Who? @wadecalhoun

"Love happens when you are not looking, so I have decided to leave it up to the Fates." There is a quick of her head, acknowledging that it is her duty as well, to have children. However, she does not see the appeal of single parenthood, and she is still working to get a handle of her duties, trying to erase Fen'harel's legacy. For now, children cannot be her priority, so she will leave it to her court to increase their population. "When it is time for me to have my own, I will come for you, but it will not be happening anytime soon, I believe."

✿*° ‘° ･

Of course, Zahrya could speak endlessly on his own children. They were miracles, truly special in ways no others have been probably since his birth, but he learned how to not be so selfish in his joys. His eyes glimmered not just for spring any longer, but for the dawn as a whole. Nature had its cycles but moved ever forward for all living things. "And what of you, Chancellor? Have you opened your heart to the possibility of love? Or will duty be your deciding factor? In either case, a partner worthy of your power will yield the ripest fruit. And of course, I will be there every step of the way to ensure proper fertilization occurs," he giggles.

thegoodfellow​:

…

When he stumbles, seemingly collapses unto himself and leaves it doesn’t surprise her, but it does shatter what is left of the faith she held for her once-favorite hunter. It is such a small thing that does it, the way he hesitates, the way he almost reaches back, the way he almost seems sorry — But despite it all, despite the hesitation, despite the countless times she had saved him, he leaves. He heeds her warning and weighs his life against hers, and decides his is worth more, every time. Faith is such a funny sentiment, capable of withstanding the worst of storms and shattering at a single look. Robin had believed in Wade, had believed that he saw her as more than the means to an end, more than a convenient relationship to use and then discard.

She had believed them friends, had given him the gift of her friendship and loyalty when she rarely bestowed it to any human, and he had repaid her with the same sort of fire and brimstone the demon he so fears had offered him. It would be ironic if it wasn’t so fucking infuriating.

“With friends like these, who needs enemies,” she mumbles, coughs out through the pain, blood staining the back of her teeth as she looks at the hunters that had remained and smiles like a predator, for what are they but New Rome’s guardian’s prey? She feels them coming as she levels a look at the hunters before her, knows that their judgment day is closer than they would like and the mean-spirited part of her relishes at this information. There might be a sense of unique understanding and empathy for humanity that Robin holds on her chest, but she is not less of a fey because of it. They are a fickle capricious sort, her people, and she has never been shy about her determination to see the Eye burn. Wade has confirmed her suspicions, and she has granted him one last kindness.

Next time, the one bleeding for his mistakes will be him.

She has no need to retaliate against the hunters that remain, though, not when she only has to look to the side to see a changeling emerging from the fog to deliver their fate to them. Instead, she focuses on her song to slow down the blood flow enough to stand up and hobble deeper into the forest. The blade had been iron and properly cured, not impossible to heal but something she would feel much more confident healing with someone else present. Carefully, she limps away from the clearing where the curtain of her friendship with Wade had fallen, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood and hoping that she will find someone to join her in a healing song sooner rather than later.

          Hours had passed since Wade had been given the leverage to abandon Robin to her fate. The fey had built a new community to themselves to be salvaged from Rome’s watchful eye and Wade had destroyed that for Robin, inadvertently. He’d had never wished for something like this to transpire, but it seemed his affiliation with the Eye would only force it to be an inevitable. A choice he would have to make no matter the friendship sprouted with the autumnal fey; a choice had to be made or Wade’s personal vendetta would be lost to connections severed. The Eye was a necessary evil to him a means to a fateful end that was vital to him. He was just a mere and measly human, supplemented with natural brawn, but he was human and even brute musculature could not protect him from the evils that awaited him in the night. The Eye allowed him safe passage as his itinerary was customized with necessary tools to defeat said evils. He had made a choice and though it seemed important in the moment, it still felt wrong as he agonized any way to see that Robin had escaped.

He’s unsure of why he’s still allowed access through the fog, expects it to claim him forever but Wade finds his way through to the scene of trauma. Blood is spattered on the ground and he’s certain it has to be Robin’s considering the fatal amount and his stomach churns at the reminder. She’s nowhere to be seen and he tries to find a sliver of positivity in such factor but feels queasy as the metallic scent of blood pervades his senses. There’s this screech that’s chilling, it resounds like a bestial creature that certainly has to be a changeling. He can’t stay not unless he’d like to repay his betrayal with his own life and so Wade crosses the threshold out of New Rome once more certain that he’ll never be allowed to return again.

END.

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

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

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

Thank the Gods the Chancellor was understanding, hopefully as welcoming as the Lunar Chancellor had been to her sibling. But her train of thought abruptly derailed as the cadence of the woman's voice finally hit Hesperia and filled her with a sense of familiarity. Hesperia looked up, straightening slowly as the Chancellor gestured for her to stand. But her eyes and her concentration centered on the familiarity of her face, no longer obscured so much by the dark and gloom of the Otherworld.

It was a fleeting moment, one of darkness and chaos that had enveloped them both. Hesperia was practiced in evasion and hiding, an expert in caring for herself and for her sibling in the worst parts of the Otherworld. There were moments, however, when the path was made clear to her and she knew it would be a particularly difficult one. The Tranquil would be left bound, silent and hidden in a place Hesperia that picked out and enchanted for brief periods of time while the autumn fey went on to scout the trail. Monsters would be dispatched or their presense noted so she could avoid them with her sibling. On one of those very scouting nights she remembered the sensation of nearby fey magic, something she hadn't felt in so long. Hesperia avoided confrontation with the creatures of the Otherworld, if only because she was often not strong enough to dispatch them on her own. So she knew how to evade them but clearly this other fey hadn't been so knowing or so lucky. Hesperia remembered following the trail of bodies left behind of other creatures when finally the sight of her fellow fey came to view, a noble exhausted to the end of her energy by the creatures that had kept finding her.

"You," she blurts out before she could stop herself. What happened to her decorum? Far too long spent away from the Court of the fey. Hesperia's gaze falters with embarrassment from the outburst before she looks back up at Chancellor Robin. "I- I've seen you once, Chancellor. I don't know if you remember... The circumstances weren't ideal."

"Well, I hope that you have found some peace in your travels. The gods know that I did as I transversed the Otherworld," Robin comments kindly as she steps back from his embrace, missing the lingering warmth already. "I realize you have had a difficult time, even aside the Court Politics," funnily enough, she does not remember the troubles, merely that they are some. "So I am here for anything you need, truly. It is my duty, and my pleasure, to ensure your safety and happiness." Her expression remains vacantly pleasant when he asks for the others, the magic from the satyr's preventing the truth from spilling forth from her lips as she does not remember the truth. "Things are quiet, what with Yavie and Farenduil having joined the troupe, but aside from that, the others are well."

Pure melancholy overcame him. Today's festivities weren't normal. Sure, nothing within Rome really was, but a part of him remained cautious. Some of his cautiousness faded while he was with Robin, however. Knowing she was save and well meant more to him than any suspicions. He'd have to investigate on a later date. "I'm so glad to hear that," he removed himself from her then, though both his hands remained on her shoulders. "I feel... fine. I do. I've been here and there for the most part," all vague answers to questions that prompted a more detailed answer. An answer he wasn't willing to give just yet, "things have been complicated, to say the least. I just had to go," the last sentence was a mere whisper, with Rhovanor choking on his own tears. His face remained somewhat stoic as he fought with his emotions. "How are the others? I hope everyone's doing well, even without me. Because.. you need to move on."

chancellorxlaer​:

-

The fey were clairvoyant, knowing who to trust and how was all but woven into their nature, still, it was not impossible for them to be deceived. Deception, however, was typically their game. Laer knew, he’d employed it countless times before. Robin looked like a frail and broken thing, hollowed eyes and worry laced her words, it was… Uncomfortable. She was a chancellor now, strength was what her people needed more than anything - what all the fey needed. One weak link reflected poorly on all of them, if there was something he could do to dispel this worry then he would do it. 

“Our judgement isn’t infallible.” Laer offered, “What did this betrayal really cost you?” The chancellor asked in an attempt to ascertain the depth and breadth of her relationship with the individual who betrayed them. Fey, as it happened, were especially skilled when it came to vengeance. The magic that bloomed within them was enough to blanket this city, this forest was a focal point and anyone with intuition could feel how Zahrya had embedded it with the very nature of their being. Blood magic that Laer had affectionately steered him towards, after all, it wasn’t without its uses. 

...

“A gut wound, an iron-made scar and a great deal of the empathy I set aside for humanity,” Robin admits, a near sardonic smile on her lips as she speaks. She is more than aware of her own predilection for humans, knows that her young age had given her a kinder perspective of them as she had not experience the same violence towards their kind that the older generations had. She knows that all things considered, she had been more understanding of humanity than many other eladrin, knows despite the new jaded certainty sitting on her chest, she is likely to remind kinder still. It’s her better nature, but as any eladrin that is not the only thing that she is. “I had a project of sorts, a human that hunted demons for revenge for what they did to his family, and I saw myself on him in a way. That blinded me to his cowardice and lack of principles.”

The truth is simple, at the end of the day. Robin had seen herself on Wade, desperate to avenge the lost of a loved one, and because of that, had been willing to help him. Willing to love him as a friend, because she had trusted him as one trusts those they believe they understand, those they believe to be alike them. What Robin had failed to see was that Wade lacked the strength of character to be anything but a lamb. Well, if that if he was so very willing to betray her for puny convictions, she would need not hesitate any longer. He is a lamb, and one she would gladly lead to a slaughter

“The good news is that now I have a stronger link leading back to the Eye, and little compunctions on exploiting it,” she offers, slowly. It still weights on her, the care she held for Wade, but her people always came first, and now that the little archer is a threat, she will spare him from her anger no longer.

"Lying suits you well, does it not?" There is no judgment on her voice, overfilled with amusement as it is. It is rather hilarious, that once given the ability to bend the truth and outright twist it, Farenduil had taken to it like a otter to water. Convenient, in a way, as his status as a former fey might endanger him and the ability to lie might save him. "It's good for you to admit as much, the first step for growth is always self-acknowledgment," she says with a sly grin and a shrug. "There is only way to go from here is forward. Any thoughts on what you would like to do?"

"I appreciate you trying to spice up my love life," He doesn't, not really, and yet he's terribly amused that there are those that seem semi-involved. After everything that had transpired the last year, the concept of dating should be a breeze. It's not, not because he didn't think it was very apparent between the two of them that there was something there, but because where did they go from here? Maybe he'd have to consult with Yavie, maybe Hayliel even. "What I need is to find something to do that's now wandering the house." He points out, thinking of Micah with his job at the herb place, that would be something.

edeliexii​:

        It’s a troubling situation across the board. Èdelie predicts things will likely become more gruesome as time progresses. While fairly new to all things fey, making the decision to try and destroy the crystal was the right thing to do. The plight she’s beginning to embrace is enough for her to shut down, gnawing at her lesser lip in response to Robin’s recommendation. “I don’t know,” she grumbled under her breath, agitated at the image of her engaging in conflict. “There has to be something we can do where self-defense isn’t necessary. I love… us; I love being a fey, and I’m undoubtedly hurt by what transpired, but this is too much to bear.” And it’s too much to process in such a short amount of time, pondering upon what she can do to help ease the situation. “It’s not my livelihood I have to take into consideration, it’s others I truly care about that need protecting. The question is if doing this is worth it.” Èdelie could promptly evaluation the necessary behavioral decision, imploring the risk factors of it all.

...

“I am afraid that it might be impossible to remain in the sidelines,” the words are delivered grimly, lips pressed together into a tight smile as her eyes wander away from the young eladrin. Words form and reform on her mind as the tries to encapsulate the true weight of what they are confronting without scaring the poor dear. Life has never been a fairy tale, and she knows Èdelie is aware of the fact. Robin doesn’t know, however, how well she understands the events on the horizon. Most mortals do not, and she was a mortal a mere months ago. It is heartwarming to see her resolve to help others, her resolve to protect and yet. “Unfortunately dear, it is our livelihood that you should take into consideration. Rome is besieged by enemies, yes, and everyone is at risk, but as an eladrin you are doubly so. Our kind is being hunted as we speak, and while we are setting up our own hunting party to counterattack this, that does not take away the risk for us. “

There is no sign of nervousness as she speaks, even though she would very much like to fidget. Instead, she tilts her head in consideration.

“And truly, Èdelie, we are at the precipice of war with multiple parties, I would dare to say that we are not doing enough, rather than we are doing too much,” the words are grim, but she cannot deny the truth to the young fey,  not when she is struggling to make a vital choice. “So to answer your question, the answer is yes. It is worth it.”

Ambrose & Prudence in “Lupercalia”

who? @arastirmacii where? near the gladiator contest

Robin had been unable to look away from the gladiator contest since it had started, too delighted by the sheer violence of the fistfight to look away. There is something rather fascinating about the raw violence within the bodies of these twinks, and how even with it they are nothing in comparison to the human woman's anger. It is rather stunning, so she walks up to her after the event, not acknowledging the niggling feeling that there was something that wasn't quite right.

"Congratulations, you did very well in comparison to everyone else."

TATI GABRIELLE 94th Annual Academy Awards March 27, 2022 — Los Angeles, California