he shook his head. “I want to believe that, I really do, but nothing ever seems to go according to my plans. If I’d had it my way, Penelope and I would have moved to Farhill two years ago, and this whole damn war never would have happened.” He shrugged, unsure why he was suddenly being honest with a man he barely knew but unable to stop the words from tumbling out now that they had started.

“I still wish everything could go back to the way it was before,” he confessed dully. “It’s all so much more complicated now. I miss the times when it was just the two of us—when I didn’t have to make sure we were alone just so I could touch her hand. Now, I don’t know what to expect anymore. Every time I look at her face, there’s a part of me that remembers the first time I lost her. The thought of that happening again…” He trailed off, taking a slow breath. “It scares me. And the worst part is that until something changes in this war, I know it could still happen again.”

Avoiding John’s gaze, the viceroy stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets uncomfortably. He hadn’t meant to spill everything on his mind, especially to a knight who had professed to dislike him before, but the fears had been stewing inside of him for so long that they refused to be contained anymore. Now that it was all out on the table, he could tell by the lingering silence that it had been a mistake to share them at all. He parted his lips to tell the other man to forget what he’d just said, but before he could speak, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

“First of all,” John’s deep voice seemed to resonate more than usual as it cut through the quiet. “I’m glad she didn’t run away with you two years ago. You say there was a time when it was ‘just the two of you,’ but that’s not true. Penelope has always had people in her life who care about her, including myself, and I would have hunted you to the ends of the earth to get her back.” Crow could have sworn he saw a glimmer of amusement in the older man’s stern visage.

“Even if it wasn’t by your own choice, I think it was wise for you both to be patient,” the knight continued. “Just look at where you are now. You’ve gone from criminal to noble, and my daughter became a lieutenant. Neither of those things would have happened if you had been impulsive and pushed for something before its time.” He met the viceroy’s solemn gaze earnestly. “Just because your life looks different than you had imagined doesn’t mean it’s worse. Keep being patient. There’s a saying that good things come to those who wait, and I think you’ll find that there’s more truth to it than you ever thought possible if you just give it a chance.”

Crow stared at him, taken aback by the sudden, heartfelt advice. He’d never had a figure in his life who had spoken to him this way before. Even his own mother’s kind words hadn’t stirred the same feelings in him that John’s did. It was strangely comforting to hear the older man willingly step into his mess and help him find his way out of it. The situation wasn’t resolved by any means, but at least now he knew there was someone more knowledgeable than himself that he could fall back on when he needed to. For the first time, he wondered if this was what it would have been like if his father had been involved in his life.

“Thanks,” he murmured bashfully, ruddy color tinting his cheeks. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop worrying when it comes to Penelope, but I’ll try to learn to be okay with it when things don’t go my way.”

John nodded, giving the viceroy’s shoulder an approving squeeze before dropping his hand back down to his side. They walked the rest of the way back to the castle in silence, though Crow was more noticeably more content than he had been before.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Sorry to hear it! Hopefully it gets better for you soon. And don't worry about the delay ^^ Life comes first

Cirque du Sombre [Siaya Dragalorn & Summer]

An essential part of being a faerie was having a sensitivity to the emotions of others, and Frieda was nothing if not masterful at this art. She perceived the swirling confliction inside of Lune as if the words “urgent” and “afraid” were written plainly on her forehead. The delightful negativity tantalized her inner predator—fear was a veritable delicacy to her kind—but it was not the feeling she wanted to see in this girl. If she was on the border with her decision to join or flee from the circus, the ringmistress intended to do everything in her power to erase the fright from her conscience.
She was not surprised when Lune began to gush about her concerns regarding Rayth. The half vampire had already told her that he was the cause of her anxiety. However, she knitted her brows together in a contemplative expression anyway, as if she was hearing the runaway’s words for the first time and taking them to heart.
Ultimately, her goal was to become Lune’s confidant, to win her trust and persuade her to believe she was someone who could offer sound wisdom in confusing times. The best way to do that was to give credence to her worries without dismissing them as nonsense. Of course, it was nonsensical for her to be alarmed by Rayth among all her monsters, but she maintained complete control over her flawless features without giving away her true thoughts on the matter.
The faerie sat patiently while the girl defended her claims, even revealing a photo she had taken of two beasts she didn’t recognize. The latter was somewhat unexpected, but considering what the oracles had told her about Lune, she wasn’t completely astounded to find out that the runaway had been approached by other supernatural creatures before.
When she finished speaking, Frieda sat for a moment in silence, deciding the best way to tackle the barrier without scaring her off. The one thing she was certain about was that she needed to spread word to the rest of her troupe to keep their individual species a secret. After seeing how Lune had reacted to just one of her creatures, she believed it would be better for the girl to think the rest were a normal group of freak shows and oddities just like any other circus. At least initially. Once she was comfortable, the ringmistress could tell her the truth about the others.
“Darling, I already know what he is,” she confessed, looking away from the camera to meet Lune’s gaze with a cordial smile. “But you have nothing to be concerned about. Rayth may be a vampire, but he came here for the same reason you did: to find a safe place to call home. If he was dangerous, he would have been expelled long ago. Anyway, I can assure you that he has one of the sweetest dispositions of anyone I have ever met, and there’s no need for you to be afraid of him.
“Besides,” she leaned closer to the girl and lowered her voice as if sharing a secret. “He’s only a half vampire. One of his parents was human. Did he tell you that?”

~Bonsoir~

Gunshots rang in the dark, only adding celerity to Vail’s feet. He couldn’t risk glancing over his shoulder out of concern that he might lose speed or even trip if he didn’t stay focused on escaping. He had run from Saints plenty of times in the past, especially before the late head of the Crest household had made his deal with his clan, but the task was made difficult when he had to make sure Victoria made it out safely as well. She wasn’t too heavy for him to carry, but it was harder to stay balanced with her added weight making him top-heavy.

The one benefit of carrying her was that it seemed to have discouraged the hunters from firing anymore shots at him. He could see the gate up ahead when he heard her weak voice pleading with him to leave her behind. He didn’t bother sparing his breath to reply. After he’d found out what Spencer had been doing while he was away, the Order would have to kill him before he would hand her over to them again. He wasn’t sure where they could go—his family’s manor was a last resort—but he was determined to figure it out along the way to make sure the Wynter couldn’t hurt her anymore, even if it meant taking a bullet or two to succeed.

Escaping into the darkened city, he kept as close of a watch as he could on the surrounding shadows. It was late, but not so late that there wouldn’t be other Saints around who could see him running off with the heiress of the Crest estate. It would have been easier to slip into an alleyway and set her down so they could walk without drawing attention to themselves, but he could tell by her uncontrollable shivering that she was in no condition to carry herself the rest of the distance to whatever safe haven they could find.

Considering the options, Vail hissed a curse under his breath as it became clear that no public space would be able to give them the protection they needed. The taverns and brothels and underground markets were always crawling with hunters, and it would not take much effort for the Order to track them down at an inn. Even if they found one that would take them in, they would be trapped until Victoria had recovered enough to keep moving somewhere less temporary. There was no telling how long that would take, so as much as he disliked the idea, it seemed he was going to have to throw caution to the wind and bring her back to the only building that could offer them more than a semblance of shelter: The Hygrace manor.

Nearby, the vampire heard a man shout something he wasn’t paying close enough attention to catch. The Saints who hadn’t already been stationed in her family’s home were starting to catch on that something was amiss that night. Luckily though, the Hygrace estate wasn’t too far away from the Crest’s. He finally allowed himself to slow his pace when he reached the gate, jaw slack with quick breaths as he recovered from the effort of toting a full grown woman over a distance at nothing less than a sprint.

As he slipped through the barrier onto private property, he looked over his shoulder to see that his idea seemed to be working. The hunters who had pursued him this far wavered in the street on the other side. Their frustration was evident on their faces, as they couldn’t even lift their weapons to shoot at him without risking Victoria’s safety. He tilted his chin up at them in silent triumph and turned to bring her inside before she should freeze to death in the cold.

~Bonsoir~

Alright, sounds good to me! I wrote part of my post yesterday, so I'll finish it up as soon as I have something to eat for lunch ^^

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Although Cas was sure Iris hadn’t meant to compliment him, he found her insistence that she would have still liked him as a servant flattering. Coming from a high born woman, it was high praise. Servants were almost always members of the middle class and were seen by the citizens in the capital as lesser than themselves. As empathetic as he was, even the prince found himself slipping into the hierarchical mindset more often than he’d like to admit. If the scenario had been real and he really had been a houseboy, he doubted she would have graced him with even a passing glance, but it was still kind of her to say she would. He was just glad they had met on the paths they were on now.

“I’d still like you too,” he returned honestly. If she had been a maid working in his home, he was certain he would have found her pleasant company. They wouldn’t have spent as much time together though. She was beautiful and funny and generally lovely to be around, but it was already scandalous enough for the heir of Aspiria to spend so much time with a normal high born girl. He couldn’t even imagine wasting the days away with a maid. “I’m sure you’re not,” he asserted when she said she could be a servant. “That’s not something you’ll have to worry about. My dad will realize that soon enough.” She had mentioned a few memories that made him feel confident in her status. That and the fact that he’d never seen any middle class woman who was as attractive as she was made him certain she was from the capital, but he kept that detail to himself.

Still, despite his convictions, she had a few quirks that he thought were unique for a high born. Her surprise at Martin’s address was a perfect example. Cas propped his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, watching her with an amused smile as she fumbled to decide what she wanted to drink. Even though her out-of-place dither was strange, he found it kind of cute that she would be so flustered by the bartender’s respect. It was almost as if she didn’t expect any special treatment at all, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she used to speak to the servants in her own household as if they were her equals.

“It’s no trouble at all, madam,” Martin nodded to her with the same respect he had shown the prince. He didn’t know who she was or what she ranked, so it was safer for him to err on the side of formality.

“Great,” Cas grinned at her eagerly and then turned to the servant. “Bring her a few classics to start. How about…” He studied her in a scrutinizing manner as he tried to decide what kind of drinks she might like. “Three M’s: martini, mimosa, and margarita. Just a little of each though. We wouldn’t want her to get sick.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Martin bowed at the waist and turned around to prepare their drinks at the bar.

As Iris observed that he didn’t have many visitors over, Cas shrugged, “Yeah, it’s a bit of a waste, but it wouldn’t be much better if it was filled with people. Most of the ones who try to cozy up to me and my dad just want something from us.” He leaned on the table again and let his gaze wander over the room. The TVs played soundless reruns of various games like football, basketball, and even tennis to an invisible audience. Thinking about it, it was pretty lonely and he was even more appreciative that she was sitting here with him now.

“It definitely will be,” he agreed with a smile, finding Iris’s enthusiasm infectious as she brought up their plans for tomorrow. “If you want, we could go back to the mall. There’s a lot more inside besides just shops.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

That's okay! I've got a doctor's appointment to go to, but I'll get another post up when I get home later ^^

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EDIT: Cas is in complete denial about Iris's social class, even though she keeps showing signs that she's not a high born xD He just really wants her to be because he's into her

~Bonsoir~

So for this current part, Vail would be too stubborn to abandon Victoria to the Order. I could see it going one of two ways, but I wanted to get your opinion before I carry us forward. Either, he would go with his last resort and bring her back to the Hygrace manor since the Saints couldn't follow them onto the property without veritably starting a war (this would lead to all sorts of problems with Peter) or if she's in too poor of a condition to make it that far, he might make a desperate move of holing up in the Crest manor while all the Saints were out trying to chase him down and barricading them in her room. Of course, the latter wouldn't be a permanent solution, and the Saints would eventually break through and catch him, since he wouldn't leave her side. If that was the route we chose to take, I could imagine Ray being the voice of reason to convince Gerald not to kill him, since he's the Hygrace leader's firstborn and that would also start a war. If you have a preference or have any other ideas, let me know! ^^

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

It did after a while!

And nice ^^ I got mine done too.