DECADENCE

lainxsolus​:

The lycan listened as she divulged more information about the target, analyzing her words down to every last detail.  From how Robin spoke of the hunter, he could not shake the feeling that this was personal to the fey.  It served as a testament to the organization’s leaps in power, that they could sink their claws into a species as ancient and cunning as the eladrin.  “How do you know this hunter?  Did they try to kill you or something?” Lain prodded, like he wouldn’t eventually find out for himself.  When he hacked someone, he looked at everything. He commited the man’s name to memory, wishing he was already back at his place seated in front of his computer and not in the middle of the forest. A chancellor. The woman standing before him was no ordinary fae.  He wondered if she would try to pet him like a dog in the same way that the spring chancellor liked to run his fingers through Alek’s hair. He began to question as to whether or not he would let her. “Lain Solus. Just some lycan,” Lain offered lamely with a shrug, digging his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.  

...

“Or something,” Robin says dryly, a wry smile on her lips to hide the sudden bout of darkness on her eyes at the reminder of the hunter’s betrayal. She had built herself up from how he had left her, bleeding out on the forest floor to save his own skin, but that did not make her forget. She would never forget, even if she is aware she will have to feign forgiveness if she wants to make further use. Feign forgiveness or truly forgive him, for she knows herself and knows that the human holds a soft spot for her. Still, her duties to the Court trump even that forgiveness, and she had already put him above her people’s safety once. As a Chancellor she cannot do it again. Even if she did end up forgiving Wade, she would still use him to destroy the Eye. The thought dims her smile for a moment, before she focuses back to the lycan in front of her. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Solus,” she tells him, head tilting to examine him more closely now that the business side of the conversation had been over and done with. “I would like to argue about your comment however,” she continues, a playful drawl on her lips as she keeps meeting his eyes. “After all, you are the only lycan that can get me what I want and that is something I truly appreciate. Is there anything I could do for you as a thanks?”

lainxsolus​:

“I’m well aware of how petty the fey can be. I got turned into a changeling during the masquerade party last year,” Time had dulled the pain he had experienced from the transformation, at least he could openly talk about it now without visibly trembling. Besides, he had survived and the ordeal had made him stronger. When he wasn’t numb to his emotions, he got a little scared. The initial opening himself up to become intimate and vulnerable with someone new was a hurdle that Lain always struggled with. It was easier being alone, but damn if it didn’t hurt like hell. “I don’t actually have fleas,” Lain replied, grinning, “I’ve been wearing my flea collar. Although if you start offering parasite removal services you might just become the most popular person in New Rome.” The lycan closed the short distance between them, lips brushing against Robin’s, his body reflexively flinching at the initial contact before he willed himself to relax against her. His lips continued to move against her’s, muscle memory coming back to him easily even after nearly a year of not kissing another person. It was not like he had not wanted to kiss someone before meeting Robin, but he always managed to talk himself out of it before he even made a move. He pressed her against the wall, hands moving down her body to firmly grip her waist. “There’s cops everywhere, how about we find somewhere more private?”

...

“Oh, you pretty thing, that wasn’t pettiness that was viciousness,” she tuts softly as she raises her hand to brush her knuckles across his cheeks tenderly. She can’t apologize, not when she would have done the same, cannot apologize for Fen’harel’s actions because at the end of the day, she is not above making changeling either. And yet, it would have been such a tragedy to lose the little puppy before they could have their fun. With their current alliance with the Lupo pack, she does not have to worry about a betrayal coming from their side, and that means that she can finally relax and have some fun. By the Seasons she had missed having fun. “Mmm,” she hums thoughtfully as she tilts her head. “I am pleased to know that, and I might even offer you the parasite removal if you are good, but I would never overstep my bounds, not when Zahrya has such a keen interest in the pack,” Robin croons playfully as she tilts her head to make it easier for the lycan to kiss her, moving carefully, as if she were treating a spooked animal. The hand brushing against his cheek slides down until it rests against his neck as she leans into the kiss, allowing him to take the lead as to not to spook him before they have their fun. Stepping back, she feels her back press against the wall and she smiles against his lips, a grin full of mischief. “I am agreeable to that compromise. Do you have any compunctions against fucking in a deserted clearing in the forest or do you prefer a bed?”

wintersaurora​:

The private sitting room was the definition of cozy and elegant, but Aurora was tense, and less elegant as she slouched and chewed nervously at the fountain pen in her hand. She might’ve quickly fixed her posture if anyone else had come in, but anyone else knew better. Anyone else except their new Autumn Chancellor, and other select few. Aurora’s eyes flickered up, the pen still between her teeth as the other fey approached. “I wouldn’t speak so soon,” she muttered tiredly, putting down the pen. Jaded had the definition of how she felt most days now, in a cold and passive way that felt oddly similar yet completely different to the empty depression of her punishment days. “And while being a Chancellor is all encompassing responsibility, it’s likely never been as overwhelming as it is right now. You certainly have impeccable timing…” Aurora still wasn’t sure how to feel about it all - losing Fen’harel, gaining Robin. She hid her uncertainly by glancing back down at her papers. “I actually have quite a bit to talk to you about, now that you’re here…” But she waited, looking up to see if Robin had any pressing matters first.

...

“Even if you have reached the point where you have become jaded, it is still praise worthy that it took you this long,” she mentions, all but throwing herself on one of her seats in her most overdramatic faint. She falls sideways, and then she proceeds to arrange herself on a more comfortable position so that she overlooks Aurora as they speak. Sharp eyes notice the hints of nervousness found on her old friend, and she tries for levity, even knowing that she has to turn for seriousness in order to deal with whatever matters the Winter Chancellor had in mind. “Ah, yes. A perfect timing to deal with this all encompassing shit storm.”

Then she nods, a hum leaving her as she snaps a notebook and a pen into existence as she leans back, eyes serious as she looks back at the Chancellor.

“I was merely passing by to greet you and offer you a respite,” she says, tone softer as she looks back at the nervous chancellor. “But if you require my help, then I will do what I can.”

zahryaofspring​:

✿*° ‘° ･

Benevolence is in Zahrya’s nature, but even now he can’t tell if Robin’s hesitation is something to be cherished or shot down. He can’t see beyond the bounds of his vow. “I will show them no mercy,” he declares with an intensity that’s out of place given the tone of their chat, but he softens once again. “It’s not just the season, it’s you. These fields are only possible because this bounty is what your heart reflects. Charity is wonderful, but at some point we have to turn our gaze to ourselves.” As he strums, Zahrya thinks of the old days before humans became so plentiful, the days his kind thrived while he grew in the Labyrinth. They’d been shared with him and therefore he was able to idealize the era. Perhaps Robin could benefit from such stories. “There was once a time when no mortal king could accomplish anything without the influence of an eladrin. They worshipped us and in turn, we built their civilizations. Art, music, and magic, all gifts from us, but that has been forgotten. We are no longer bound by the senate and can once again expose our divinity to the masses, but we’re beyond the point where we could do such things without purpose. Testing the denizens of the mortal realm with the intention of subjugation would be the only way such an idea could work.”

...

“It’s a lesson I am beginning to learn, yes, but despite my growing lack of compassion towards most of humanity,” Robin says slowly, spitting out the word compassion as if it had rotten in her mouth, the resentment from recent events on her shoulders weighting her down but not to fully cloud her senses. “I cannot say that showing them no mercy is the solution, not when many of them are our allies. When many of them have laid with fey, or given birth to faiman children. Do the children do not deserve our mercy?” It’s a quick inquiry, and Robin wonders. Wonders where Zahrya would have fallen on the news of her brother’s exile to be with his human and his children, wonders if he considers those children worthy. “There is no denying that we are beyond humanity’s comprehension, that without us they would never have become what they now are. However, I must warn you Zahrya, humans have long desired to kill their gods, and the Eye has made that desire a reality. If you test them too harshly, too quickly, you will turn the same people who erased Alstroemeria from existence towards us, and we cannot fight a war in two fronts with our current strength. If we want to destroy the Eye, we must do it carefully, and only after can we be bolder.”

Winter arrived with it's full splendor, it's icy touch spreading through the Lunar Court and beyond Gate. Frost had reached the boards of the Dusk Court that it shared with Aurora's court, the last days of Autumn smattering with coldness. It's a rather beautiful sigh, the slow combination between Dusk and Lunar, and she quite enjoys walking near the borders, the chill settling on her bones as she observes the results of entropy on action. Alas, duty calls, even as the Solstice Festival it's at it's apex. Robin had turned in early, as soon as Aurora had been called away for a manner relating her denizens, and had made it to the boarder between the courts with a languid step, only to be called away by one of the fluttering pixies regarding an audience with a Dusk elf whose name she does not recognize.

How curious.

Part of her training before her sacrifice to the Holt, had been to memorize the name of the survivors that had followed them to the Fey's Forest after the court fell. Hesperia is not a name she recognizes from amidst the survivors, and she wonders if she has found herself a pilgrim for her court. Perhaps Laer has finally met his match.

Snickering to herself at the thought, she makes it towards her office where the stranger awaits and opens the door to a strangely familiar presence. How curious. She had not known her by her name, but she did know the stranger before her. Robin needed a glimpse of her face to be sure, but if she is right, her Court owes the stranger for Robin's life, and she is very determined to fulfill her debts.

"Far from it, that you asked for an audience despite the festivities is telling," she comments as she moves to sit on her desk chair and gestures at the other to stop bowing. She understands the decorum, but she has never been one for it outside from formal situations. "If the matter is important, I am thankful you want to bring it to my attention sooner than later."

Date: December 17-23rd, one of the nights after the festival Location: Audele, Dusk Fields Characters: @thegoodfellow & @hidinghesperia Notes: future pumpkin wives

The first brush of winter had come to the world and yet nothing gave her sibling joy, not even the gently drifting snowflakes. Hesperia went to the Lunar Court first, if only because she had been terrified that the Lunar Chancellor would deny her 'useless' sibling any welcome. That paranoid fear had been for nothing but The Tranquil was Hesperia's priority so, with the assurance that her sibling was welcomed and being looked after, Hesperia finally headed to the Dusk Fields and to who she knew to be her new Chancellor. She remained quiet, out of the way, soft-spoken and stubbornly mysterious despite the curiousity that she could feel emanating from the other Dusk elves that, most of them, had likely never seen the common elf before. Hesperia only spoke to ask where she could to find the Chancellor and was led to wait for an audience with her. Robin, they said was her name. Young but tenacious. The other common elf had gossiped how their Chancellor had succeeded a traitor in the midst of brewing war despite never having prepared for the role. That sort of challenge would make anyone crass and so Hesperia only hoped for her and her sibling's sake that that wasn't the case. She was terrified for them. For their sake she needed to make a good impression - she needed to grovel on her knees if that's what it took.

"Chancellor," Hesperia greeted, immediately standing up as the door suddenly opened. She didn't even give herself enough time to properly look at who Robin was before the common elf inclined her head respectfully and turned her gaze downward. Hesperia was lithe and clad in dark, simple elven clothing, the sort of clothes made for lots of free movement. She had covered her hair and her ears with a equally dark scarf, if only because it had made it easier for her to sneak around that way while in the Otherworld and now it served to hide her ears from mortals. "I apologize for asking for an audience so late and during city festivities."

alekgray​:

-

“How many plants do you have within their walls?” Alek asked, he was still unsure what the extent of Robin’s influence was over the men and women that she had somehow bewitched despite The Eye’s affluent power. Their anti-magic and everything else that they were capable of. Just the same, Robin had an in and information, that the Lupo could take advantage of. Their borders were closed to the rest of Rome, the wolves and the fey had shut the world out in favour of preparing for the inevitable. “We’re trying to find where those officers are storing all that bullshit they were carrying.”

...

“One in the Roman outpost and two in the labyrinth,” Robin says simply, the number a point of pride and of annoyance. Too may little birds, and the Eye discovers them, too few and she does not get enough information. It’s a hard balance to strike, and one that took her a century to build. “There used to be a fourth amidst the hunter ranks but she pushed her luck and was branded a supernatural sympathizer.” Her fate had been to become one of her Changeling after that, the devotion she had seeded into her little birds making the former hunter unwilling to become unhelpful to her, and although she had always been hesitant of the practice, bolstering their protections has always been a priority. “I have an idea where that might be, but I shall let you know once I have confirmation.”

"Now that is an understatement," Robin mentions with a snort, eyes falling away from the tower and upon Aurora. There is no denying that the magic surrounding her had changed drastically, that there is a difference on her bearing born both from that change and whatever she had faced in the Otherworld, but she can still see one of her oldest friends on her face. "Don't tell me the frost got your tongue? You are usually far wordier on these matters," she teases, before pausing. "If it is a matter of the Winter Court and not for my ears, I shall understand."

There is a pause, as Robin deliberates on Aurora's words, lips pressed together as she is considering her response. The matters of the Holt are not to be shared with outsiders, and speaking of the most unpleasant abilities the Fall provides— specifically if bolstered by the Holt's approval — should only be kept behind close doors, on a meeting with all the Chancellors so that she might not repeat herself.

"Certain cogs have been set in place, and the result is operating smoothly," she says with a simple shrug. "Any other information on that matter, is to be left to be discussing behind closed doors and in presence of the other Chancellors and the King."

"If you mean the change within me..." There were elves all over the Otherworld, all sorts. But the Lunar Elves had gone extinct, the last remnants of her ancestors swirling in song within the White Flame. Even Davhiera, elven in his own way and once fellow winter eladrin, felt different. There were many words for how she felt in her skin: proud that her ancestors had felt her worthy in any sense, thankful to be alive, curious to this newfound strength. But lonely and confused too. More conflicting emotions too odd and difficult to explain. "Strange," Aurora instead summarized.

She looked to Robin beside her. When once they were friends, even brief lovers, being more carefree juveniles felt like a lifetime ago. Fellow Chancellors couldn't be just friends, not with business and warcraft lingering over their heads at every given moment. "Autumn has come." As such, the Autumn fey would be at their strongest and essential to the fight, even more essential now because half of the mission had failed. While the tropes had brought back power, they hadn't any of the allies that they'd sorely needed to win. "How ready are we?"

"No need to thank me for the barest of courtesies, Fire Bearer," Robin waves off his thanks as she flips through another page on her book. It had been a while since she had reacquainted herself with Laer's travels, and with the Otherworld in disarray, she thought it better to brush over the possible dangers. "Nor do you owe me anything for wanting to remember and avoid repeating the mistakes you once did." Still, she closes her book and glances at him thoughtfully. "Although, my court will not say no to a few history lessons. Our elders might have survived, but their perspective of the Elvhen Empire likely differs to yours, and it is better to know all sides to the equation."

Time: When things have cooled down Location: Audele Characters: @thegoodfellow & @prometheanpiero Notes: you're a real one

Reliving the memories that he wanted to keep tangible was not enjoyable. But he had asked for this, he had wanted them and the Dusk Chancellor had been kind of enough to let him into Audele. "Thank you, Chancellor," Prometheus murmured, coming out of the room where the elves had helped him collect his memories. "I don't ask for charity; if there's anything I can do to repay you... my mother was a dusk elf. I'd be glad to lend a hand to the new elves here."

who? @meryasek where? Laurelin, Audulë  notes: doing the randomize top songs thing and got raise hell by dorothy

"How is the wedding planning going?" She asks as she settles next to the fey'ri in one of the Laurelin's branches, offering a cluster of juicy grapes as she uses her magic to occasionally pop some of her own cluster into her mouth as she keeps her gaze wandering around the Laurelin branches and beyond, into the glimpses of the courts that they can catch through the leaves. "Did you set a date?"