AMITA SUMAN as INEJ GHAFA in ‘SHADOW AND BONE’ 1x02’

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AMITA SUMAN For Vanity Fair, July/August 2021.

AMITA SUMAN as INEJ GHAFA in ‘SHADOW AND BONE’ 1x02’

AMITA SUMAN for NOTION by Joseph Sinclair

The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.

His grin brought a smile to the dusk elve's face. Hesperia gently and gracefully slid own the root that she had rested against and then slowly approached, her curiousity having Tamlen bare the weight of her pensive gaze. "I have," she admitted wistfully. "The Laurelin and Telperion of Eden were magnificent and they were my home. I painfully miss them..." She smiled softly down at the edges of the golden roots. "It's why I sing for this younger one. I hope she lives so much longer and that she shines down on our people for an eternity." She looked back at the other elve, the wistful smile fading but none of the warmth or friendliness on her gaze. It was still such a wonder to be among her own people again, around any elven creature that wasn't her poor sibling. It was almost like having a big family again. She cared for each one of the elves, especially one that loved this tree as much as she did, if not more.

"My name is Hesperia, after my father and the nymphs that raised him. I have a sibling in the Lunar Court. I see you don't belong there nor in the Dusk Court. You don't seem to me a Sun or Dawn elve either..." She tilted her head. "Are you from Chancellor Meryasek's Court?"

"There's no need to bring the Gods into this," a tamed grin was the only inkling that Tamlen did not see this Dusk elf as some supposed threat. Abyssal elves, dark elves, traitors, and deflectors riddled the edges of Audulë but there was no threat which resonated from her someone who spoke of magic more antiquated than his former summer tether. An elf who seemed on the caliber of Laer, in age of course, for none could come the be an equal to the Sun Chancellor. "I am her guardian, yes," Tamlen slipped forth, lounging comfortably atop a massive root that flanked the western side of the tree; his respect for the Laurelin was immeasurable but the Worldly often doted upon the World tree as though it were a coherent companion. Laurelin often was a listening ear for his curious thoughts and ideals, a canopy of golden leaves often shielded the Worldly when he dared to lounge within it. Sune had taught him that the utmost respect could radiate from the love and compassion given to the world around them and so the Worldly did not venerate the tree in some cold show of veneration; he offered it a piece of his heart. The other pieces belonged to Laer, the Sun Court; love was an instinctive part of the elven world, it would crumble if there happened to be a great void of it.

Tamlen's grin faded to a smile, legs kicking back and forth from the considerable distance the massive root of the golden tree had placed between him and the ground. "You've been a witness to other Trees before, have you?" Eden, this one screamed of having bore witness to the Ulthar's concocted paradise before it had crumbled before the trees had burned and before the faerie court was rightfully established. Tamlen came into this world upon the fringes of this, his magic had supported the court, instilled into it's very foundation before the dark elves had stolen that from them, too. "More hide in the realms outside of our reach, but this one is ours to fight for, to protect, to love." His smile bled of fondness, Tamlen slipping from the root to stand before the other elf.

Ghostlands (Dark)

AMITA SUMAN in The Outpost: “Nothing Short of Heroic”

Amita Suman | Tea With Tatler

THE CAST OF SHADOW & BONECELEBRATES GEEKED WEEK : 🗡 amita suman 🗡

INEJ GHAFA + her knives (insp.)

Date: January, some time Location: Audele, but the center tree area Characters: @tamlenx & @hidinghesperia Notes: you reacted and i decided we need more elf/elf vibes together

When she was little, Hesperia grew up under the golden, glowing tree of Eden. She wanted to be one of its protectors when she grew up, wanted to help the attendants care for the branches and the magic that sustained the humans because she loved nothing more than playing under its branches with her siblings, the pixies, the other fey and the humans. She'd never gotten old enough to see that dream come true and her dreams changed dramatically since then. There was no Eden left and this was the only Laurelin that Hesperia had seen since then. They said that the Archdruids had protected the seed of this Laurelin and that a Celestial elf had grown it and now protected it as it existed to sustain their new elven realm. The world was so different. In fact, this was a different realm now altogether. Hesperia had built her little home for her and her sibling in the outskirts of the Dusk Field's border that was closer to the Lunar Mountains. Their home touched one of the largest Laurelin roots that protruded out of the ground near those Courts because she hoped it would remind The Tranquil of their old home.

But she spent more time outside their new little house regardless, coming closer to the center of the tree to look up and imagine what it might have been like if Eden never fell. This wasn't Eden but it was its own magnificence. So Hesperia sung a gentle song as she placed a hand over one of the thick roots that she sat upon. A song not to hurt or even help the tree at all - a song only speaking of her love and appreciation for it so that it might hopefully know how she felt. She figured it would do nothing at all with magic but another elf emerged from nearby as her song faded away. The elf did not emanate any seasonal magic that was familiar to her. They also spoke of other strange elves here besides the Celestial like Astral elves and Sanguine elves and other's that she'd never met so Hesperia couldn't be sure what sort this was. But his power was very... uplifting. It was a strange but wonderful feeling. "Are you a guard or caretaker? I was only singing and thanking her," she said softly and calmly. "I swear it on the Gods."

Date: January, some time Location: The Labyrinth Characters: @ariadnesenatus & @hidinghesperia Notes: cousin :)

Not by blood, but Ariadne would have been a cousin to Hesperia if time and Fate had been kinder to them both. Hesperos, Hesperia's father, had told her older siblings so many stories of the divine nymphs that had adopted and raised him. They, in turn, had told their youngest sister where her name had come from when their fathers were gone. Hesperia had grown up loved and surrounded by so many siblings, no matter the fact that their parents had passed the fey family had never been alone in Eden. Ariadne had not known the same comfort and love as far as Hesperia knew. A divine-blooded princess born after Hesperia's time who had been made to grow up under cruel parents. The elf knew the princess was here now, she knew why she had arrived from all the rumours and gossip. While she didn't imagine that Ariadne might have any magic or knowledge to help The Tranquil with, this time Hesperia ventured out to find someone simply out of the sheer and selfish desire to know them. The Hesperides had rescued her late father, raised him as one of their own and then taught him the love of family that got passed down onto her. Her entire family owed them and, thus, Hesperia owed it to Ariadne to love and support her. To know her... at the very least. She wasn't sure if a divine princess would want anything at all to do with a common dusk elf that never even knew the nymphs she was named for. But she had hope regardless.

Wearing a scarf made of Amphisbaena that protected her pointed ears and made her feel more secure in the Otherworld, the scarf's cloaking magic and Hesperia's own penchant for moving in such a silent manner made many jump. She might've considered that more carefully before accidentally scaring the guards at the entrance of The Labyrinth, earning a scolding that put her on edge. Out of sheer defensive habit, she'd quickly taken out a dagger when one of the angry guards took out what looked like a weapon to her. She'd later find out it was just what mortals called a 'walkie talkie.' So the elf found herself in an office, awaiting someone to talk to her about this misunderstanding and let her go when a woman walked in. The magic that emanated from her was potent; Hesperia silently assumed it must have been Ariadne. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to frighten your guards... or to threaten them."

Date: January, some time Location: Fey Forest Characters: @gcdessmrgana & @hidinghesperia Notes: please be my mom

Dusk settled over the mortal realm and, with it, Hesperia exited the Moongate and ventured through the pathways of the Fey Forest leading back to Rome. Thus far, the elves that had been willing to help search and research and had been amicable and hardworking, doing what they could to find a way to cure The Tranquil. But Hesperia had been down this road before and it had begun to look far too familiar. She knew when things weren't going to progress much further. Hope dwindled once more, only reawakened when she heard the pixies of Audele rejoicing over their Queen's arrival. Morgan Le Fay; she'd been a legend to the elves and fey far before her fabled trysts in Camlann. The common dusk elf had already been traipsing through the Otherworld when the pixie queen rescued a mortal king and disappeared once more to Avalon. But, in the recent days, Hesperia had done her reading about what had happened once the pixies had started whispering. The stories gave Hesperia as much awe as they did hope and she wondered if there was a way to gain the queen's favor. Not for herself; Hesperia didn't search for glory or fame but she was eager to fix her family. Morgana dealt with heroes and Hesperia was no hero, but the pixie queen was said to be kind. Hesperia once been a young fey in Eden who danced with playful pixies and sung songs with them about queens with wings and queens with kindness. Hesperia's father had been a common elf raised by nymphs, daughters and sons of Ulthar himself, but the elf grew up thinking there was more to admire about Titania and Morgana than there was about the divine.

So Hesperia moved through the Fey pathways, following the little pixie that had been generous enough to lead her once the elf had paid them many compliments about their dancing. It wasn't long before they finally started to feel the sensation of powerful magic and the little pixie bid her farewell at that point, disappearing with a giggle and a flash of foggy light. The dusk elf moved forward towards the Aspect, wearing a scarf made of Amphisbaena that protected her pointed ears and made her feel more secure in the Otherworld. She hadn't yet given it up. The scarf's cloaking magic and Hesperia's own penchant for moving in such a silent manner made many jump when she appeared without a sound or sensation. With that in mind, Hesperia tried to speak more softly in greeting, even as she noted the tell-tale signs of elven-made trouble and tried to be quick to warn. "Your Majesty," Hesperia said, looking over at the gorgeous pathway of colored trees Morgana had been about to walk under. "Please don't go any further." Dusk elves were notorious pranksters. Though Hesperia wasn't much of one, she had had a playful youth in Eden as a young autumn fey. A careful one never got fooled by their own Court and recognized the signs of a well-laid out joke about to happen; she was unsure if the pixie queen saw the same thing she did.

Hesperia's father was raised by nymphs birthed of Ulthar himself, a common dusk elf who'd then raised common children. There was both humility within Hesperia as well as the confidence to stand tall and stoic. She'd survived so long on her own in the worst of circumstances, but she cared well for herself and for her sibling without fail and she was proud of that. The common dusk elf wished to bend the knee and cower so long as it benefitted her family, but natural instinct kept her standing still and calm as the Chancellor approached her so close. Her chin raised slightly but then her eyes darted downwards, as though she suddenly remembered she was trying not to seemed to indignant or whatever else some Nobles could perceive as impertinent.

Robin seemed to study her and Hesperia did not shy away from the Chancellor's gaze, nor do her eyes leave the other's once her sight finally raised again. As Robin inspected her so thoroughly, so now did Hesperia inspect Robin. The weight of power and position radiated in her eyes, something that seemed so ancient despite any youth that the Chancellor may or may not have had. But she was also kind; she was patient and compassionate. And Hesperia had seen the flicker of humor and mischief in Chancellor Robin's face not a minute ago. All of this made her heart leap with hope and joy and something else, something that sparked just the moment that she felt the other elf's finger on her skin. Her compliments sent her pulse fluttering, her mouth drying and her eyes taking on a look of subtle bashfulness that turned to light amusement and then slight wonder. "I am no savior, just a fey who helped a fellow fey as one should."

Hesperia swallowed and blinked away a reverie as Robin finally stepped away. She looked down, gathering back all her sense as the Chancellor spoke once more. She seemed to completely return to herself, the common elf looking as though she were the very picture of stony determination. "My story is a long one, but what matters most within it is the course that I've taken for my only surviving family." She spoke her sibling's name and mentioned their current place within the Lunar Court. "I have devoted my life to finding a cure to the affliction known as being made Tranquil; it is what my sibling suffers now. I have spent the majority of my life traveling the Otherworld in search of a cure and I have found nothing... So I've returned to the Courts as soon as I felt my power grow, hoping that our people have also grown... I see now the fey have done more than grow and change. And in this new world of the elves I come to my Court in dire need. I come with all my humility and all my hope that I may count on Chancellor support in returning my sibling to the elf that they once were."

"Me," she purrs in agreement, and in a fit of mischief, she stands once more and stalks closer to the wandering fey whose dashing rescue had featured in countless daydreams and wet dreams as well. A slow languid smile graces her lips as she moves, movements feline and predatorial as she approaches the woman she owes a life debt to. Carefully, gently, she raises her hand to place a single finger beneath the other's chin and raises her head just enough so that she can meet her eyes. There is still something ancient and predatory within her eyes— it belongs there after her confirmation as Chancellor and she will not get rid of it — but there is warmth as well, as recognition flickers once more and she finally gets the privilege of drinking in the delicate features adorning the other's face. "I did not get the honor of admiring your beauty, back when you saved me, but now that I have? I can say without a doubt that there was no better high elf to play the role of dashing saviour."

There is something playful to her tone as she speaks, breath fanning over the others cheekbones as she memorizes the depth of her eyes. Then and only then, Robin steps back, breaking the electrifying tension between the two of them as she sits on the edge of her desk and places her hands to her sides.

"Of course I remember, darling. I owe you a life debt, and I am not one to forget that," she informs her, amusement clear even as she makes herself as transparent as possible. "I assume you have a request, if you asked me here in the middle of festivities. In honor to the aforementioned life debt, as long as it is on my hands and it will bring no harm to my people, I will consider fulfilling it."

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