sticksandbones IC Inbox

[cryopathy]

kiera canorus aurelius

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weasel's note: kiera's handwriting is a neat, flowing script somewhere between print and cursive.

they can most often be found at the barn, either tending to animals or in the attached stablemaster's quarters, or at the watchtower bar, either as a patron or occasionally tending bar.

plotting contact: PM // fuckweasel // discord @ fuckweasel

Comments

[cryopathy]

[kiera can't help but chuckle at luca's attempt to keep others out. they might not actually be able to stop anyone, but the fact that he tries is... adorable, in a way.

rather than make fun of him for that, though, they quirk a brow in his direction.]

Back to work already?

[unheiring]

Just making sure you were in your safe place.

[He winks, before reaching up to grab a bottle, then a small jar. He keeps his back to her as he mixes a sweet, bubbling rose with a pinch of edible glitter, then hands it over to her.]

Here. You're going to need it.

[He inhales, bracing his arms against the bar itself.]

An emissary followed me back to Renova. One that I... knew.

[cryopathy]

[their face lights up, assuming this is a thank-you, but... ah. it turns out to be a pacifier. oh, well. they're glad to have it anyway.

they very nearly choke on it at this revelation, though.]

An Emissary? [their mind gets away from them. they don't want to imagine why luca would "know" one.] Luca...

[unheiring]

It... isn't so surprising. I caused plenty of trouble in Cataega, and it isn't as if my appearance is particularly subtle. It stood to reason that they would have wanted to know more.

[He winces before he continues, knowing that Kiera will likely try to wring his neck. Or at least check to see if his sanity was intact.]

He... is not as bad as you might think. He helped me, too.

[cryopathy]

[kiera isn't chiding him directly, at least not yet, but they don't entirely buy his story, either.]

I'm sure they would want to know more so that they could harm you. What did this Emissary do that was so helpful?

[unheiring]

[Luca is quiet. There was much that River had done for him. To point any of it out, however, was liable to invite jealousy within Kiera. To make them feel as if they had failed.

He rolls a few words on his tongue, before offering...]

The Phoenix possessed me. Tried to drag me to Castilla. You chased me tirelessly and freed me from its grasp, but we were too weak to get back. You sent Polaris for help. He came to save us.

[That was the story he had been told.]

[cryopathy]

[all the tension in their body from earlier in the evening returns at the mention of their birthplace. the rest of the story only serves to frustrate and confuse kiera. trusting luca comes mostly naturally, at this point in their life, despite the phoenix being the butterfly's bitter enemy. the leviathan, however, has threatened to swallow all throughout history.

kiera is silent for a long time, swallowing damn near all of their glass in one go. when they finish and finally speak, they're not looking at him. it isn't that they don't believe and trust him, they don't understand their own choices.]

Why would I ever trust an Emissary when we were both vulnerable?

[unheiring]

[Luca inhales, deep and heavy. His hands stich together, mind going elsewhere. It's a place with cold hands, sharp teeth, and eyes that never seem to catch the light. It's a place that he should, by all means, be afraid of.

And yet he'd already begun to carve out a home there with him. With the emissary.

Kiera wouldn't accept it, had already railed against it back home. He carefully hedges around it, hoping the second glass he pours her is enough of a distraction.]

Because - he and I are close. Because I trusted him. And because... you didn't really have a choice. You sent Polaris for help. She has a terrible sense of humor.

[cryopathy]

[well, the second glass at least gives her processing time. gives luca time to fucking run, too, if he so chooses. they take their time with this one, but still finish he whole thing right away.

then they turn their head up to look luca directly in the eye.]

"Close." You're telling me half-truths, Luc.

[unheiring]

[He bows his head, cheeks beginning to outright burn. He opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again.

He can't make the words form. He tries something else instead.]

He's a dhampir, you know. I accused him of working with - with her. Nearly got my teeth kicked in for it. Damn near had another emissary on our doorstep as a result.

[Right. There's also that, too.]

There's... a lot you've missed, Ki.

[cryopathy]

[oh. kiera doesn't even realize she's stood up violently from her chair until it hits the ground and her hands are clutching the bar near tight enough to crack it.]

What the fuck do you mean he's a dhampir? How could he not be working for her?!

[unheiring]

Other beasts — or maybe just the Leviathan itself — can override other Blessings. He was not the only one.

[He looks to their hands, then reaches out. He lays his own over theirs, warmer than ever. He knows it isn't enough assurance. Hell, he's certain this fact alone will terrify them when they learn as much. But he offers it all the same.]

The other emissary. Her name was Laurentia, once. Laurentia Aurelius. My ancestor.

[cryopathy]

[it's a good thing luca reaches out to ground her; kiera is obviously very upset by these revelations, but she also isn't the type to just... throw or break things, so they weren't sure what their body was going to do next.

and just as he suspects, ice runs up kiera's spine as they listen, and struggle to wrap their head around what another living aurelius serving the leviathan could possibly mean. what this person spurning the phoenix centuries ago, and surviving to this day, as a high-ranking cataegan officer, could mean.

for once, their lips are parted in utter silence and their eyes wide with shock.]

[unheiring]

[He draws in a breath, regret surging through him. His gaze drops, almost helpless. One hand folds inward, an embrace for himself. The other remains on their hand, grounding as always. He won't leave her, won't turn away.]

I dreamed about her, a few months ago. Here, I mean. It was one of the Phoenix's memories. I saw her attack it. I think - [He swallows, throat bobbing.] She's the reason the Phoenix became so weak. Why the Aurelius family shrank so terribly. Even now, with all its power, it's nothing compared to what I have seen from other Blessed.

[cryopathy]

[if this laurentia attacking the phoenix is what made its blessing so scarce, its power so weak, and she's been serving cataega since, and luca has finished the job and finally killed the great beast...]

Luca... this makes you their tool at best. Their target at worst. Please tell me you don't actually trust them.

[unheiring]

I don't trust her. Not one bit.

[He doesn't know, can't say for certain, but he has a terrible feeling about her. He won't vocalize as much to Kiera, though he wouldn't be surprised if she figured it out on her own.]

Him, though... [He tries to offer a smile. It wobbles at the edges.]

He has had plenty of opportunities to kill me. To do worse. And aside from when I was trying to prove a point, he never did.

[cryopathy]

[ugh. things would be less fucking complicated if the continent was in all-out war. it's infuriating.

and it only gets worse, apparently! kiera is the one to break contact, pulling her hand away from him to ball both of hers into fists at her side.]

What do you mean, "when you were trying to prove a point?!"

[unheiring]

Ah -

[He takes a step back. The other arm wraps around him, now a solid embrace for himself. He feels no small amount of shame for his actions back then. After chewing on his lip for a long moment, he finally offers:]

With how strong the Leviathan was, I had hoped that perhaps it could set me free. I wanted to show him my curse, in the hopes that he could help me break it. So...

[He motions vaguely.]

[cryopathy]

[kiera recalls luca dying in their arms not so long ago, after he told them endlessly that he would revive in an instant. they also remember a conversation the two of them had -- possibly over a year ago, here. how deep in despair luca has been over the years...

... their muscles slacken once more, and they're hit with a tidal wave of regret, seeing luca once again draw into himself. between their guilt and the shock of everything, their hand trembles slightly as they lay it on the bar once more, palm up. he doesn't have to take it if he's no longer willing.]

... I'm sorry. This is all... a lot, but I'm being selfish. What do you need from me?

[unheiring]

[And yet, he does. He reaches out, clinging like a lifeline. When he looks up at them, his eyes are wide and pleading. It's not a far cry from the boyish way he used to expose his emotions.]

I just need you. You don't even have to trust me. Just don't... go anywhere. [He takes a deep breath.] Because I haven't even told you the worst part.

[cryopathy]

[it's hard to tell, looking back, which one of the two was or is more desperate for a lifeline. kiera slipped up, and likely will again, but for now, they heed his request and clutch at his hand.]

What could possibly be worse?

[unheiring]

Well...

[He cracks a humorless smile. To be honest, he looks scared more than anything.]

The Emissary and I are - [A shrug.] Not together. But we have been.

[cryopathy]

[kiera's jaw drops. they're silent, for a long moment. the possibility that they will explode in temper this time is very real. they seem precariously close to boiling over...

... when their face twists not into rage, but disgust.]

Luca! You fucked a fish?!

[unheiring]

I never said that!!!

[But Luca's face blazes with heat. He releases Kiera's hand, opting to instead shrink down. Now in a crouch, he wraps his arms around his knees, then presses his forehead to them as well. It's only once he's in that position that he mumbles.]

But yes. Several times.

[cryopathy]

[they have to resist gagging. it's actually very difficult. out of all of luca's ill-advised decisions over the past years... he's correct, this is by far the worst.

after taking some time to breathe deeply, kiera leans over the bar to glare at luca's pathetic form. their next word is hissed, but surely he'll find the humor underneath it all.]

Harlot.