#theodora crest
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TEAM ZRCN ARC 4 CHAPTER 17
Team ZRCN and Helia, team up once more to finish Belleza Rossi once and for all.
Zelde
It was funny how certain circumstances put the unlikeliest of allies together. Looking around the room, Zelde marvelled at the strange group that had come together. She couldn't have imagined that she would find herself in the same room as one of the Rossi sisters, much less in the form of allies.
According to Morgan, Bianca had quickly defected when Calantha had been threatened, even going so far as to threaten Belleza herself when Calantha had been injured.
Poor Calantha was in the worst state of all, currently lying on one of the beds, being checked over by Theodora Crest with Bianca hovering in the background. The Rossi’s father was also nearby but didn’t really seem to have grasped what was going on, humming contentedly as he fiddled with a small device.
By the sound of it, Calantha was lucky to be alive, with the resuscitation efforts of Morgan and Bianca being the reason she was still breathing. Occasionally, Bianca would tear her eyes away from her sister and look at Uriah, who was sitting on the floor cuffed to one of the beds thrashing about trying to get free. He had been the one to strike Calantha and leave her in that state and Bianca looked like she would not forget anytime soon.
Zelde found herself sitting on another of the spare beds with Cordovan. Opposite them sat Callaway and Rosie who had been rescued from their captivity by the two of them with the help of Euphemia Crest. Neela's sister Mira and a man named Lunick had also been rescued from captivity. Lunick was sat on a bed speaking in hushed voices with Laurel and Biggs - whom Zelde had since been told were actually named Nerine and Jesper.
Mira was currently sitting not far from where Calantha was being treated. Compared to the other former captives, she seemed to be in a sorry state with a black eye, chipped tooth, and various bruises and small cuts lining her arms and shoulders. According to Mira herself, she had taken most of the abuse from their captors, ensuring that Callaway and Rosie were unharmed. Her actions might have been a little foolish on account of her having no aura, but Zelde could not thank her enough for shielding the two of them.
Zelde watched Callaway and Rosie quietly before she felt Cordovan bump her knee with his own. She looked at him briefly before he gestured with his head towards the approaching Euphemia.
The older woman carried a plastic cup of water with her, handing it to Zelde before continuing on. "For your brother."
Zelde held it in her hands for a moment before turning and extending it to Callaway. He smiled appreciatively but shook his head. "I'm fine," He assured her. Theodora had checked him over along with Rosie and Mira and already confirmed they were alright. Still, that didn't stop Zelde from fussing over him. He had been held longer than Rosie and Mira, and though he carried no bruises or healed injuries like the elder Oxford sibling, he seemed tired.
"Drink," Zelde said, which was less of a question and more of an instruction.
Callaway pulled a face but took the cup without arguing. He finished the water before crinkling it in his hand.
"I cannot tell you how glad we are that you're all alright," Cordovan said, smiling softly at Rosie in particular. Zelde had not forgotten the breakdown he had following the explosion at the university and the truth he had revealed about his and Rosie's relationship. Half-siblings. It was no wonder he had been so affected by her capture. As they sat there, Cordovan's hand found hers. Zelde did not know if it was intentional or not, but she looked down at their hands and then leaned into him.
Callaway and Rosie exchanged a glance. "Are you two a couple now?" Callaway asked.
"Eww, gross," Rosie said in a childlike manner.
At their words, Cordovan looked down and realised his hand was resting atop Zelde's. He stared at their hands for a long moment but did not move it away.
"We haven't really had time to discuss what we are given everything that has happened," Cordovan confessed. His eyes met hers for a moment and his hard features softened. "I like to think that we are though."
Zelde's cheeks warmed. As he said, they hadn't really discussed where their relationship now stood following their kiss at the dance and confession of feelings for each other. There hadn't been time and with everything that happened afterwards it hadn't seemed appropriate. Even now, in this secure room within the Rossi's base, Cordovan's words seemed a little out of place but Zelde was glad for them.
"I think the same too," Zelde responded, sharing his sentiment that she thought they were a couple. Cordovan smiled at her. A genuine warm and wide smile that she often did not see from her teammate.
"You two are so cute!!" Rosie gushed. Her enthusiasm broke the two of them apart and Cordovan looked at his sister with an amused face.
"I thought you said this was 'gross' before?" He pointed out.
"Well, it still would be if you started kissing," Rosie responded very matter-of-factly. "Are you two going to get married and have babies now?"
"Rosie!" Cordovan snapped, blushing fiercely.
Callaway laughed out loud and Zelde couldn't help but emit a small chuckle herself. Their conversation was promptly interrupted by Morgan catching their attention.
"Heads up, Cherry is on the way back with your teammates," Morgan told them.
Cordovan nodded to show they had understood. They were only kept waiting for a minute or two before they heard a knock on the door. Euphemia turned to look at the door, her expression dour, before slowly moving towards it. She opened the door and let three figures in.
Zelde was a bit slow to turn around but hastened her pace when she saw some of the shocked expressions in the room. Cherry stood to the left, sizing up Euphemia, and beside her, bloodied and shell-shocked were Xanthos and Neela.
"What happened?" Morgan asked, approaching swiftly but hanging back when he acknowledged the blood again. Zelde and Cordovan were on their feet now too, mirroring each other's concerned expressions as they came to listen to what had happened.
"It was my fault!" Neela suddenly blurted out. Whatever had happened, she sounded quite distressed. Xanthos touched her arm soothingly.
"We encountered Maia as you know," Cherry explained. "She fought the three of us and we managed to disarm her and break her aura. She was on her knees otherwise defeated when I got through to you, Morgan. Foolishly I let my guard down and looked away. I was distracted and didn't hear anything until it was too late. Maia had managed to grab her weapon and would have likely attacked us if not for Neela. She reacted swiftly to defend herself and us. Unfortunately, the wounds she inflicted on Maia were too severe and she passed." A few gasps echoed in the room, and Zelde looked back to see Elio and Bianca listening with particular interest. "It was an accident," Cherry said in a softer tone.
Zelde was about to say something in response when Uriah's voice pierced the air.
"What did you say about Maia?" He questioned sharply, looking around for answers. "My sister, is she…?"
"She's dead," Bianca confirmed for him, suddenly appearing near the handcuffed man and looming over him. She had seemed like one of the more reasonable members of the Rossi's group but as she stood over Uriah there was something malicious in her expression, and more chillingly something joyful too. Bianca leaned towards him. "I hope you feel as I felt when I thought you'd killed my sister."
Uriah looked alarmed by her words. Zelde thought he might have fought back and argued, as his earlier behaviour suggested he would, but the news of his sister's death had defeated him. Satisfied her words had cut deep, Bianca walked away to hover near Calantha again.
“Times like this I am reminded of exactly who Bianca is related to,” Euphemia mused, watching the white-haired woman leave. “Behind all her formalities lies a cold heart deep down.”
“Uriah did nearly kill her sister,” Morgan pointed out.
“True,” Euphemia conceded briefly, before continuing, “but she also survived. Maia did not. I’m not excusing his behaviour or that of his sister but as an older sibling myself, I’m not sure I’d have appreciated someone gloating of their possible deaths in my face.” Euphemia looked towards her sister and stiffened slightly, her expression soon shifting into a grimace. “I certainly never Miho get away with talking about Ulysses. Even if I got a broken horn for my troubles.”
With those words lingering in the air, Euphemia moved aside, leaned against a nearby wall and crossed her arms over her broad chest. She didn't linger too far from the door, likely ready to intervene should any of the remaining unaccounted Rossi allies try their luck with the door. They wouldn't have been able to break the lock by conventional methods but Zelde would not have put it past them to try other ways of breaking in.
Although Zelde still found Bianca one of the more tolerable members of the Rossi’s group, Euphemia’s words had certainly given her food for thought. After everything that had happened to Calantha, Zelde couldn’t truly begrudge the woman for being a little cold towards him, if the situations were reversed and it was Callaway instead of Calantha, Zelde knew she'd have had a few choice words for him, but the way Bianca had acted around him was exceedingly harsh. Perhaps it was just the heightened emotions of the situation, or perhaps Euphemia wasn’t too far off the mark when she said Bianca had a cold heart.
Zelde was pulled from her thoughts by the approach of Theodora Crest. The bespectacled woman stopped before the group and looked at Neela's bloodied hands unflinchingly.
"Come and wash your hands," Theodora said, gesturing for Neela to follow her. The blue-haired woman followed without arguing but Theodora stopped and urged Xanthos to come too, noting the small amount of blood he had on his hands.
As their teammates were led to a small en suite at the back of the room, Zelde found herself moving towards Elio and Helia with the rest of the assembled group, having been waved over by Elio. The only person who didn't come with them was Euphemia who was still leaning against the wall.
Elio had gotten pretty badly beaten when he and Helia had encountered Nerine and Jesper. The assailants had eventually relented and whilst Helia had walked away practically unscathed, Elio barely had any aura left. The blonde man was currently sitting up on another bed in the room, looking quite alert despite how worn down he had been from his previous battle.
“How are you holding up, Cher?” He would ask when the group stopped before him. He extended a hand out for her to hold and she reached out and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
“I’ve been better,” Cherry confessed, releasing his hand. “Took a few nasty hits between both fights and my aura broke so I’m really feeling it. Losing Wisteria and Miho and then Maia on top of that…yeah, I’m not going to lie Elio, it hasn’t been a great day for us.” Cherry shook her head and then looked to the en suite, the door of which was ajar allowing them to see Xanthos and Neela inside. “They’re taking things rough. Especially Neela.”
“Not much we can do now, unfortunately,” Elio said sympathetically. “When this is all over, we’ll ensure they get the support they need to talk things through won’t we?” He looked to his fellow Mob Ops members as he said that, to which they both nodded their heads. “Now, to why I called you all over here. Firstly, let’s start with this.”
The man proceeded to pull his scroll out and showed them what appeared to be a message from Wren. By what was written it seemed she and some “support” were inbound.
“When did that come through?” Cherry asked. “The connection is pretty spotty in here, I’m surprised a message from outside reached you.”
“It was about an hour ago,” Morgan responded. “Bianca has since confirmed that their aerial radar has picked up an incoming Atlesian ship. Based on the speed they were supposedly travelling, they should be here soon probably within the next hour if my estimations are correct.”
“Well that’s good,” Cherry said. “What else did you want to talk about, Elio? You made it seem like there were multiple things.”
Elio and Helia shared a glance. “We still have Belleza and Sparrow unaccounted for. Now, we could wait for Wren and her backup to arrive, but we know from prior experience that Belleza is a wily opponent and will probably try and make a run for it if she can, if she hasn't already.”
“What’s going on?” Xanthos asked, interrupting the flow of conversation as he and Neela returned. Cordovan took it upon himself to catch them up to speed.
“What about Sparrow?” Cherry asked.
“We already know from prior intel that Sparrow tends to more or less disappear into thin air. Given the circumstances, we shouldn’t waste time looking for them and focus on efforts on capturing Belleza,” Elio responded. “Bianca has already agreed to lend us her scroll to track where Belleza is in this place - apparently, they modified their scrolls to have a tracking app that can be activated when necessary - our main issue lies in which of us should apprehend her.”
Zelde realised he was referring to the Mob Ops with that statement, what with all three of them in varying states of health after fighting their way through this place.
“I’ve already agreed to help,” Helia announced. “I’m a trained huntress, not a civilian, I know how to handle myself. Besides, I’m one of the few of us here who has all her aura.”
“What about us?” Xanthos piped up, looking between his teammates. “Could we help?”
Morgan looked uncertain. “I don’t know, that’s a potentially big risk.”
“Morgan,” Elio cut him off. “It was a big risk in them even coming here. Besides, it’s not like some of them haven’t already fought their way through some of the Rossi’s people. And they won’t be alone they’ll have Helia with them too.”
Xanthos had volunteered their team, but ultimately it was Zelde who had the deciding opinion. She already knew Cordovan was keen to fight, and by his quick offer Xanthos was too, but she was uncertain about Neela who was currently looking down at her feet. “I’d certainly be amenable to the idea of helping,” Zelde confirmed with a nod. Her silver eyes looked at Neela. “Perhaps Neela could sit this one out though.”
“What?” Neela’s head shot up swiftly. “I can help!”
“You don’t have to, Neela,” Zelde told her reassuringly. “You’ve already been a great help so far and after everything you’ve been through I’m not forcing you to come.”
“I want to come,” Neela said, lifting her head.
“Only if you are certain,” Zelde said, peering into Neela’s eyes. Despite her posture and words, Neela’s eyes seemed to suggest she was a little more uncertain.
“I’m certain,” Neela responded. “Let’s go get her.”
“Well there you have it,” Elio said, glancing between the group. “Looks like we have a plan.”
Zelde noted that Cherry and Morgan seemed less enthusiastic about this plan, but given where the group stood currently, it was one of the better ones they had.
The five of them approached Bianca, who was still hovering near Calantha. Theodora was also nearby, monitoring one of the machines that were hooked up to Calantha.
"You're going after, Belle?" Bianca asked, lifting her head to look at the group.
They all nodded and Helia stepped forward. "You mentioned earlier to me and Elio that you'd lend us your scroll to track her."
Bianca looked at Helia's hand and then proceeded to retrieve her scroll. She tapped a few buttons on the screen before handing it over. "Here you go," Bianca said. As the scroll was passed between hands, Zelde noted Bianca frowning slightly as she did, her eyes staring at the screen. "Strange…she doesn't appear to be moving."
Helia held the scroll in her hands and ZRCN all gathered to look around at the screen. "Where is this?" Helia asked.
"The cafeteria on the ground floor," Bianca responded. "Save for the kitchen, it was cleared out years ago, so I'm not sure why she'd be there."
"How do we get to it?"
"Once you leave the medical wing, take two lefts and then follow the corridor until you come out onto the atrium. The cafeteria will be opposite you, beyond a dried-up fountain," Bianca explained.
"Oh." Zelde looked to the left and saw Xanthos pulling a face. "Yeah, me and Neela know the place. Or well, we saw it from above at least. Before Miho and Wisteria, you know…fell."
Zelde grimaced at the choice of words her teammate had used. It was an accurate statement at least but perhaps not wholly appropriate given the seriousness of the situation.
With information gathered on Belleza, the five of them set out to finally bring Belleza Rossi down, words of luck being offered to them as they left. They followed Bianca’s previous instructions upon leaving the medical wing, taking two lefts, and then following the corridor until they reached the atrium. It was a large open space that Zelde and Cordovan had only recently passed by on a different angle when Euphemia had taken them to retrieve the captives.
In the centre of the vast space, sat a now dried-up water fountain, and sprawled over that fountain with blood, glass, and various other bits of debris scattered on the ground, was the broken and twisted body of Miho Ryuzaki. Zelde had known the woman had died from when Cherry had briefly updated Morgan on the situation before reuniting with the group in the medical wing and then Morgan had in turn relayed it to those present. Regardless of knowing what was waiting for them here, it still didn’t stop Zelde’s stomach from churning, and she bit her lip to stop the bile from rising in her throat.
Zelde was too busy fighting the urge not to vomit that she didn’t notice what - or rather who - wasn’t there. And it was only when Xanthos spoke up that she looked over the scene again.
“Where’s Wisteria?”
Again, Zelde remembered that they had been told Wisteria had shoved Miho over the edge of an above balcony, finishing off the red-haired woman at the cost of her remaining health. From how it had been described, Wisteria’s injuries had been quite severe too. Perhaps not to the extent of what Miho had suffered but enough that she wouldn’t have been able to move. So, that begged the question, where exactly had she gone?
“She can’t have gotten far,” Neela said. “Maybe she’s nearby.”
“Possibly,” Xanthos mused in agreement. “Though I doubt she’d have gotten far with those injuries. Should we look for her?”
He was looking at Helia, Zelde, and Cordovan as he said that. The three of them shared a glance before Helia shook her head. “Belleza is the priority,” Helia told them. “If she’s taken down quickly we can spare some time to look. Or we could try and get through to the others and let them know.”
Xanthos nodded but didn’t say anything else which allowed the group to move onwards to the cafeteria where Belleza Rossi awaited them within. Double metal doors were pushed open and the five of them stepped inside. Bianca had mentioned that much of the room had been cleared out and she wasn’t lying. Only a few plastic chairs remained stacked in a corner and other than the kitchen opposite them, there was nothing to suggest this had once been a cafeteria. It made Zelde question where the group ate but she assumed with how much this building had been repurposed over the years they had probably found another space to serve as a dining room.
They didn’t have to look hard for Belleza at least. The older woman was sitting on the floor with her back leaning against a servery. She had her arms resting on her knees, fiddling with something in her hands that Zelde couldn’t quite see, and her spear sat by the side of her.
When she heard the group enter, she lifted her head, red eyes burning into them. “I knew you’d come eventually,” She said with a smirk. “Who was it who ratted me out?”
“Your sister,” Cordovan responded.
“Bianca? Hmm, figured as much the little traitor,” Belleza huffed. “Happy to play along until it suited her.” The white-haired woman let out a bitter laugh before glaring at the group. “You should have stayed in Highpoint. You should kept your noses out of where they did not belong.”
“You forget yourself, Belleza,” Helia snapped. “You made it personal when you attacked my teammates. When you killed Alcyone. When you sent your robots to attack ZRCN. When you dragged us into this mess.”
Belleza merely blinked at Helia, unfazed by the blame being put on her.“I shouldn’t blame you, really,” Belleza said. “We all know it was Wisteria’s fault. Stupid bitch couldn’t keep her mouth shut and just had to gloat to you and Farron that she never worked for him,” Belleza continued, rolling her eyes. “At least she’s dead now though. Got what she deserved in the end.”
Interesting, Zelde thought, she seems to still think Wisteria is outside.
“Sounds like a lot of bullshit to excuse your actions if you ask me,” Xanthos said, putting a hand on his hip. “Convenient to blame a ‘dead’ woman too.”
Belleza chuckled. “Bullshit? Bullshit!? No, I had a plan!” She leaned forward a bit, suddenly more agitated than before. “When Wisteria joined our group she complicated things to be sure but I adapted. But then in you all come and ruin everything! We were going to make Atlas pay! We were going to hold them accountable! Plans that my family had been building for over ten years and you ruined them all!”
“Well, they can’t have been good plans if we took you down in less than a day,” Xanthos said sarcastically.
Helia took a step forward. “It’s over now, Belleza,” She told her sternly. “Your allies are dead, gone, or saw sense and stood down. There’s nothing left to fight for anymore. You are going to jail and you will pay for what you’ve done.”
If Belleza acknowledged the latter part of Helia’s words, she didn’t let it show. Instead, she seemed fixated on the first half of the words, starting to rant incessantly.
“Cowards the lot of them. After everything I put them through, all the training they undertook, all it took was a little bit of pressure to have them all throwing their hands up and surrendering. I always knew it would be down to me in the end.”Slowly the white-haired woman rose to her feet and removed her jacket, dropping it to the floor where it covered her spear. “After all, if you want a job done right, it’s better to do it yourself.”
She then held out her left hand, showing the group what she had been fiddling with before. It was a dust crystal and a rather jagged piece too that looked as though it hadn’t even been refined yet.
“A gift from a departed friend,” She smiled, and as she spoke Zelde was sure there was something akin to genuine sadness at the back of her words. Zelde felt her semblance flare into life following her words, though the sensation did not last long thanks to her efforts to focus on it more as of late, but even as her body relaxed she knew danger was imminent.
Belleza pulled the crystal back towards her, hugging it close to her chest. “If I’m going to down, I’m going to make sure I leave a message and take out as many of you with me as I can.”
And what happened next, not even Zelde could have predicted. Belleza stabbed the dust crystal into a healing wound on her shoulder. Immediately, her arms started to swell, red-orange vein-like marks running down the lengths of both of them and up the left side of her neck. Belleza was screaming too and Zelde could not tell if it was from the pain or the anger. Injecting raw dust into one’s veins was said to be excruciatingly painful, even with aura, she could only imagine the pain the other woman was in. More alarmingly, the room began to fill with the smell of what Zelde could only assume was burning flesh, which seemed a strong likelihood based on how red Belleza’s arms were going.
When the initial effects of the dust infusion subsided, Belleza straightened, and she looked to be in quite a state. Her face was a paler red from the screaming she had been doing, cheeks streaked with tears, and her eyes were glowing a similar red-orange to the veins on her arms and neck. Zelde noticed that her right arm was awkwardly dangling down as if she could no longer control it fully.
Belleza paused for a moment, teetering on the spot as if she did not want to do, and then screamed at the group. Zelde was struck by how distorted it was to her earlier screams, sounding deeper and more unnatural.
With some effort - mostly on account of the right arm she was struggling to move - Belleza raised her arms and fired a giant fireball in their direction. It was Helia who moved quickly, her katana raised, as she rushed to intercept it and stop ZRCN from getting hit. As soon as the fireball connected, a cloud of smoke engulfed the spot where Helia had been standing, and she came flying back out of it seconds later, with such force that she wound up thrown against the wall and her aura shattered.
Zelde knew Belleza would have been more powerful now due to the dust infusion, but she had underestimated just how strong her hits had become if it had been enough to take out Helia’s aura with one hit. Even Belleza seemed surprised at the raw strength of her attack, but that surprise quickly faded into joy when she realised just how powerful she had become.
Suddenly, the fireballs were coming thick and fast, Belleza doing whatever she could to try and hit them. They were able to dodge the first few without trouble, but as Cordovan threw up a shield to block one, Belleza quickly retaliated by throwing another in quick succession. The shield took the brunt of the blast but it shattered under the strength of the second hit and Xanthos and Zelde tumbled backwards.
Cordovan and Neela remained close together, with Cordovan on one knee. Neela was trying to pull him up when suddenly she saw Belleza running for them.
“Cordo, look out!” She yelled.
Neela tried to pull him back but he instead shoved her out of the way, throwing up another shield with Belleza practically fell on top of.
“Move!” He yelled, glaring not only at her but Zelde and Xanthos too.
Zelde was loathe to move and leave Cordovan but he seemed to be holding Belleza off well enough. Xanthos and Neela ended up pulling her backwards, running to the now exposed kitchen area where they might have been able to duck into cover.
Belleza thumped on Cordovan’s shield. “I think I’ll enjoy sending you back to your mother,” She snickered, before raising a hand up.
From where they had briefly ducked into cover, Zelde watched as she raised a hand back, the palm of it starting to glow as she was about to create another fireball, only to get suddenly thrown backwards, as Cordovan used his shield to shove Belleza backwards. It was really a testament to his training that he could even manipulate his shields like that, as Zelde could remember a time when his semblance was static and he could not form it anywhere beyond his person, let alone throw it up away from himself.
As the woman went back, Corodvan quickly darted away to where the rest of his team was, coming to a stop in a hunched over position next to them.
“We need a plan,” He said, a little breathless from his efforts to halt Belleza. “We can’t outrun her fire forever.”
He was right of course but coming up with a plan was going to be difficult. Not just because of the little time they had but because Belleza was quite an unpredictable opponent too. Zelde gave it some thought for a moment before lowering her head.
“We have to kill her,” She said.
“Zelde…” Cordovan didn’t seem particularly alarmed by this, only troubled that the suggestion had come from Zelde’s mouth. Xanthos and Neela looked a little wary of the suggestion, and Zelde noted after their earlier bout with Maia, that they were perhaps not looking forward to the idea of killing someone else, even if that someone was Belleza.
“I know it sounds like an extreme idea, but I think that is the only option we’ve got,” Zelde said, pressing on with her suggestion. “As Cordovan said, we cannot outrun her forever. We won't stand a chance if she hits one of us with one of her fireballs. She will knock us out and kill us have no doubt about that.”
“To be honest, killing her might be a mercy,” Xathos said. “Did you see how she reacted when she injected the dust? The smell too? I think she’s quite literally burning herself alive.”
Zelde grimaced at the thought.
“I don’t know if I can,” Neela said. “I know it seems like our only choice but I’m not sure if I can kill another person. Even if it is her.”
“Just leave it to us, Neela,” Zelde said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Can you give us as much mist as you can though?”
Neela nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“FIREBALL!” Xanthos suddenly yelled, forcing them to duck down a little lower, as one flew over their heads and struck a metal cabinet. Clearly, Belleza had gotten back to her feet.
“Go, go, go!” Zelde urged, instructing Xanthos and Cordovan to follow her out of cover.
“You weren’t trying to hide were you?” Belleza asked, cocking her head to the side. “Where’s the other one?”
Belleza seemed to be preparing another fireball when thick mist suddenly started to roll out over the servery and spill out into the empty room. Zelde thanked her teammate silently. Whilst Belleza was temporarily distracted by the appearance of the mist, Zelde gestured for Xanthos and Cordovan to duck, knowing that the three of them would be a bit more obscured if they crouched and hid in the mist.
Even though the mist was thicker than usual for Neela’s semblance, the fiery outline of Belleza could still be seen in the middle of it, her head snapping from side to side rapidly as she tried to see them in the mist. With the heat she was no doubt generating the mist likely wouldn’t last, and Zelde knew they wouldn’t have long and needed to act fast.
Pulling her gun out of its holster, she aimed in the direction of Belleza, and squeezed the trigger, letting off a short burst of rounds. If one or two of them clipped Belleza then so be it, but it was mostly meant as a distraction tactic.
Sure enough, Belleza’s head whipped around to face her, eyes narrowing.
“You,” She hissed.
Come on, Zelde urged silently, as she held her ground. Charge at me.
Belleza looked at her momentarily, her left palm starting to glow as if preparing a fireball again. Zelde was about to curse when the other woman started moving towards her, possibly deciding that she’d much rather get up close and personal if she was going to hurl a fireball in her face. To Belleza’s surprise, Zelde rushed forward to greet her, raising her foot to kick her sharply in the abdomen. The first kick caught Belleza by surprise, but she was ready for the second, catching Zelde’s foot with a hand and then swinging her leg down violently causing Zelde’s leg to jolt.
“Pathetic,” Belleza sneered, closing the gap between them and slamming her head forward to headbutt Zelde.
Zelde fell backwards and wound up on the floor. Her aura had held, luckily, but she didn’t like being this close to the other woman, even if it was part of her plan.
As Belleza approached, Zelde shuffled backwards using her hands to move, suddenly yelling at Cordovan when Belleza looked ready to form another fireball.
“Cordovan, shield!”
Belleza did not have time to pull back before her fireball connected with the new shield. And being this close to the barrier, she got hit by the recoil from her own attack. Zelde meanwhile neatly rolled out of the way, feeling a bit of the heat from the blast, but avoiding any lasting damage.
As Belleza stumbled away, shielding her eyes, Zelde quickly jumped to her feet, making a signal to Xanthos nearby.
“Xanthos, restrain her!” Zelde instructed.
Xanthos lashed out with his whip, letting it curl around the body of Belleza. He quickly began to run around her, ensuring his whip was tightly coiled around the other woman, before activating his semblance to alter his weight to his heaviest state. He leaned back on his heels a little, making his whip go taut.
Although restrained, and unlikely to break out quickly, Belleza was trying to free herself. She was heating her palms and trying to burn away the whip with little effect.
“Cordovan,” Zelde called out again, looking towards her red-haired teammate. She shifted her weapon to its bladed form and looked expectantly at Cordovan, hoping he understood what she meant by the gesture. “Together?”
“Together,” He nodded.
“Xanthos, when Cordovan goes in for his strike, release the whip,” Zelde instructed swiftly.
He nodded and Zelde gave him a swift smile. She took a breath. It was time.
Gripping her weapon tightly, she looked towards Cordovan again, before running forward. Belleza saw her coming and yelled out an expletive at her but Zelde did not stop. She pulled back her weapon and made a strike at the back of Belleza’s knees. Her blade connected and she heard Belleza cry out before dropping to her knees, no longer able to stand. Zelde darted quickly away to let Cordovan land the finishing blow.
As promised, when Cordovan approached, Xanthos let his weapon slacken, allowing Cordovan to attack unimpeded. His weapon, Braveheart, was in its rarely used sword form. And with a grunt of effort, he pulled back, before stabbing it through Belleza’s chest and out her back.
In the end, Belleza did not go out in a blaze of glory, but rather, a small whimper.
Cordovan pulled out his blade and stood back allowing Belleza to fall back, her head near enough bouncing off the floor. Her chest gave one final heave and then grew still. Her body was spent.
Belleza Rossi was dead.
Nobody dared to move for a long time. The air felt heavy with some indescribable emotion. It was over and Belleza was defeated but it didn't feel like a victory truly worth celebrating.
Zelde stood by herself for a moment until Cordovan came near, hooking an arm around her waist and drawing her near to his body. Zelde let her weapon drop to the floor, wrapping her arms around Cordovan's neck in relief, just letting herself be held for the moment.
They pulled apart when Neela approached, having come out of hiding from behind the servery. Cordovan gave a small smile and put a hand on her back.
"We did it," She said, weakly smiling back. Her blue eyes strayed away from him and looked at the dead body on the floor. It was a grim sight to be sure and nobody wanted to linger on Belleza's corpse for too long.
Still lingering close together, they moved towards Xanthos who was trying to rouse an unconscious Helia. She seemed to be stirring back to life when they approached, still dazed but then snapping up, as if suddenly remembering she had been in a fight priorly.
"Where's…" Helia's voice trailed off when she spotted Belleza's body behind them. She gulped slightly. "She's dead then. What happened?"
"We killed her," Cordovan answered swiftly. "We couldn't take the risk. We saw what she did to you and we knew we couldn't outrun her forever. It seemed like our only option given the circumstances."
Helia processed the words carefully before nodding and trying to stand.
Cordovan and Xanthos helped her up and she took a moment to dust herself off, once again looking at Belleza before back at the group. "Let's go meet up with the others," She suggested. "I don't want to linger in here longer than we have to."
It was something all of them could agree on at least. The five of them walked out of the cafeteria, tired, and bruised, but alive. As they headed back to reunite with the rest of those who had come with them to this place, they could rest peacefully knowing that the Rossi threat had finally been dealt with.
#team zrcn fic#team zrcn#zelde sewick#cordovan radcliff#xanthos ravindra#neela oxford#helia vines#cherry linnet#elio goldfinch#morgan lark#calantha rossi#bianca rossi#belleza rossi#euphemia crest#theodora crest#alden rossi#uriah astrella
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[cis female and she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [TABITHA KING]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [SOPHIE THATCHER]. You must be the [TWENTY THREE] year old [WAITRESS AT ALL NIGHT DINER / HOUSE CLEANER]. Word is you’re [HONEST] but can also be a bit [STANDOFFISH] and your favorite song is [DUVET BY BÔA]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [OCEAN CREST APARTMENTS].
INFORMATION:
fullname. tabitha louise king
nicknames. tabby, tab, tabby cat.
gender. cis female
pronouns. she / her
d.o.b. october 27th, 2000 | ( 23 years old )
astrology. scorpio ☀ scorpio ☾ gemini ↑
birth place. unknown.
hometown. various.
current residence. aurora bay, california. ( @aurorabayaesthetic )
occupation. waitress at the all night diner / house cleaner.
religion. atheist.
tattoos. none.
piercings. two holes in ears, helix.
marital status. single.
sexual preference. heterosexual.
family. angelica king (mother), unknown (father), francis king (grandfather), yelena king (gandmother).
children. theodora "theo" king (daughter).
CHARACTER INSPO:
rosie dunne ( love, rosie ), emma ( just for the summer ), max mayfield ( stranger things ), sarah manning ( orphan black ), eleanor shellstrop ( the good place ).
PERSONALITY:
+ intelligent, strong, independent.
- standoffish, untrusting, introverted.
BIOGRAPHY:
( tw: depictions of undiagnosed mental illness, child neglect, illness )
There’s not much known about where exactly Tabitha King came from. Her birth certificate was from a local Milwaukee hospital, but whether or not they stayed there long enough to consider that home, Tabby didn't count on it. The only core memories she has comes to mind is of a beautiful blonde looking at her in the rearview mirror of a beat up car. Singing Fleetwood Mac with her dangling earrings and the smell of roses. A warm smile and eyes that sparkled. Staying up late watching black and white movies in motels. The good times. These were the memories of her mother that she likes to think about the most.
But that wasn't the whole picture. It was leaving place after place once the men Angelica was dating grew bored with her constant drama. Her highs and lows. It was days of her mother not being able to get out of bed because she was in one of her 'moods'. It was the times that her mother said she was going out, and not coming back for weeks at a time. Angelica was here one moment and gone the next. A rare comet from a distance. A destructive force upon contact. The periods of times that her mother would leave, galavanting off with her new beau and leaving her daughter behind, became longer and longer. Eventually, CPS caught wind of the eight-year-old who showed up to school wearing dirty clothes, unbrushed hair and severely underfed, Tabby got put into the system.
It took them a whole year to find her mother, but Tabitha was always waiting for her. Even when they said Angelica wasn't coming and that she'd have to go to Aurora Bay, California and live with her grandparents, she still waited. Waited for her mother to come home, to choose her, to make her feel special. It never happened. Tabitha was withdrawn as a kid, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It made her fiercely independent. Her grandparents were lovely people, but they knew their daughter - she was never coming back.
As time moved on, Tabby eventually came out of her shell and what emerged was an angry little girl. At school, she was too smart and too mouthy. Constantly in detention for talking back to teachers while getting straight A's on their tests. Any rule was broken, forever acting out as if the school would call her mother and she'd have to come and get her. All it did was give her grandparents grief. She loved them, but the trauma from her childhood was too deep in her veins. Her only saving grace were her friends, the people who made school tolerable. Her best friend, Lucky - he was the grounding force she needed. She would have loved him if she were able to, but after everything that happened with her mother, Tabitha had learned never to love anyone too much. It'll only destroy you when they inevitably leave.
Comforting him during the rough patches with his family came easy to her, and they only grew closer during those times until one night, it blossomed into something more. One night was all it took to completely flip her world upside down. She fully supported his sudden move to London after his parents divorce, she longed to go with him but two pink lines kept her planted in Aurora Bay. Tabitha thought about telling him. When they spoke on the phone, he was always so excited, telling stories about adventures. Tabitha knew that if she told him, he'd come home and it seemed so cruel to crush his dreams like that. There were thoughts of other options, but this was a piece of Lucky and she'd never get rid of that. So she lied, to everyone. Said the baby was someone else's and decided to raise their daughter on her own.
It was tough being a mother at 18. She was still just a child herself, but her grandparents were a great support. Theodora King was born and Tabitha's whole life changed. There were no more talks of college. Only doctors appointments, midnight feedings and the cost of diapers. Eventually, once Theo was a little older, she got a job as a waitress at the All-Nighter Diner as they could watch her daughter overnight. There wasn't much time for things like a social life or friends, and eventually Lucky drifted into the background of her new life.
Just as Theo turned three, her grandmother started experiencing signs of Alzheimer's. Forgetting things, getting easily confused. Things got so bad that Tabitha started worrying that it was no longer safe to have her watch Theo unsupervised, and her grandfather needed to look after his wife. The two moved out into an apartment in Ocean Crest. It was small, but it was theirs and Tabitha tried her best to make sure that Theo never wanted for anything. But times were tough, she had no support. And then on Theo's fourth birthday, she cracked. Bills were piling up, her presents were mediocre and all Theo wished for.. was a dad. While they'd talked on and off over the years, Tabitha bit the bullet and called Lucky. Just as she expected, he came straight home.
From there, after many long conversations, they've been figuring out co-parenting as they go. Tabitha has taken extra part-time work for the days she's not waitressing to make sure that all Theo's needs are taken care of, the weight of impending doom lifted with Lucky's support. She still struggles asking for help, but getting there in time. Theo believes that wishes do come true as she really did get her dad for her fourth birthday.
POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS:
tabitha has been living in aurora bay for the last 14 years after her grandparents took her in from foster care. before that, she was moving from home to home in chicago. ( possible connections: childhood friends, cousins, foster kids from chicago )
her mom was undiagnosed bipolar and would go maniac epsiodes where she would leave tabitha alone for long periods of time. they would move from place to place so she could have picked up a few friends when she was younger. her mom used to enchant men so they had a place to stay, she'd date them for a while but then her moods were get erratic and she'd do things like steal, break their shit or one time, she nearly burnt someone's house down. ( possible connections: men her mom dated, kids of the men her mom dated, someone who encourages this chick to go to therapy )
known around town as a bit of a hard-ass in her youth. she used to talk back to teachers and get detention for being in fights, angry little girl. would have had a small-tight knit group of friends that she cared about but pretended to be indifferent towards them ( possible connections: best friends, friends who lost touch after she got pregnant, kids she got into fights with )
has been working at the all nighter diner for the past fours years since the birth of her daughter, has recently started cleaning houses on the side for extra cash. very unenthusiastic worker but does what she has to so she's not fired ( possible connections: cleaning clients, regulars at the diner, co-workers )
got pregnant just before her 18th birthday after a one night stand with her best friend, lucky. didn't tell anyone that it was his so he wouldn't find out. eventually told him and he came home to help out. currently successfully co-parenting. ( possible connections: lucky's family and friends, godparents, people who helped while she was raising theo )
hasn't been on a date in like five years, at least not successfully. she's a single mom who worked two jobs (reba coded) so there's not much time for things like romance. but since lucky is back and helping out, she might explore more of the online dating space ( possible connections: bad blinde dates, unsuccessful hookups, unrequited crushes )
her non-mom related hobbies include: reading comics, ice-skating (she's actually pretty good) and going to the movies or drive-in, she's a cinemaphile when she has two hours to spare. you can usually find her around town at the movie house, comic emporium, sharky's on the odd occasion. ( possible connections: friends with owners/workers, fellow regulars, random run-ins, one night stands )
before moving to ocean crest apartments, tabitha and theo used to live with her grandparents where she was raised after leaving foster care. unfortunately her grandmother has been suffering with alzheimer's and has been steadily declining so they moved out. on occasion, tabitha takes her grandmother to the hospital for appointments to help her grandfather. ( possible connections: doctors, nurses, people randomly met at the hospital, ocean crest neighbors )
theo is just about to start school in september as she's now five years old. she'll be attending aurora bay elementary, but previously she would have been in daycare at kid’s cottage daycare center on random days that tabitha's grandparents were not available. ( possible connections: new teachers, old daycare teachers, parent friends, playdate friends, theo's best friend's parent )
CURRENT CONNECTIONS:
childhood best friend of / shares a child with @luckylewis
grew up around with @lorelailewis and @macaulaymontgomery
@cassidyxcooke is theo's godparent
cousin to @bazhowletts
employee of @greengideon at the all night diner
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Full Name: Lucky Lewis.
Nicknames: Lucky Luciano.
Pronouns and Gender: He/Him, Cis Male.
Birthday: November 3rd, 2000.
Birth place: Aurora Bay.
How long have they been in town?: His whole life / Left for 4 years for uni / has been back a week (as of February 2023).
Sexuality: Bisexual.
Housing: Ocean Crest Apartments.
Occupation: Front Desk @ Aurora Bay Veterinary Clinic / Freelance Software Developer.
Family: Leroy Lewis (older brother), Clementine Lewis (older sister), Lorelai Lewis (younger sister) and 1 daughter (Theodora 'Theo' King).
tw teen pregnancy, cheating, divorce, drugs, alcohol // @aurorabayaesthetic
BIO:
The first big scare Lucky Lewis had given his parents was silence in the seconds that followed his birth. It wasn’t just them who felt the terror of it, the doctor who had delivered him and the nurse present too also felt it – until eventually a cry left his little body. It was then that he was jokingly nicknamed the quiet one in contrast to his older brothers, which he seemed to embody tenfold as he grew up. With both little interest and little skill in most sports, he only ever found himself partaking in them because his brothers or his friends were. He could kick a football, catch a basketball and swing for a baseball, but there was never a guarantee that it would advance his teammates in any of the games he was playing, which was why he never found himself playing for any sort of team. His mind had always been the muscle he liked to work the most, and he was drawn to anything with a screen from as early as he was allowed access one.
It had been Lucky that had inadvertently become live in tech support for his family, always eager and willing to take whatever device was malfunctioning and see if he could teach himself how to fix it. It was a skill that only flourished more in his teen years, and seemed to work in tandem with the subjects he excelled at it in school – namely math and sciences.
It was clear to everyone around him that it was a thread he would follow into a career, which was how he found himself with a litany of offers from universities when the time came. It had always been his intention to go somewhere close to home, solely because he didn't want to leave the network of people he had around him. When he was accepted into a university in London after applying without ever thinking entry was a possibility that threw a spanner in those plans.
It was the combination of this news and his father confirming that after months of fights and hostility in the household, he would be divorcing Lucky's mother after finding out confirmation of her having an affair that Lucky found himself at a crossroads. Stay and try fix the ever deepening fracture in his family, or go and try to make something of his life without being weighed down by everyone around him.
Selfishly, he chose the latter.
The move to London was a difficult but necessary one for him so he told himself, and despite it all being his choice he missed his family dearly – or at least he missed the idea of his family, the one that existed before a bitter divorce had changed the landscape of it. No matter how long he stayed gone, the guilt of not being a part of his daughter's life ate him alive and only increased with time. Partying in college soon became a need rather than a way to let off steam, with both his drinking and his recreational drug use spiraling out of control until he almost flunked out in his third year. Gradually, he got himself back on the rails, but he still has to think about it before he takes a drink or accepts a line at a club.
During holidays and summer breaks, he chose to travel around Europe than to ever come home. There were too many ghosts there and too much he wasn't ready for. However, after having graduated and finally decided that England wasn't where he was going to start the next stage of his life, his decision on where he was meant to be and what he was supposed to do was made easy for him after a revelation from his best friend back home. The then four year old child that she had had after a one night stand between the pair was his, despite previous denials. The news was earth-shattering in its own way and it lead him straight back to the town that had raised him so he could help raise his daughter.
He may have flown the nest successfully, but there was some part of him that was still a home bird.
PERSONALITY.
+ self-sufficient, intelligent, thoughtful.
- introverted, melancholic, selfish.
FUN ADJACENT FACTS.
lucky by britney spears is his go to karaoke jam.
he brings home a goofy or tacky trinket from every place he’s ever travelled to. he has a whole collection of location specific ugly key rings that are his pride and joy.
is learning High Valyrian on Duolingo.
huge lara croft/tomb raider fan. is usually fighting in subreddits about it.
is currently learning ASL after accidentally learning BSL in london and not realising they're two different languages.
has a tattoo on his forearm of the name 'theo' in his daughter's handwriting.
CURRENT CONNECTIONS.
childhood best friend of / shares a child with tabitha king
father of theo king (npc, 5 years old)
best friend/roomate of @helenasoarcs
younger brother of @lemielewis
twin brother of @lorelailewis
older sister's bf / pseudo big brother / looks up to @willxmeyers
new friend of @finnbrooks
former brother-in-law of @vanessagable
depressties with @aylinxc-s (not in game but still canon)
parent / existential crisis friend of @christinaxwagner
dad friends with @kaede-yamada
jackson ellis apologist to @jacksonxellis (not in game but still canon)
childhood friend/former neighbor/london situationship of @macaulaymontgomery
online nemesis of @fionaosmvn (not in game but still canon)
friends from london of @cricketcampbell
godparent of his daughter / homies with a shared haunting sadness of @cassidyxcooke
in active counselling with @margaretxalexander
friend of @rhyswilson
tattoo client of @aeris-flores and @mackmontgomery
friend and frequent apologist of @jaredx
attended hs at same time as / friend of @katexharmon
dad friend of @kaede-yamada
long-time / formerly strained / currently rebuilt friend of @thelizaxlevin
bully (victim SHGSHJ) to buddy pipeline of @noralevin
SPECIFIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.
anyone from his london era! he went to uni there for 4 years (18-22). open to any sort of connect: friendly, past romantic, antagonistic. hmu!
GENERIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.
connections wise he’s pretty much an open book right now, but some baseline ideas that can be springboarded off are:
friendly.
a best friend / ride or dies / close friends / childhood friends / pseudo-siblings / friends / drunk friends / new friends / former roommate / people he knew from london / people he met on his travels / people from cali he was close to.
romantic
flirtationship / friends with benefits / one time hook ups / tinder matches / unrequited crush (can be either way) / exes from high school (pre-sterling) / exes on good terms.
antagonistic.
enemies / former (best) friends / exes on bad terms / frenemies / rivals / negative influence / people who don't fuck with him for leaving how he did.
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N°8
Two people are having a picnic somewhere. They spot something approaching in the distance.
The grass was surprisingly green for the time of year. The leaves were just turning red, like a faint blush along the hillside. A clearing stretched down to the south, bordering a small town called Woodedge. The sun was high, it was just passed noon.
On the other side of the hill there lay a humble estate. A crumbling barn, the proud stables, and a manor, now long out of style, formed a triangle around which crowded a dense forest. A patch of land had been divided into sections for a vegetable patch, an orchard and a botanical garden. A splendid one at that, full of blossoms no matter the time of year.
But this is not where our story begins, for Victor and Anastasia were just cresting the hill, the first swinging a large basket and the latter with a blanket under her arm. They had left early this morning, wanting to make the most of this last clear, sunbathed day in October.
They settled themselves below an oak tree with enough leaves left to provide shade and emptied the basket’s contents onto the red and white checkered blanket. It was a small feast. Mother had insisted Cook make them each three sandwiches and some warm soup to fight the brisk air. She’d also given them some cheese and apples from the garden, and Victor had snuck in some of last night’s sponge cake.
They sat, eating, talking, sleeping. Taking in the year’s last sunrays. They hadn’t had much time alone since Victor arrived two weeks ago, the furthest they’d been was to the stables when Anastasia’s younger sister Theadora dragged them out to show Victor her favourite mare.
Mostly, the rain had kept them trapped in the manor. Though perhaps trapped wasn’t the right word. Dozens of rooms were left unused, an ideal playground for two seventeen year olds looking for entertainment. Some were completely empty, some simply had sheets covering the ancient furniture, some were locked. Others wore the remnants of a more opulent time: gilded wallpaper, cushioned chairs and lace tablecloth, crystal chandeliers, italian vases, ancestral portraits. Victor and Anastasia played at being royalty, the duke and duchess of the estate, burying and uncovering the secrets of the manor.
But Mother kept Anastasia busy with her chores and studies, leaving Victor in his rooms with his tutor. Father was absent as ever but had made his thoughts on the impropriety on the situation known. It was likely the reason Mother hadn’t left them much time alone. No amount of pleading, explaining or complaining was enough to make her understand their friendship. In fact, she’d threatened to let Theodora accompany them on their picnic but Anastasia had played deaf and dragged Victor to the kitchen to collect their lunch.
Victor was teaching her how to make flower chains when a figure cast a shadow on their blanket nest. Anastasia looked up first, squinting. A girl was walking in their direction. The wind lifted the ribbon of her large hat, gently pulling at loose curls. The light created a silhouette around her, as if she was stepping right out of the sun.
“Lizzie!” called Victor. Anastasia didn’t miss the way his eyes tracked her approach.
#writers#writing prompt#writers on tumblr#my writing#writing#writeblr#historical fiction#description#i did not enjoy this#pretty boring piece tbh#and i couldn't be assed to edit
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Damaged Goods ~ Chapter Thirty-Nine
Author's Note: Just a reminder that this story takes place following the events of the miniseries Stay Close and will contain spoilers.
Title: Damaged Goods
Fandom: Stay Close
Pairings: Ray Levine x OC female Theodora (Theo) Bailey
Summary: Following the events of Stay Close, Ray Levine has come to the US to begin a new life and is staying with Theo Bailey, the friend of a friend, who is quickly becoming his best friend and Ray is starting to wonder if there isn’t something more there between them.
Like Ray, Theo has her own demons and although she wonders the same thing about Ray, fear of repeating past mistakes keep her from moving forward. Or do they? Somehow, these two damaged people will come together and discover that maybe—just maybe—second chances are worth the risk.
Before leaving the States, Ray has one last surprise for Theo.,,
Warnings: None
Rating: T
Word Count: 3,071
Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @ocfairygodmother @exhausted-humxn-being @shalinizhara @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketch-and-write-lover @sherala007 @enchantzz @knitastically
If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!
Previous chapters can be found here and AO3
The apartment hadn’t looked this naked since the day Theo moved in five years earlier, and she hadn’t expected the lump in her throat as she stood in the living room, now void of all of her furniture, which had either gone into storage or would be shipped over later. The walls were bare, only outlines of where pictures had once hung remained as testament to something having been hung on the walls. They too were all packed away to be shipped across the Atlantic as well.
Donna gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re going to be so happy, Thee. And I’m so happy for you. You know that, right? And you damn well better ask me to come visit you.”
“You know I will. You have an open invitation.” Theo swallowed against that lump and nodded as she met Donna’s smile. “I know and you’re right. It’s just… it’s weird saying goodbye. I figured I’d be alone for the rest of my life. And when Ty asked me to do this huge favor for him… I had no idea what trick he had up his sleeve.”
“It’s a good thing he knew what he was doing.” Donna looked around. “Where is Ray, anyway?”
“He had a few last minute errands to run. Our flight isn’t until seven, so we’ve got some time.” Theo sighed softly. Ray’s room was empty now, except for the furniture, most his belongings had already gone on ahead of them, with Fester waiting for them in England. The walls were bare, the shelves were bare. It was as if he simply never existed.
The last six weeks had flown by, between packing and shipping, obtaining her passport and all of the other necessary documents she’d need. They’d gotten their marriage license two weeks ago, now they only needed a spare moment to go and make use of it. And when she woke that morning, Ray was already gone, a note by the coffeepot explaining his absence. He’d be home no later than three, he thought, plenty of time to hit town hall.
“Okay, well, I want to take you out to lunch, Thee. So, unless you’ve got any last minute packing to do…”
“I don’t,” she said softly. “I’m just waiting for Ray to come home and I’m ready to go.”
“Good. Let’s go hit the Sawmill because you know you’ll miss that most of all.”
Hints of spring were in the air, even if a good portion of the boardwalk was still closed for the season. The wind was light and playful, sunshine bathed everything with its warm rays, and Theo lifted her face to the breeze as she and Donna came up the ramp from the parking lot. She’d looked forward to showing Ray what the summer was like at the shore, and had to admit, she was sad that it wouldn’t come to pass now.
But as they crested the boards, she stopped. Out on the beach, a small archway had been set up and her mouth went dry as her gaze fell on Ray, standing there with Drew and another man she didn't recognize.
She turned to Donna. “What’s going on?”
Donna shrugged. “I don’t know. You should probably go ask Ray.”
“Donna.”
Donna smiled. “Come on.”
Theo’s heart beat faster as she followed Donna down to the sand, and over to Ray, where she said, “Ray? What’s going on?”
“One last surprise?”
“A surprise?” She looked from him to Drew, to the unfamiliar man, and back. “What kind of surprise?”
“We decided we’d get married before we left for the UK, didn’t we? And we haven’t really had a moment to do so, so I thought we could do it right here and now, instead of trekking to town hall.”
She stared up at him. “Here? It’s still so cold and windy out here.”
He offered her a level look. “Oh, don’t be such a wuss it’s not exactly cold, and this breeze can only barely be called such. Besides, it was far colder the night I proposed to you.”
“Well, that is true, but… here?”
He looked out at the water, the wind blowing his hair straight back as he squinted into the distance. “I like it here. It’s the only thing about New Jersey that I’ll miss.”
“Do you really want to be married here?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at her. “It’s been a rough few weeks and I thought this might be a nice way to end our time here in the States. A good memory to kick any shitty ones to the curb.”
“A wedding on the beach? In the middle of winter?”
“It’s almost spring.”
“Ray.”
“It is.”
“Ray.” She couldn’t hold back her grin.
He grinned back. “Is that a yes?”
“Of course it is.”
“Good.”
“But, there’s one problem.”
“What’s that, love?”
“I don’t have any of the paperwork.”
He shook his head. “Ah, but I knew about this, so guess what I’ve brought with me?”
“Are you serious?”
“Do I not look serious?”
“Ray.”
“Come with me. We have to sign this thing, don’t we?”
She tucked her arm through his, and as they neared the others, Drew said, “Please tell me she agreed to this, Ray.”
“Of course she did,” he replied, giving her arm a squeeze. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
“No, actually. I don’t.”
Theo smiled up at Drew. “Hush, you. And just sign where you’re supposed to sign.”
The third man introduced himself as Nicholas Mancini, the county clerk, and he smiled as he instructed everyone to sign the license, then he said, “Well, now that that’s out of the way, shall we begin?”
“I think we’re ready,” Ray gazed down at her with eyes so soft, they took her breath away for a moment, “aren’t we, love?”
She swallowed hard, her eyes unexpectedly stinging. “I think so, yes.”
“Okay, then here we go.” Mancini cleared his throat as he looked from her to Ray and back. “Welcome, everyone, and we are gathered here—such as it is—to witness the marriage of Ray and Theodora—”
“Theo,” she interrupted softly.
Mancini looked down at her. “I beg your pardon?”
She cleared her throat and managed a slight smile. “It’s Theo.”
“Oh… right…” He nodded, then glanced at Ray. “Ray and… Theo.” He waited a beat and when she remained quiet, he offered up another head bob. “Okay, then. Have you both come here of your free will to take these vows that will bind your lives from this day forward?”
Theo couldn’t help smiling up at Ray as they said, “I have,” in unison.
“If there is any reason why these two people should not be married, speak up now or forever hold your piece.” Mancini grinned as he looked from Donna to Drew, and then said, “Okay then… onward. Do you, Ray, take Theod—Theo as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, forsaking all others, from this day forth?”
Ray gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I do.”
“And do you, Theo—ah, see? I got it right—take Ray as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, forsaking all others, from this day forth?”
She swallowed hard to get the words past the new lump in her throat, and nodded. “I do.”
“And have you rings?”
Ray nodded, releasing her hands to dig into his jacket pocket, where he came up with the simple platinum bands they’d picked out when they’d gotten their license. He handed the box to Donna after taking out the ring Theo had chosen.
To Theo’s surprise, Ray’s hands trembled slightly as he caught hers once more, and a sheepish laugh bubbled to his lips. “I can’t believe I’m actually nervous about this,” he said softly, his eyes locked with hers. “I know everything for us has been whirlwind and completely spur of the moment, from our first kiss, to a frigid, frozen night on the beach in the middle of January when I asked you to marry me. Hell, even this is spur of the moment. But, it feels so very right, just as every step we’ve taken together feels so right.”
He eased the ring onto her finger, and added, “I love you, Theo. So very much.”
She pressed her lips together as his murmured words brought tears to her eyes. Donna pressed the heavier man’s ring into her hand and she drew in a deep breath as she met his gaze once again. “Remember, I didn’t know we were doing this, so… you had an unfair advantage when it comes to this.”
She just gazed up at him for a long moment, trying to put her thoughts and feelings into words, which would have been difficult enough on a good day, but now? Under this circumstance, it was far more difficult. Ray’s blue eyes danced with mischief as she shook her head and began, “You know, I thought I just doing an old friend a favor when he asked me if I could spare a room for a buddy of his who needed a change of scenery. I had no idea what trickery Ty was capable of and I wish he was here to see how well played his trickery really was. I said I’d never do this again, but then you came into my life, Ray, and you completely turned everything upside down, and in the very best way. And now, here we are and I really can’t quite believe it and I know I’m babbling, but… I love you. I hope you know it because sometimes I know I’m not so good at emotions or putting them into words, but I do and I am looking so forward to what the next chapter holds for us.”
Her hand remained steady as she slid the ring onto Ray’s finger and he closed those fingers about hers.
Mancini looked from her to Ray and back. “Then, by the power vested in me by the State of New Jersey, I pronounce you, Ray and you, Theo husband and wife. Go on and kiss your bride, Ray.”
Ray’s eyes sparkled like the ocean beside them as he bent to her and Theo leaned in to meet his soft kiss. He slid both arms about her, tugged her flush against him, and when he broke the kiss, it was to whisper, “There is no getting away from me now, love. I hope you know that.”
“You say that as if I should be scared, but I’m not,” she murmured back. “And you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
The clerk smiled as he said, “Congratulations to you both.”
Drew engulfed both of them in a hug, much to Theo’s surprise and discomfort. “Just as he said, congrats, guys. And Ray, do you still want me to take you guys to the airport?”
Ray glanced down at Theo. “If you don’t mind?”
Theo shook her head. “I don’t. I’d appreciate it.”
“Then I’ll be by to pick you up at three-thirty or so? Give you time to get through security and all that?”
Donna came up to drape her arm about Theo’s neck. “We need to celebrate. It isn’t every day you get married, Theo. So, let’s go find a bar that’s open here and do just that.”
The Seaside Bar and Grill was open and quiet when they arrived, but it didn't stay that way. Drew seemed to know everyone working there, and anyone else who came in was automatically invited to celebrate with them.
Ray couldn’t remember the last time he smiled as much as he had that day, and every time his gaze alit on Theo, he felt like he should pinch himself to make certain he really hadn’t just dreamed up the last three months of his life. It was too hard to believe that he’d come as far as he had in such a short time period. It felt like just yesterday that he’d finally found Cassie and thought maybe—just maybe—they could pick up where they’d left off. He’d foolishly thought that could actually happen.
When she told him she was married, it was like a punch in the gut. And then she told him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him to leave her in peace.
“You owe me at least a why, Cassie,” he’d told her, trying to keep his temper in check, which wasn’t easy because, damn it, he felt he deserved answers.
“I—I was scared, Ray.” Her dark eyes were wide with an innocence he no longer believed was real. “I saw Green, saw all that blood and—”
“And you thought I killed him.” Not a question. A statement. He already knew she thought so.
“Well…” she hesitated, then nodded slowly. “I did, yes.”
“So, were you scared because someone had killed him or because you thought that someone was me?”
“Ray, I—”
He leaned against the fender of his fifteen year old red Mercedes. “Fuck me, Cassie, you were scared of me?”
“I needed to get away, to get away from all of it.”
“You could’ve let me know you were at least alive. Do you know what I thought… son of a bitch, you just up and fucking vanished on me. Just disappeared. And now, you think you only need say you were scared and I’d just forgive and forget? I loved you, you know. And I still do, if you want the fucking truth. But, you had that little faith in me, you thought I’d done it and now you’re telling me I scared you.”
“You shouldn’t love me any more, Ray. Get on with your life. I have a family now, and I’m not… I’m not walking away from it to go back to that life. Cassie is dead and she’s going to stay dead.”
“That life. You mean the life with me.” He pushed himself away from the fender. “Seventeen years, I waited, I hoped, I wondered. And then I saw you and I thought maybe I’d get an answer. And your answer is that you just didn't trust me. If you’d just asked me, I’d have told you I didn’t kill him. But, you probably wouldn’t have believed me.”
“Ray—”
“Go back to your life, Cassie, Megan, whoever the fuck you are this week. I wish you well. I truly do.” He skirted the nose of his car and climbed in behind the wheel, turned over the ignition, and pulled away from the curb without looking back.
Now, as he watched Theo and Donna laughing over something, then clink their beer bottles together, he realized he owed Cassie a huge thank you. If not for her faithlessness, he never would’ve approached Ty about getting away from England for a while.
He stared at the email for a moment. It had been a long shot, seeing if Ty could put him up for a few weeks in America. He needed the change, needed a chance to start over before he went fucking crazy. Broome convinced the Crown not to pursue charges against him in return for his help in locating what was left of Stewart Green, and all Ray wanted was to put as much distance between him and Blackpool—and to some extent Cassie, since once she resurfaced, it seemed he saw her all the fucking time now.
“Ray, a good friend of mine has an apartment with a spare room. She lives near the beach and she’s a cool person and I think you’d get on great with her. Her name’s Theo, she works as a personal trainer and if you’re interested in sharing her apartment, I’ll let her know and set up the details for you. Let me know. Ty.”
It took a few weeks to hammer out all the details and then he was on a plane. Six hours later, he saw Theo for the first time and had no idea how his life was about to change.
“Where are you?”
He jerked back as Theo plunked down in his lap and draped her arms about his neck. “I was back at Newark, that first day in the States. You weren’t what I’d expected.”
“Well,” her eyes sparkled with merriment as she slid her fingers through his hair where it curled over his collar, “is that good or bad?”
“It’s good. All good. I thought you were cute and I was hoping like hell you didn't have fifty cats.”
“Your standards weren’t really all that high, were they?”
He gave her a squeeze. “I trusted Ty.”
She smiled, leaning in to sweep her lips across his. “Ty is very trustworthy.”
“We owe him.”
“We do.”
He tightened his ams about her waist. She felt so good against him, he doubted he’d ever get used to the feel of her body flush against his. She had a way of making him feel like a nervous fifteen year old all over again, and somehow, he didn't think that was going to change.
Drew came over and draped an arm about Ray’s shoulders. “If you two lovebirds are ready, we should probably go and get the rest of your things and get to the airport.”
Ray didn't miss the flash of sadness that slid through Theo’s eyes. It was one he recognized and knew himself, and he gave her a gentle squeeze. “We can always come back if we wish,” he told her softly.
“I know… it’s just… I’ve never lived anywhere else. I’m kind of scared.”
“You’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
She leaned into him, pressing her forehead to hers, a gesture he’d come to love from her, for it seemed just so… intimate to him… “I know. And I will be, in time, but I’m still nervous.”
“I know that feeling all too well, love.” He tightened his arms about her. “But, we should get going. I don’t want to get held up at security.”
She sighed and slid down from his lap and as he shifted, the overhead lights caught the new ring that still felt odd on his finger, as it was far heavier than the one he was used to wearing on that hand. Still, he smiled down at it, then looked back over at Theo, embracing Donna now.
His wife.
He liked how that sounded.
#richard armitage#stay close#stay close fanfic#fanfic#ray levine#ray levine x oc#romance#friends to lovers#damaged people#healing#love story#some smut
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New WIP Excerpt #1
An excerpt from my new WIP Heart Thief, hope you enjoy!
CWs for mention of injury, illness
Taglist: @ashen-crest @notwritinganyflufftoday
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Jan landed at the back door with a groan and held a hand to his lower back as he walked into the house, sliding the wooden latch back into place behind him. The screaming and laughing of children and the frantic, “Time for supper, Leander! Winnifred, don’t throw things at your brother! Theodora, could set the table please? Hugh, can you bring a plate up to Henry?” of their mother Henrietta.
“Evening, Nettie, children!” Jan called as he strode in from the hall to the kitchen.
“Grandpa Jan!” Winnifred screamed, running to hug Jan’s legs.
“Winnie, that’s rude!” Theodora, the second oldest of the five siblings, called after her three-year-old sister.
“Oh, I don’t mind. You kids are family to me,” Jan grunted, heaving Winnifred into his arms while she giggled and asked a string of questions. Most of them were gibberish, but he answered to the best of his ability.
“Why is your hair gray? Are you old like Papa?”
Jan took a place at the table, plopping Winnifred on his leg as he answered her, “Not quite as old. He’s twenty years older. Do you know how much twenty is?”
She raised all ten of her fingers twice. “Why is your hair gray if you’re not old like Papa?”
“Because I’m lucky! I’m told it is a great signifier of incredible wisdom.”
“Then yours must be dyed,” Nettie teased him as she served everyone’s breakfast. Hugh, the third born, grabbed one of the plates and headed for the narrow stairwell. Jan watched him leave and looked back to Nettie. She gave a slight shake of her head. Jan offered a soft smile and turned his attention to chatting with the children.
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“How is Henry?” Jan asked, washing dishes while Henrietta had a cup of tea and the children set about covering the windows and doors for the night.
“Ill again, but I will have the silvers I need at the end of the week to get his medicine.”
“It only reduces his fever.”
“It gives him a few days outside of his bed.”
“Nettie, I could—”
“Please, don’t suggest taking from the apothecary, Jan.”
He dried the plate in his hands and set it aside. “Of course not, I would never. But there’s a new market opening in the square this week—”
“Jan—”
“One ingot, a necklace, it would be quick and simple and you could afford more than one dose of a fever-reducer. Maybe a few doses, a syrup for his cough?”
Henrietta sighed and shook her head. “As if the guards don’t watch for you at every market the city holds these days.” She set her tea aside. “And you’ve just barely recovered from your fall off the wall tower. A fall that, I might remind you, nearly killed you.” She raised an eyebrow. He looked at the water, gripping the edge of the counter. “Thank you for everything you do, but I will figure something out.” Henrietta squeezed his shoulder and left to round up the children, calling them for a bath time.
Jan chewed his lip, tapping his finger on the rim of the wash tub.
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welcome back to hogwarts, ARIADNE MULCIBER ! enclosed here you will find all the necessary equipment for the upcoming school year. we await your owl by no later than twenty-four hours from now, or else you will lose your spot ! adeline rudolph now taken.
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎
( * 💀 / adeline rudolph, cis woman, she/her ) — is that ariadne mulciber i just saw rushing down the corridor? i hear they’re a nineteen year old slytherin, returning for their sixth school year, but their friends would tell you that they are charming & pragmatic as well as callous & selfish. if you want to know more about them, i guess i could tell you that they’re pureblood, and from what i hear, they’re currently allying with the death eaters. when our divination professor looks into their crystal ball, they see: red lipstick and flushed cheeks, sharp nails and an even sharper tongue, black lace and a touch of velvet, a burnt out matchstick, and a scroll full of secrets. — ( j, she/her, 21, est. )
𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
ariadne aella mulciber — a sister, a daughter, and yet another precious pureblood child born to aurelius and theodora. to the rest of the wizarding world, the second mulciber child was seen as all of those things. though, her parents, the very people who brought her earth side, saw her as something different. a disappointment, a failure, an unwelcome smudge on the mulciber family crest. it was clear, at least to anyone who was close to the mulciber family to see through their facade, that the family's second pregnancy had been an accident. aurelius and theodora had already succeeded — it had taken them no time at all to produce an heir. after the birth of their son, they were done and they had no intentions of bringing another child into the world. or, so they thought.
then, after one too many glasses of wine, along came ariadne. who, despite being seen as little more than a setback by her parents (and undoubtedly, the rest of her extended family), was an exceptionally gifted child. she flourished within pureblood society — she did everything that she was expected too, no questions asked. she studied dutifully under the tutors that her parents hired for her and her brother, she learned to play a plethora of instruments (her favorites being the piano and the harp), and she even became quite an accomplished ballerina. her parents, being typical pureblood traditionalist, decided that keeping ariadne's mind focused on her studies would keep her out of trouble. which seemed to work, for a little while.
once ariadne began attending classes at hogwarts, it was as if she turned into a completely different child. she was still the perfect pureblood daughter that aurelius and theodora had crafted, but there was something different about her — something unpleasant. the more intelligent she became, the more she began to act out. she wanted to get under her parent's skin. she wanted to punish them for viewing her as lesser than just because she had been born a girl. though, she soon realized that what she desired even more than getting back at her parents was power. ariadne longed to prove them wrong, to show them that she was just as capable as her brother and that she would bring greatness to the family name, despite not being the "back-up heir" that they had hoped for.
so, with the goal of proving her family wrong set in her mind, she cleaned up her act. she stopped causing scenes at school and she kept most of her cruel comments to herself, knowing that being in the good graces of her teachers and her peers would make realizing her goal that much easier in the long run. even after joining the death eaters, ariadne still cannot quite figure out if she truly buys into all of the propaganda surrounding muggles and muggleborn students alike, though she knows better than to question her parents or the elder death eaters that she reports to. she knows that it is within her best interest to keep her mouth shut when such topics arise, as it's not going to do her any good to play devil's advocate. the only thing that she has ever truly wanted is power and she fully intends on getting what she wants by climbing the ranks of the death eaters, subconscious morals be damned.
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The Ghost Of You || Theo And Rebecca
We were meant to live for so much more.
Theodora had to fight herself not to spend all her energy racing to Rebecca’s home at once. It had to be her. She was strong. She had fought him off before. She would fight him and surface again. It had to be her. But as she neared it, reached to pass through the windows and reach for her, call to her, a fear coiled around her and she hesitated. There was no telling why the dybbuk would trick Blanche again, what he would gain from playing a long game when he enjoyed his own existence so very much. And--dear God in Heaven--she was there. She was using Theodora’s old kettle, nursing her ribs. And she looked so tired. It must be her, mustn’t it? Theodora hesitated, then pressed her hand to the windows, rattling them as if they were caught in a gale. If it were the creature, he would see her. He would be cruel. And she had to be careful, certain. Didn’t she? “I know you’re in there,” she said, uncertain of to whom she was speaking anymore.
Rebecca had been icing her wound when she’d decided that a nice cup of tea would help calm her down. She’d waddled into the kitchen, still limping from the pain, though it seemed to be getting better. She’d have to schedule a doctor’s appointment, she wasn’t sure the demon had done so. It would be alright, in the meantime, with tea and ice and ibuprofen. She sighed, grabbing the kettle and filling it with water, sighing as she set it on the stove and clicked it on. She remembered her visions of the home, of the flashing clock on the stove. It wasn’t flashing now. It wasn’t beeping. Suddenly, the windows shook, a chill up her spin. Rebecca jumped, pulling out her ward. “Who’s there?” Limped over towards the window, when the voice filtered through. No. She-- she must’ve been hearing things. Backing away, she turned away. “Whoever you are, go away. I don’t-- I’m not who you’re looking for.”
Theodora passed through the glass as Rebecca backed away. The dybbuk would have no need to be afraid. He was too confident, surely. And he would see her. Mock her. Rebecca, on the other hand— “Darling?” She called softly. She knew Rebecca’s tired looks intimately. The way the creases around her eyes seemed to deepen, the droop around her mouth, the way her hair dropped with neglect. Hunting a dybbuk, even over the span of years, was hardly conducive to good rest. And it was all the same, now as ever before. “It is you, isn't it, darling? Rebecca?”
Rebecca turned, clutching the counter until her knuckles turned white. She’d finally lost it, was what this was. That voice, so familiar. She was back in that place again, wasn’t she? That must be it. This couldn’t be real. But the chill in her bones, the way her flesh tingled-- she knew it wasn’t just her imagination. Her lip quivered. Maybe if she ignored it, she’d go away. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be back, couldn’t be here. Rebecca had only been able to pull through because she knew Theo was in a better place, knew that she was no longer suffering-- but now? Accepting this? “No,” she said, moving away from the energy radiating by the window. “No, you’re not-- you’re not here. Just go away, please,” turning her back to her again. Because if it was her, she didn’t want her to see the anguish in her face, the defeat.
“Rebecca--” Theodora called, drifting slowly towards her. She couldn’t mean it like this, surely. After all the time it had been, and the weight of these weeks knowing she was drifting alone in the black while the dybbuk mocked her existence, that the alternative was a cursed existence, pulling against a tide she could not fully control. If Rebecca knew it was her, surely-- Theodora brushed her hand through her hair, wilting as she realized that Rebecca might do just that, if she were alone enough, and hurt enough. The worst fights they had were the ones where Rebecca pushed her away when Theodora most wanted to be with her. “Don’t let’s do that cruel dance again, my love,” she said. “It really is me. And I’ve come all this way just to see you again, for true.”
“That-- it--” Rebecca stammered, shivering as something brushed across her skin. She screwed her eyes shut, pulling away again. How cruel could the world be? To give her her lover back like this? As the things she hunted? The things she had come to only feel, to hear, but not see. Never see. She cast her head down, arms wrapped around herself. Tears welling behind tightly shut lids. “It’s not fair! You can’t-- you shouldn’t be here. I’m so sorry. Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here. Go, please, go. Move on. Be happy. Please,” she begged, breath wheezing. The hurt in her ribs was now nothing compared to the hurt in her heart. The ache that clenched at her. She wished for so long during that year alone to see her lover one more time. To speak to her, one more time. And never had she thought to come back to White Crest. Never had she thought Theo would have been here, been around. And it hurt all the more, knowing that she could’ve known her this whole time. That she could have had her like this, the whole time. But her stubbornness, her pain had kept her away. And she only had herself to blame. “You can’t be here.”
“As if I could ever rest, knowing you were in pain?” Theodora asked. “Knowing I hadn’t done enough to protect you? After all my other failures, and all my other wanderings?” She lifted the hair that fell over her face, twisting it round in her grasp, such as it was. “Would you really deny us this, my love, after two long years? Haven’t we suffered enough apart? Must you punish us again?” If she could have only but summoned solid hands through will alone, the ability to pull her up, shake her, make Rebecca look at her and see her-- Oh, but that would have been too easy. Whatever sins Theodora was atoning for, she had obscured herself from such a blessing. “It’s one thing never to visit your wife, but another to cast her out of your home. And this is not the time for running, Rebecca,” she said, voice firm.
“This isn’t-- this isn’t your fault, you know that, I told you that,” Rebecca pleaded quietly, shivering again when Theo’s ghostly hands passed across her. She looked up, bewildered, wishing now more than ever that she could see her-- cursing now more than ever, that she couldn’t see ghosts. “You should be able to move on, my love,” she said quietly, her voice strained as she fought back her tears. “You shouldn’t be here suffering with me.” The pain swelling again in a frantic sob, aching ever more thanks to the fracture in her side. She moved through the spirit in front of her, through the kitchen, and to the living room. There was a photo of Theodora on the mantel and she picked it up, knowing she’d followed her in, hands caressing her face in the photo. “I couldn’t bare to visit the place where I’d lost you. Where’d I’d failed everything in my life,” she confessed quietly, “my ultimate failure. Losing you.”
Theodora followed, peering over Rebecca’s shouler and passing her arms through her body, as if she would press her close, Rebecca’s back cradled by her chest. Some evenings, when Rebecca’s fear pulled and stiffened at her, it was the only way she could bridge the awful silence between them and hold her at all. If she could just take shape for even a moment, she thought. Even with hands of death, to feel anything-- “Oh, my darling,” she sighed, her voice shuddering. “It wasn’t your fault at all. I dove for him. I just wasn’t fast enough. That was my blasted foolishness, not yours.” She skated her ghostly hands over Rebecca’s. It was just a chill, Rebecca had told her. Like a pocket of icy wind. She did not know how it could comfort, but she hoped that from her, with her voice in her ear, it might for even a breath of a moment. “Is marriage not a sharing of suffering, anyway? I think I’m rather entitled, don’t you?” Her voice lilted softly upwards, hoping to soothe with a touch of levity.
Rebecca shuddered again, but it wasn’t an adverse reaction. Somehow, the chill of Theodora’s touch was a comfort. Perhaps it was her voice, or perhaps it was just knowing that that was what she was trying to do, but Rebecca didn’t turn away this time. She could feel Theo’s presence behind her and felt the longing inside of her to hold her and touch and her and felt the unfairness of the fact that she couldn’t. It felt like a physical ache in her arms that could only be quelled by Theodora’s touch, but she would never again feel it. Even now, with her here. “We never made it official, you know,” she said quietly after a moment. She turned around, looked up-- she couldn’t see Theo, didn’t know exactly where she was, but she could see her clearly in her mind. Standing there with her sweater on, that look in her eyes-- so soft, so caring. Like they could look into Rebecca’s own soul and pull out all the bad and make everything okay. With just a look. “I want to see you,” she whispered, “let me see you.”
“Not officially, no,” Theodora chuckled. “But we did a lot of married things in the eyes of our gods alone. It’s close enough. I told Blanche I was your wife. So at this point, who’s the wiser, really?” Rebecca turned to her, her soft face open and bright. There was a sparkle of hope in her watery blue eyes, that resilient seed that carried her through so many dark nights. Theodora passed her fingers through her cheeks. She dug deep into the core of her soul, just in case there was any strength within her that could summon to make herself solid again. Even a moment, a flash of contact, however soft. But she could not wipe Rebecca’s tears from her cheeks. She could not draw her close and fold her up in her arms away from the world. “Oh, if I only could, my love,” she said. “It is so good to see you after so long. I have missed you so very much. So very much. If I knew how, I would--” She could not bring herself to continue. It seemed too cruel, to speak hopes that had no promise of coming true. “But I would stay with you tonight, and every other, for as long as this lasts. I will help you, however I can.”
Rebecca lifted her left hand. There was a pale band around her ring finger. “I haven’t put it back on in a long time,” she murmured, curling her fingers in slightly before stretching them back out again. “It didn’t seem right. I was worried he might--” Take it. Break it. Destroy it. Destroy their symbol of love. She knew it sounded stupid, but she couldn’t bare the thought. She knew that their love was always going to be in their hearts, undead or not, no matter what. Even if Rebecca wilted away and her soul was torn from this world. She shuddered at the thought and clutched the picture to her chest, sinking into the couch. “Staying seems almost cruel,” she muttered, “how cruel is the world to give you back to me in the one form I can’t see you.” She looked up again, eyes worn, tired. “I want you to stay, but I can’t ask that of you. What if he comes back while I sleep? He’ll kill you, he’ll take you from me and I already lost you once, I can’t-- I won’t,” she set the photo down on the table in front of her. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Theodora. I’m lost.”
Theodora turned her attention to the photograph. Despite being only a year before her death, the woman in there seemed so much surer, stronger, than how she felt. Perhaps she was simply more corporeal. But lacking a reflection, Theodora found a strange sense of heart in the person she was. However damned she was, she had been a woman who could bear anything. The cruelty of loss. The rejection of the world. The breaking of her own body, over and over from one night to next. She could bear this too. And perhaps at the end of it, if she succeeded, she might uncover the misdeeds of her soul, might even find her way to absolution and peace. But what was heaven without Rebecca? The thought was meaningless, too selfish and small as to dissipate faster than smoke. Theodora knelt before her, hands cooling on her knees so she would know where to look. “Whatever you will of me, I will do it,” she said solemnly. “You wouldn’t be asking me to stay. You need only tell me you want it again and I shall. I would like to stay with you too. Comfort you, if I can at all, and to damn the risk. I can dissipate faster than he can reach for me like this. But If it will only cause you more grief and worry, I will go. I have places to stay. I’ll be alright. I won’t even be alone. Perhaps don’t think about this one overmuch, if you can help it. You needn’t ask at all, only say what you feel.”
Cool hands on her knees that she could almost feel, Rebecca looked down at where she knew Theodora was. She could picture her so clearly, kneeling in front of her, green eyes sparkling. Tears welled behind her eyes again and she let them fall freely this time, too tired to fight them off anymore. She wished she could see Theo, she wished so badly for the thing she’d worked her entire life to be proud of not having. Becoming an exorcist despite her inability to see ghosts had been one of her proudest accomplishments, and now, all she could do was curse the world for denying her this gift. “I can’t say it,” she finally admitted, her voice a hoarse whisper, “I need to know I’m me first. I need to know it’s safe, first.” She wrapped her arms around herself against and pretended they were Theo’s arms, sinking into her grasp like the safety blanket it had always been for her, from their first embrace to their last. “I need to feel safe again.”
Theodora was glad Rebecca could not see her then, for in two years of being invisible she had lost all habit of schooling her face to hide any emotion she didn’t want to surface. She hung her head and would have dug her fingers in with longing, with a silent plea, if she had anything to touch. She wanted to stay. After two years alone, torturing herself with memories, she wanted to stay more than anything. But the wishes of the dead and damned were of no consequence. Theodora was quiet for several moments, however, before finally saying, “Alright. Then I will go. I’ll return soon, though, to see how you are.” She withdrew from her, gliding away towards the door. “I hope at least that much is alright with you.”
Rebecca’s heart tugged because she could feel exactly what Theo was-- she knew exactly the look on her face. And though Theodora was here, she was so tired of having to just imagine things. To imagine what her lost love was doing, feeling, looking. “Wait!” she said, a bit desperately, “stay for a little longer. Please,” she asked, hoping her eyes were glancing in her direction. “I-- just a little longer.” She stood up, struggling, her side prickling with pain. “I can finish making us tea,” she said quietly, hobbling towards the kitchen again, “and...maybe you can tell me your favorite poem again. And just...maybe for just a little bit, you can stay…” she paused in the doorway again, looking around the room, wondering if she could simply reach out and feel her. “Please?”
Theodora wanted nothing more than to do all of those things with Rebecca. Just another evening near her, even if they couldn’t touch or meet eyes. But if such and evening was what she had really wanted, she would have said so. This gesture, however earnest, could only have been given out of love for her. And oh, how Theodora had missed being loved at all. To be offered something so simple, so kind, for no other reason than because Rebecca saw her and cared. If she could truly claim to love her in return, however, she would honor her first wish. The one she had made before she knew how thin Theodora’s skin had become. “No,” she said. “It’s alright. You should feel safe, first and foremost. No need to take on any shame about it.” And Theodora believed this, with all her heart, but she could not avoid the bitter sadness she felt. She had always failed at compartmentalizing cleanly when it came to Rebecca. Why should it be any different in death? “It is good to have you back, my love. Even like this,” she said. And before Rebecca could call to her again and change her mind, she was gone.
#chatzy#chatzy: theo#theo#dr jekyll#the ghost of you#//i wanted srs titles but i guess this chatzy#is just an homage to emo 00's songs#blame olivia and kat
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Sylvain has a daughter. She is nothing like her flirty father. In fact she is so afraid of intimacy it scares her to a stand still Also her name is Thea
Ooooh, I like it! What about "Theo" instead, and it's ambiguous as to whether it's short for anything (like Theodora)? She has absolutely zero interest in relationships or sex. She just wants to do what she needs to do, and move on with her life. (So not so different from her father after all! Except he always emphasized being herself, not just a potential for "Crest Babies.")
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TEAM ZRCN ARC 3 - EPILOGUE
Aaannndddd that’s a wrap for arc 3! We leave our main cast for the moment to turn our attention to Bianca and things in Olympia.
Once again, thanks to @neopoliitan for proofreading
BIANCA
“Are we nearly there?” Sparrow’s voice weakly asked from where they were sitting huddled in the passenger seat.
Bianca turned her attention from the window to the navigation system on the dashboard. She was driving slow and there was little in the way of obstacles this far out in the tundra, so she was willing to risk a look away. “Ten minutes out.” She informed her companion. “How are you holding up?”
“Eh, I’ve felt better,” Sparrow responded. They started to chuckle, but the action aggravated their injuries, and with a small groan they leaned back into the chair. “Looking forward to some of that sweet medication Theodora has got waiting for me.”
“Yes, I’m sure it’ll do more for you than the painkillers Miho managed to find for you back in Highpoint,” Bianca said, looking back out the window.
Sparrow made a small noise in approval, and remained silent for the remainder of the journey, only speaking up once the old, faded sign came into view.
"Ah, the O.R.C.A.S," Sparrow said, splitting the acronym into "orc" and "ass" as they said it. "Home sweet home."
The O.R.C.A.S was merely an acronym for the place where Bianca, her family, and most of their associates made their home. Also known as the "Olympia Research and Climate Analysis Station", their home was a now disused military-sanctioned research base. It's original purpose was to monitor the weather, but had later been expanded to allow select research projects to be worked on within its walls. After the town of Olympia had been lost to the Grimm, many of the survivors had sought refuge at the base. Atlas had long since turned their gaze away from Olympia and it's old research base, and so they were left untroubled to do what they wanted.
Pulling up to the front gate, Bianca leaned forward in her front seat, watching as Euphemia Crest appeared, giving a small wave before slowly pushing the gate open. Bianca raised her hand in acknowledgement, before driving the vehicle through the reinforced outer walls and up to the front of the base.
As Bianca parked, she saw the front doors open, and the last Crest sibling, Theodora, stepped outside. Bianca hopped out of the van, offering a small hello to Euphemia who had come over to join them after closing the gate. Sparrow meanwhile, struggled getting out of the van without causing any discomfort to themself, and had to be helped out the rest of the way by Theodora.
Theodora was about to lead Sparrow back inside when Bianca stopped her and called her over. "Theo, can I keep you for a moment?"
"Of course," Theodora responded, before moving their hands away from Sparrow. "You remember where my rooms are don't you Sparrow?"
"I haven't been gone that long," Sparrow smirked. "But sure, I know the way. See you soon, doc."
Sparrow trudged inside, leaving the three women together. Bianca gestured for the sisters to follow her to the rear of the van, where she warned them to brace themselves, before opening the rear doors, revealing the three people within. Whilst two of the passengers remained quiet, the youngest of the three glared at Bianca. "You're going to be in big trouble." She warned.
"I wasn't aware keeping prisoners was going to be a permanent thing after the situation with Lunick," Euphemia commented, looking at Bianca disapprovingly.
"Blame Belle," Bianca answered with a huff. "This is her doing. She insisted I bring them with me when I returned for 'safekeeping' until she returned."
Euphemia and Theodora shared a glance between each other, and at that moment Bianca was aware of how much they looked like each other - and like their late brother Ulysses for that matter. All three of them shared the same dark brown hair and blue eyes, and all three were also caprine Faunus.
"You'd better take them to my rooms as well," Theodora said to her sister after a moment, putting her hands on her hips and sighing. "I'll want to confirm for myself they're all in good health and uninjured. Find some food and water for them too, Fee."
Euphemia nodded, and clapped her hands together, ordering the three of them out of the van. Once they were all safely out of the vehicle, looking around with a mix of curiosity and confusion at their surroundings, Euphemia clapped her hands together and gestured for the three of them to follow her inside. Bianca and Theodora watched them leave, and once they had disappeared inside the building, Bianca was aware of the other woman's gaze upon her.
"This isn't good," Theodora shook her head. "What was Belle thinking when she did this?"
"Probably about herself," Bianca said quickly. "Nothing good at least."
Theodora let out a faint laugh.
"Did everyone return?" Bianca asked, looking to the woman as the two of them made their way inside the building.
"Yes, all those you called have returned to base," Theodora nodded in confirmation. "Laurel and Biggs arrived yesterday."
"Good," Bianca smiled contentedly. "Once you have seen to Sparrow and our guests, I would like you to summon everyone to the meeting room and then come and find me."
"What will you be doing?"
"Saying hello to my father."
"Oh, well you had better go to the storeroom then," Theodora said, stopping Bianca from walking in the direction of where Alden's rooms were located. Bianca turned on her heel, and raised a brow at Theodora. The storeroom had once been a parking bay, but had been converted into a storeroom for her father's Sentinels almost a decade ago. It had been a long time since she had heard her father and the storeroom mentioned in the same sentence - her father's memory issues had meant that working on his creations as he wanted had been difficult in recent years.
"Since when has he been working on the Sentinels again?" Bianca asked.
"Oh, he's not working on them," Theodora explained. "He's been tinkering on those old drone prototypes he and Cala put together two years back. It's quite marvellous to watch actually. He becomes very talkative when working on them. He still seems a little confused and isn't aware of what the year is, but it's nice to hear him talking in a clear and concise manner once again."
Intrigued by this development in her father, Bianca was keen to make her way to the storeroom, finding her father tinkering away on the drones as Theodora had promised. He greeted her warmly, and gestured for her to sit with him where they sat and enjoyed a nice conversation. He looked tired, his white hair shaggy and unkempt, and as impossible as it seemed, there looked to be more wrinkles on his face than there had been the last time they had spoken. But there was a sparkle in his red eyes that hadn't been there for a long time.
As nice it was to talk with him, the moment was bittersweet; despite talking clearly and being more aware of what was going on then he had in years, he did not know who Bianca was. He admitted to some recognition, but could not put a name to the face, though he admitted she had a pretty name when she answered that question.
As they talked, Bianca tried to show an interest in what he was doing, but alas she had never had the aptitude for robotics and machinery as her father and sister had. Still, she could follow along well enough to participate in the conversation.
“Bianca?” A knock preceded Theodora’s question, as the young doctor appeared in the doorway. “Everyone’s ready for you.”
“Seems like you have to go,” Her father mused, almost sounding disappointed as he spoke. “It was nice to speak with you, Bianca. I hope we are able to speak again soon.”
“I’d like that too,” Bianca smiled. “Farewell, da-Alden.”
**
Following Theodora into the meeting room, Bianca was greeted with a room of silence, and several pairs of eyes watching her as she moved. Unlike many of the rooms in the base, this one had never been altered for a different purpose, and was still used as a meeting room to this day. The room was dominated by a large oval table, with enough room that everyone could sit around with room to spare. Other than that, the room was sparse in terms of decorations - save for a few old posters proclaiming that “a happy worker is a productive worker!” and that Atlas “appreciates its dedicated workers!”. They had long since been defaced with crude swear words and drawings over the years, most of which had been the handiwork of Belleza and Miho.
Bianca took her seat at the end of the table - a place usually reserved for Belleza or their father - and took a moment to ready herself, taking the time to look round at those present.
To the left of her sat Laurel, whose face was turned to the side to obscure her scars, and who currently seemed more interested in fiddling with her fingers than paying attention to Bianca. As always, Laurel was flanked by her Ursine companion Biggs, who looked ready to fight; his gaze never lingering on one person for long. Theodora and Lunick sat together; Theodora watching Bianca intently, Lunick looking extremely uncomfortable at being present and looking away.
To the other side of Bianca sat the Astrella siblings - Uriah and his younger sister Maia - a girl who was amazingly even more insufferable than her brother was. It was Maia who was currently watching her, her teal eyes boring into her with such intensity, that Bianca was surprised she didn’t spontaneously combust.
“Does Belleza know you are here?” Maia asked with an almost accusatory tone.
“Are you trying to accuse me of something?” Bianca responded with another question, meeting Maia’s gaze.
“Well, it’s a little strange that we all get called back, but Belleza isn’t here,” Maia pointed out. “And last I checked, she’s our leader, regardless of whether she is here or not...you should know your place.” With a cock of her head, Maia gestured to the seat which was currently occupied by Laurel, a position where Bianca would often sit.
“And you should know your place,” Bianca fired back, narrowing her eyes.
“Belleza’s not here right now,” Laurel chimed in, “There’s no need to keep kissing her ass.”
“Nobody asked your opinion, scar face.”
“How original,” Laurel mocked. “Next time hit me with something I haven’t heard a hundred times from Belle before.”
“You little-”
“Enough!” Bianca yelled, jumping in to prevent the two women from going back and forth at each other. It had been too long since the last time the two of them had been in a room together, Bianca had almost forgotten how contentious the two of them were. “If you two want to have it out in the courtyard later feel free, but right now we have things to discuss, and after a very long drive I would rather get this over and done with rather than drag it out.” Bianca paused and looked between the two women. “Now are the two of you going to behave yourselves so I can finish?”
When both women nodded their heads in agreement, Bianca smiled, glad that she would be able to get out what needed to be said.
“As some of you know, due to events that transpired in Atlas and Highpoint, we are moving forward with our timeline,” Bianca explained. “Which means that phase 3 of our plan is coming sooner than any of us expected - although I am no longer certain it will be just as my father and sister planned it.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I won’t lie to any of you, if Belle had her way, I don’t think we’d be sitting here talking about this now. Which is why I called you all home, to ready yourselves for what is to come - whatever that may be. The road to justice for what we lost has been long and hard, and now that we are close to the end, it will be harder than ever.
“I won’t be angry if some of you choose to leave,” Bianca said, looking over towards Laurel and Sparrow in particular. If she were in their position with no personal ties to the plans they had been working on for years, Bianca certainly would have considered it at least. Unfortunately, she did not believe herself to have that luxury. “There is no doubt in my mind that what is ahead is going to be hard and messy. But if we work hard, and if we work together, I am sure we will endure. Are you with me? Are you with my family?”
Slowly, and with some reluctance from certain members of the assembled party, each and everyone nodded their heads and mumbled words of support. Bianca kept a neutral expression as she listened to their words, quietly glad that for once everyone was agreeing, without having to be threatened into complying as Belleza might have done had she been here.
“Good,” Bianca would say once everyone had the chance to speak. “Now that we are all on the same page, I believe some further preparations are in order.”
#team zrcn fic#bianca rossi#sparrow#laurel#biggs#maia astrella#uriah astrella#theodora crest#euphemia crest#lunick otieno#couple of new tags there haha
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Prized Possessions!
Rules ;
List three to five of your muse’s most treasured possessions. it can be anything from their past or present that they value. Repost, don’t reblog.
Optional ;
Briefly explain their significance.
Tagged by: @thelightfallenpriest
1) A bracelet of cat’s eye beads that was made by his youngest sister. When, uh, things started happening to Jen and his perception of the world around him, he had to be moved out of his family home to a private residence. It was a very confusing and excruciating time for the Cervantes family as they tried everything and anything to try and fix their little boy, but Elisa was not much older than Jenaro was and had a hard time understanding just what it was he was seeing. So she made him a bracelet out of cat’s eye, which is said to ward off evil spirits and monsters. He’s had it with him ever since and has only modified it to accommodate his body’s growth.
2) A horse’s bridle with a small placard on it reading “Theodora”. Despite its age, it’s been lovingly maintained and hung from a post in his apartment. Theodora, or “Teddy” as he sometimes called her, was a docile mare that was initially given to him as a therapy horse. There wasn’t much Jen could do at his little asylum-like home as being around people was extremely difficult for him, so having animals around was a good way of giving some kind of positive reinforcement and companionship.
Teddy’s been with Jen through thick and thin, serving as confidante, best friend, and an eventual warhorse. Still, the old girl was getting long in the tooth and she ended up passing away several years ago. Needless to say, her passing was extremely difficult for him.
3) A wax-seal stamp bearing the image of a rearing bull. The Cervantes family’s name has roots in the words “servant” and “stag”, which is befitting of the fact that they have a long-line of knights and public servants in their family tree. Though they also had a long-lived tradition of bestowing their children with totemic patrons in the form of (usually) horned animals. While the family’s crest was that of the hart, the beast that was aligned with Jen was the bull.
While it does signify physical strength, fertility, and good luck, the reason it was chosen for him was because it is also a creature of burden, sacrifice, and determination. They wanted to give him a symbol to align himself with to inspire him to shoulder the yoke (hurr...) of not only his plight, but the people’s as well as per his family’s duty.
His personal crest is, of course, the reason why his call sign is “Auroch”.
As far as the stamp goes, he rarely got to see his family ever since he was moved away to the countryside. So they wrote letters to one another often, sent little gifts, etc, just to try and keep his spirits up. He’s had other things with his patron animal on it, but this one was the most special to him if only for how much time he spent writing.
Tagging: @dorienmydral (or your alt blog!), @maniofnorthshire (or whoever you’d like!), @illapa-greybane, @gilneangunman, @smith-hadeon, @mierettemornsong, @deaddwarf, @crabstalbuksandpugs, and uh... ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS IDK. <3
#Prompt#Thank you for the tag!#And if anyone's wondering who this is tagging them#It's Natharai#Also I think it's kinda funny that after that whole exchange with Zeke last night#Jen's the one with a teddy#Well#Sorta
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TEAM ZRCN ARC 4 - CHAPTER 6
Back with the Rossi’s this chapter, who are preparing themselves for the eventual backlash following the attack on Highpoint.
BIANCA
The return of Belleza Rossi to the O.R.C.A.S marked the end of the few days of peace Bianca had been enjoying without her elder sister’s presence. She had been back for less than a day before tensions were already bubbling over, and the tentative peace Bianca had brokered between Laurel and the Astrella siblings, was swiftly shattered.
Things became even worse when Belleza was suddenly keen to implement an intense training regiment for those of their group who could fight. They had never been strict on training before, and when Bianca questioned the sudden change from her sister, Belleza merely smiled sweetly and told her it was good to prepare. Bianca wasn’t going to take that for a sufficient answer, however, and after some further questioning on her behalf, was finally able to get Belleza to reveal more about what happened.
After learning the truth, Bianca was not impressed, but she could not say she was surprised either. She knew when Belleza had elected to stay behind that things would not end well. Bianca had quickly consigned herself to the fact that Calantha would not be returning anytime soon and then after that it was just a matter of time to see what chaos Belleza would bring home with her. When Belleza revealed she - or rather, Miho - had partially blown up the school, Bianca could suddenly understand why her sister was keen to get in some extra training. Belleza might have only been anticipating the Mob Ops and a handful of fighters from Highpoint to retaliate, but with everything she had done in Atlas and Shizukana beforehand, Bianca wouldn’t have been surprised if the general himself arrived to raze the O.R.C.A.S to the ground.
News of further training was generally well received by those they had working for them, none more so than Maia who had gleefully relished in the opportunity to hone her skills to take on the military. Nearly everyone at the O.R.C.A.S had lost family due to the inaction of Atlas all those years aho, and Maia was no exception to this, but she was the only who spoke as though she had a personal vendetta against every single person who worked for the military, and that she deserved to punish them.
For the training Belleza had insisted on, Maia had been paired with Sparrow. It was yet another decision that Bianca had disagreed with in recent days, and despite protests from herself and Theodora that Sparrow wasn’t ready, Belleza pushed ahead. Although Sparrow had accepted the decision, that didn’t stop Bianca from keeping a careful watch on them during training, staring down from a walkway in the atrium to where they were currently sparring with Maia.
There were others sparring as well - Laurel with Miho, Biggs with Euphemia, Belleza with Uriah - but only the match between Maia and Sparrow held her attention.
Although Sparrow still lacked their usual speed and ease of movement due to their healing burns, they were managing to carry themselves quite well in the fight, though Maia’s relentless attacking gave them little chance to let their guard down or slip up. On the one time they were slow to react, Maia followed through with a swift uppercut, which hit Sparrow square in the chin, and caused them to stumble backwards. Maia used this opportunity to grapple them to the floor, where she continued to punch at Sparrow, who shielded their face from the worst of the blows. A sudden twisting motion managed to knock Maia off of Sparrow and break them apart. Although Bianca was certain Maia would have continued their fight if given the opportunity, the presence of Belleza coming over put a stop to that.
Bianca was too high up to hear what was being said, but she could imagine what sort of praises her sister was bestowing upon the woman by how she had her hand on her shoulder, and seemed to be speaking in a softer tone. It didn’t take long for the praise to shift to mockery, with Belleza and Maia speaking down to Sparrow, who was still on the floor, albeit on their knees as opposed to being sprawled on their back as they had been moments before.
Sparrow listened with a neutral expression, and then something shifted in their face, and a more enraged expression took hold. As Maia threw her head back in laughter, amused at whatever she had said, she was completely ignorant to the speed in which Sparrow pulled themself back to their feet, before they tackled Maia to the ground. The ferocity in which Sparrow lashed out at Maia was unusual, and once again Bianca could only imagine what horrid things Maia had said to prompt such a reaction.
As Belleza clearly was in no hurry to break them apart, it fell to Laurel to intervene, who broke away from her own sparring with Miho and managed to pull Sparrow off, who writhed around in the other woman’s grasp.
“Keep his name out of your mouth, you bitch!” Sparrow’s furious voice echoed around the atrium. “If you dare say it again, I’ll cave your head in!”
After the breakdown of the sparring, Bianca took her leave from the atrium, deciding she had had her fill of violence for the day. However, her disappearance had clearly not gone unnoticed, as not long after she had turned away and had begun her walk back to her quarters, she was aware of footsteps behind her.
“Bianca.” Belleza dragged her name out with a mocking tone. Bianca turned her head to see Belleza emerging from a staircase that led down to the floor below where everyone had been sparring. She was leaning over the bannister dramatically, fluttering her eyes when Bianca glared at her. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes, I’m going to get some work done,” Bianca said simply, hoping if she ignored her sister she might go away. Alas, she soon felt the grasp of Belleza’s hands at her waist informing her that this was not the case. She groaned. “What do you want, Belle?”
“Why are you leaving?” Belleza asked. “Didn’t you like the show?”
“Oh yes, because watching Maia beat up an already injured Sparrow over and over again is exactly how I wanted to spend my day…” Bianca said sarcastically.
“I must admit I didn’t think they had it in them,” Belleza laughed, ignoring Bianca’s words. “Sparrow has never been a good fighter, hence why we always sent them on reconnaissance missions. So for them to have knocked down Maia...colour me impressed.”
“Do I even want to ask what Maia said to get that sort of reaction?”
“Oh, we just reminded Sparrow of what it is they were fighting for,” Belleza smirked. “Maia pointed out that Sparrow needed to put in more effort or we’d put them “out to pasture” like we did Marcel.”
Bianca tensed. “You didn’t.”
“We did.”
Bianca sighed, suddenly understanding why Sparrow had reacted that way. Marcel had been Sparrow’s mentor and companion when they had first joined their family, a fellow orphan who had taught Sparrow how to survive in the harsh world of Mantle. But Marcel had been weak and sickly, stemming from years of malnutrition and a further untreated illness on top of that, and Belleza had sent him on his final mission knowing it was likely he would not come home. Bianca was never certain if Sparrow knew the truth of what happened to their friend; they never said otherwise, but Bianca always suspected they knew more than they let on. It was probably easier to convince themself that it all went back to the poor health he was encumbered with due to his life in Atlas and ignore the truth staring them in the face, than it was to confront Belleza over what she had done.
The two sisters walked in silence after that, though Bianca got the impression her sister had more to say. Their silence was interrupted by yelling further down the hall. From where they were, it was hard to discern what was being said, but as they drew closer it became apparent that one of the arguing parties was none other than their father.
"Why won't you answer me?!" Alden asked with a frustrated voice.
"Alden, please calm down." A second voice belonging to Theodora Crest pleaded.
The two sisters eventually came across the scene, finding their father yelling at Theodora and Lunick, the latter of which seemed to be the primary target of his frustrations, if Theodora's mediating presence between them was anything to go by.
"What's the matter?" Bianca asked.
At the sound of her voice, all three heads turned to look in their direction, and a look of relief flooded Alden's features. "My darlings," He sighed softly, before approaching his two daughters, and embracing them in an awkward hug. "I know you two will be honest with me."
Bianca raised a questioning brow, at Theodora, before looking at her father. "What's wrong?"
"Theodora won't answer my questions…" Alden murmured.
"And what questions do you have?" Belleza asked.
"Where's your sister?"
Bianca opened her mouth to speak, but before she could give her answer, Belleza jumped in and was her usual tactful self.
"I'm afraid she's no longer with us," She told him.
"Belle!" Bianca glared at her sister. Noticing her father's clear distress at Belleza's words, Bianca was quick to clarify what her sister meant. "What Belleza meant to say is that Calantha is currently taking some time away from home right now. She's alright and will be back soon, I promise."
"Calantha wouldn't do that," Alden said, frowning as he did so. "She wouldn't leave here...she wouldn't leave me."
"Well she has," Belleza said, folding her arms. "The sooner you grow accustomed to that the easier it'll be to move on and forget her."
"That's your sister!"
"Yes, and she betrayed us."
"Belle, that's enough." Bianca warned, putting a hand in her shoulder in an effort to stop her from saying more. "Can't you see you're upsetting him?"
"I don't care," Belleza said, shrugging Bianca's hand away. "He needs to hear this."
Belleza took a purposeful step towards their father, and he flinched away. "Calantha has chosen to leave us. She has abandoned our family and she has abandoned you. I advise you to forget about her; which considering your condition shouldn't be too hard."
Alden backed away and started to shake his head. "This is your doing," He said, pointing at Belleza.
"She made her own choice."
"But your actions probably didn't help either," Bianca said coldly, ignoring the glare Belleza gave her soon after. "How about you tell our father about how you killed a woman in front of her?"
"You did what?" Alden blinked, stepping back in disbelief. "Why would you do something like that?"
"What do you mean 'why'?" Belleza asked. She unfolded her arms, and placed them on her father's arms "I did this for us! I did this for you!
"No," Their father shrugged Belleza's hands away, and took a step back from her. "This isn't what I wanted. I never wanted such violence. I don't deny a little bit of force might have been necessary in the past, but my intention was to always go through the appropriate channels. To get our justice the fair and legal way."
Belleza snorted. "What, do you think they will play fair or something? The same people who look down on us from their floating city, who stood by and did nothing whilst men, women, and children perished in Olympia? Those people?" She pressed. "Your mind is more broken than I thought if you really believe that."
"That is what your mother would have wanted. She would have never approved of such violence," Alden said softly.
"Mother was weak. She didn't understand what needed to be done," Belleza retorted. "And that's why she needed to go."
"You…" Alden's voice trailed off. He began to tremble softly, and Bianca moved towards him, putting her arm around him to try and calm his shaking.
"I think I need to lie down," Alden said softly, raising a hand to his head. "Bianca... would you please take me back to my room?"
Bianca stared at her father for a long moment, concerned at how he was processing this information. “Of course,” She finally responded, calmly moving him away from Belleza’s presence. With a tilt of her head, she gestured for Theodora and Lunick to follow her and get them away from her sister as well.
As they walked away. leading Alden back to his room, Bianca cast one last look back at her sister. Belleza watched them leave with a smug look, and when she caught Bianca looking back at her, she raised her chin and gave them a mock wave of farewell in return.
#team zrcn fic#belleza rossi#bianca rossi#alden rossi#sparrow#maia astrella#theodora crest#lunick otieno
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TEAM ZRCN ARC 3 - CHAPTER 13
Back with the Rossi family this chapter following the clash against Nieve and Wisteria.
As divisions begin to form over the handling of their enemies, Belleza steps up her plan for her endgame.
BELLEZA
Belleza took in a sharp breath as the needle pierced her skin again. Her eyes studied the wall opposite her as Sparrow got to work, following the step by step instructions being given to them by Theodora Crest via Belleza's scroll.
There was a small tug in her shoulder, and Belleza heard a snipping sound as Sparrow cut the string. A moment later there was a small clink as Sparrow dropped the needle into the metal bowl by the side of her.
"It is done," Sparrow said.
"Let me see it," Theodora requested. Sparrow took a moment to carefully remove the gloves they were wearing, dropping them into the bowl with the needle before picking up the scroll and moving it close to Belleza’s now stitched up wound so that Theodora could inspect it. On the screen, Belleza could see the young woman frowning slightly as Sparrow moved the camera to show different angles of their work.
“Well?” Belleza prompted once Sparrow had moved the scroll away and Theodora didn’t immediately respond.
Theodora coughed nervously. “Well, it's a bit messy, but it should hold for now. Though I would have preferred it if you had allowed me to send Euphemia to bring some supplies to you,” She admitted.
“And we’ve already talked about this,” Belleza reminded her, rolling her eyes as she did so.
“I know, I know,” Theodora conceded. “At the very least I’ll be able to tend to it myself once you all return to Olympia.”
We’ll see. Belleza thought to herself.
“How is the cut feeling? Does it hurt at all?”
“I told you it’s fine,” Belleza snapped, already beginning to tire of Theodora’s insipid line of questioning. Despite her remark, she had to admit that it was feeling a little tender at that present moment in time; likely not helped by Sparrow’s recent stitching. It had been worse in the days following the attack against Nieve and Wisteria, keeping her awake at night with a deep throbbing pain. She had managed to soldier through thankfully, finding enough of a distraction in the company of Miho to keep her mind off of it whilst they stayed away from their base of operations for a few extra days to keep up the pretense that they were looking for Calantha as per Bianca’s request.
Theodora continued to ask after her wellbeing for a few minutes, before realising she was fighting an uphill battle and wrapping up the conversation.
No sooner had she wrapped up the call, a familiar click of heels from down the hall began to draw close. A moment later, the door to the office Belleza, Miho, and Sparrow were all standing in was wrenched open and Bianca stepped inside. Judging by the scowl she had had on her face, Belleza figured her sister had heard the news by now.
“Leave us,” Bianca said, looking at Miho and Sparrow in turn. The two of them hesitated, looking between each other first and then to Belleza for confirmation. Before Belleza could give her permission for them to leave, Bianca spoke again. “Leave us,” She repeated, this time more forcefully. Miho grunted in submission, and patted Belleza on her good shoulder before leaving the room. Sparrow quietly gathered up the metal bowl and the medical supplies before making their leave, giving a small curtsy to Bianca as they passed. Bianca turned to watch them leave, before turning rapidly on her heel to face her sister, boring into Belleza with an intense gaze.
“Did you do it?” She asked with a demanding tone.
“Do what?” Belleza said, following up her sister’s question with one of her own.
Bianca’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t play coy with me, Belle,” She warned.
“I’m not!” Belleza grinned, throwing her hands up. “You just need to be more specific, Bianca. I’ve done a lot of things, so for all I know you could be referring to anything.”
“Did you kill Nieve?”
Ah, there it is.
“Oh, yeah, that. Yes, I killed her - what of it?"
“Are you out of your damn mind!?” Bianca yelled. “What were you thinking?”
“If we’re being specific I didn’t actually kill her, that was Miho.” Belleza pointed out with a smirk.
“This isn’t funny!” Her sister protested. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Punishing someone who has double-crossed and lied to us for months is what I did,” Belleza responded calmly.
“No, what you did was take away the one thing that ever kept her loyal to us,” Bianca said, crossing her arms. “With Nieve gone there’s nothing to stop her from turning against us fully. You especially.”
“Agree to disagree,” Belleza said with a shrug.
Bianca frowned and did not say anything back to that. Believing the conversation to be done, Belleza stood up from her seat and retrieved her red jacket. She had just tucked it under her arm when Bianca drew her back into a conversation.
“I suppose we shall see who is in the right once we get to Highpoint.”
“Highpoint?” Belleza repeated, genuinely confused at the mention of the northern town. “What has that got to do with anything?”
“You see, Belle, I always knew you wouldn’t go looking for Cala,” Bianca began to explain. “Whilst you were off killing people, I was actually tracking down our sister. Thanks to Ulysses’ old code which Lunick was able to complete for us, we were able to sneak a probe into the Atlas military databases, and we discovered she has been sent to Highpoint and put under the protection of Special Operatives there alongside Team ZRCN.”
“And what does this have to do with Wisteria exactly?”
“Nothing at first,” Bianca admitted. “But your insistence that Wisteria won’t betray us now gave me an idea. I was planning on telling you we’d be heading out to Highpoint soon to retrieve Cala anyways, but now I figure we can test your theory about Wisteria at the same time and bring her with us.”
It took Belleza a moment to respond to what she was told. Admittedly, she was a little impressed at the careful plan Bianca had laid out, but she was also annoyed, and it was a struggle not to show that annoyance in front of her sister. Impressive though it may have been, she had some nerve to fool her like that.
“What’s the point?” Belleza asked. “You know she won’t come back.”
“She’s our sister,” Bianca argued.
“She’s a weak link and a liability,” Belleza said coldly. “If she had carried on the way she was going we both know it wouldn’t have ended well for her. Just as it was with our mother.” The mention of the late Diantha Rossi caught Bianca by surprise, and Belleza used the moment to inch closer. “Believe me, Bianca, it’s better this way.”
Belleza extends her free hand towards her sister, intending to touch her cheek in an act of comfort, but Bianca uncrosses her arms and smacks the hand away, glaring at her as she does so. Bianca took a step forward and closed the gap between them. She then proceeded to put an arm on her shoulder. For a moment, Belleza thought she was trying to comfort her in that same odd manner she had been about to attempt, but she was surprised when Bianca shifted her hand ever so slightly so that her thumb was resting against Belleza’s wound, before pressing down hard.
Belleza grunted in pain, even dropping her jacket as she tried to move back. Bianca leaned in close to her and whispered, “You’re a heartless bitch, Belle.”
She gave one final sharp squeeze before letting go and storming out of the room leaving Belleza alone. Her shoulder was now once again throbbing in pain, and Belleza winced a little as she touched where Bianca had moments before been pressing down. The more she touched it, the more her annoyance at her sister’s actions began to grow.
If Bianca wanted to play games then so could she.
Snatching up her jacket from the floor, Belleza tossed it over one shoulder, retrieved her scroll from earlier and stormed out of the room herself, looking for Miho again. It didn’t take long to find her stalwart companion, who hadn’t wandered far after being dismissed by Bianca. Belleza was about to speak to Miho about a special “task” she wanted her to complete when Sparrow happened to walk back in on the room.
Although Sparrow turned to leave, Belleza decided to bring them in on the task too, deciding that they had proved themselves to be loyal enough in recent weeks that she could trust them with this mission.
“We are due to leave for Highpoint in a few days time,” Belleza began to explain to both of them. As she continued talking, she got her scroll out, scrolling through her images until she found the one she was looking for. “Before we leave Atlas, I would like to find a souvenir to bring home with me. As you can see, I am somewhat indisposed at the moment, so unfortunately I cannot fetch it myself hence where you two come in.” She zoomed in on the chosen image and held out the scroll to show the pair of them what she was referring to. “Bring this back for me.”
Smiling back at them was a picture of a smartly dressed teenage boy with silver-grey hair and deep blue eyes.
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Text
New WIP Excerpt #2
Title: Heart Thief
Taglist: @notwritinganyflufftoday @ashen-crest
CWs: coughing, mention of illness
##########################################
Jan stretched out on a cot in the hall by the front door of Henrietta’s home, drumming his fingers on his stomach as he stared at the ceiling. The house creaked and groaned, far more than the rumored horrors wandering the streets past midnight. Candlelight flickered from the mouth of the kitchen. Occasional footsteps moved across the floor overhead. Henry’s cough. Leander and Hugh hissing at each other, talking well after they should have been asleep. Winnifred running down the hall to her mother’s, no doubt to crawl into bed for a short while before running back to sleep with Theodora. Henry’s cough again, worsening through the night.
He turned onto his side, digging his fingernail at a hole in his blanket, waiting for the toll that came every hour through the city. Eventually, the bell tower chimed.
One. Two. Three…
Surely, there was somewhere he could slip in quick. A shop with a loose lock, a window open well off the ground where the merchant thought no one could reach.
Four. Five. Six…
And all the old stories of monsters and falling in and out of realms after midnight? That had to be horseshit. The curfew was just that, a curfew. There had to be people who stumbled home drunk well into the early hours, and the country waas wrought with rumors of an assassins’ guild. What sort of assassin could function in the daytime?
Seven. Eight. Nine…
The tolling of the bell stopped at ten. Two hours. Jan pushed himself out of bed.
He could be home in two hours.
#heart thief#new wip#wip#my writing#writing#wip intro#im starting to get to know jan a lot better#he loves his little found family#well not so little
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