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Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-19-2018
|
Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
Kalt walked with Ashe in the dark, his waterproof coat draped over her in a way that might as well have consumed her tiny frame. He had forced her to hold onto him, his own arm around her waist for balance more than anything else. Fucking lightweight. She didn’t even finish the bottle! After the first time she had gotten distracted by something mysterious and wildly interesting (it was a fucking squirrel, but she didn’t need to know that), Kalt scooped her in his arms with a slight huff. She was drunk enough to fight a god with no second thought, so the last thing he needed was her spotting something else and taking off after it. That had happened one too many times in Northwind, and he wasn’t about to deal with that bullshit here...even if it could turn out to be hilarious. His shirt was soaked through and his hair was slicked back on his head, the rain making it much darker than he ever liked. Kalt let her stand again - mostly on her own, though his arm remained around her - as he unlocked the door to his house. He brought her inside with him, kicking the door closed quietly. A comely girl with braided chestnut hair came into the room with wide eyes and a dagger gripped in her hand, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw who it was. “Apologies,” she said, flickering a smile. A nod was her first answer, as he removed his coat from around He brought her into his room and set her down on the bed, swiftly lighting a candle to give the room some illumination. Kalt knew her fear of the dark, which was his reason for telling her to close her eyes. At least if her eyes were closed, she could technically trick her mind into believing she was in control of the darkness. Pulling his soaked shirt off, he hanged it over the back of a chair and approached the bed, pulling back the feather comforter to reveal the black silk sheets. Gods, he had fucking missed them. The slightest smirk pulled at his lips, as he would help to remove Ashe’s boots and whatever else she wanted to sleep more comfortably. Kalt grabbed a book he had stolen from the Atheneum and walked around to the other side of the large bed, situating himself between the blanket and the sheets, lighting another candle on his side of the bed. He would wrap his arm around Ashe, allowing her to curl against him if she wanted, as he opened the book and slowly thumbed through the pages. As far as he was concerned, their deal still stood. He wouldn’t be sleeping that night. |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-19-2018
|
Drunk, emotionally drained, sleep deprived, and laying on sheets of silk she hadn’t felt the likes of since the Guild… Ashe was asleep before Unfortunately for the both of them, sleep had become something of an enemy to the Assassin in Blue. There was a reason she avoided it. She was ripped from her slumber with a deep and sharp inhale, unseeing eyes snapping open as she clamped down on that breath and held it. Her heart raced wildly as she she turned herself over on the bed with a quiet groan slipping through her teeth. All she could smell was the tang of iron, taste it, feel that sticky film of red that coated her hands. That held breath cracked from her chest as she tried to find her bearings, tried to figure out where that mask was now - she could feel it hovering over her shoulder. Why did it feel like she still held knives in her palms when her hands were fisting into silken sheets? Silk sheets. Hands. The assassin let out a shuddering breath when it hit her in the seconds of her waking - she didn’t know where she was. Fire-blue eyes darted wildly around the dark room she’d found herself in, flickering with candlelight in the earliest hours of dawn. Where was she? Ashe’s heart thundered and she didn’t give herself time to think about the arm around her, the warmth pressed her back. The shewolf lurched from the bed, her hands just barely catching herself on the wall as her stomach flipped over itself dangerously. She clenched her teeth and and looked for the exit - any exit, anything at all. She couldn’t hear beyond the roaring through her veins, a warped voice murmuring in her ear. Blood was hot on her hands, thick on her tongue, dripping down her chest. Window. Open door? The window was closer, she only had to dart her hand out to try for the window. Ashe’s stomach clenched and her heart plunged down when it wouldn’t budge, her eyes going wide as she resisted the urge to shatter the glass. Don’t wake anyone. Door. She snapped her eyes to the other side of the room and lunged forward, and then there were four paws thudding softly down, a black wolf leaping out of the room with a face drawn and tail tucked. She slid into the hall rapidly assessed before she propelled forward, throwing herself around a corner that brought her to where she could see the door. Exit? She needed to go, go, run. Gods she didn’t want to, but she was suddenly on two legs as she reached the door. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed for the doorknob - No. Locked. Where were her lock picks? Ashe shuddered and pressed her forehead to the door as she held her breath against the sob that tried to crack from her chest. Can’t run. There were cold gloves on her skin, hot blood between her fingers, under her fingernails, coating the back of her throat. Where was she? Where? Inside. She never slept inside. It was dark outside, where had she been? What did she last remember? Silk sheets. There’d been an arm around her. Idiot girl, something in her snarled. She braced her hand over the door as she doubled over, and she couldn’t hold back her groan as she tried to keep the contents of her stomach down. She sank down to the floor and clawed her hands into her hair, squeezing her eyes shut as she crouched against the door - like that would keep all the horrors in her head from spilling out into the world. Ashetta |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-19-2018
|
Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
He didn’t hold onto her that time. He could have...there were a few seconds between the sharp breath and her launching herself out of the bed where he could have wrapped his arm tightly around her and held her, but he chose not to. She wasn’t ready for that. She hadn’t had that in two years, and there was a good chance she would feel too trapped if he was to hold her that way. That was the last thing she needed. Instead, Kalt watched her, a knot tightening strongly in his stomach, as she practically fell against the wall. He propped himself up on his elbow, watching with an intense gaze. In Northaven, he had seen a few of the night terrors that sent her running, seen her cave in on herself either alone or with someone who didn’t know how to pull her out of it before it consumed her completely. He had to bite down a rise of anger at that thought. When he emerged into the room she was in, he frowned at the sight of her sinking to the floor with her hands in her hair and her eyes closed tightly. Silent steps brought him over to her, and he knelt beside her. Kalt didn’t wait for her to realize he was there or even who he was before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his body. He didn’t let go. She could try to escape if she wanted, but she wouldn't be strong enough to break his hold on her. He held her against his scarred chest, one hand burying into her raven locks, as he angled himself just enough to be able to hold her gaze if she opened her eyes. ”Ashe, listen to me,” he commanded with a softly firm voice. ”It isn’t real. You’re safe. I promise.” His hand left her hair, and he took hold of one of her hands, forcing her palm to lay flat over his heart, his own hand pressed over hers. ”Hold onto me, Ashe. Listen to my voice.” A tether…that’s what she needed. Something to hold onto and to hold her, to pull her back to what was real. ”You’re safe.” |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-19-2018
|
She was going to count to seven, and then she would find another way out. She trembled, and her lip was wet with the blood she'd already been tasting, and... and she just couldnt seem to make herself count. She forced the breath she'd been holding out through tight lips and a trembling chin as she opened her eyes. She looked about the old building with misted eyes - never been here before. She shot wide eyes up to the door, then scanned for another window - Her breath hitched as a familiar form moved towards her on steps silent enough that she had missed them. She pressed back against the door with sharp inhale, and her hand instinctively reached for a blade that wasn't at her hip. No, no, no, no.. Down to the cellar she would go, those dark dungeons she belonged in. Ashe's eyes darted about the familiar room until they locked on the next window. There. With chattering teeth, Ashe turned to rise and.. Kalt. She froze, and then she was being pulled into him. Her breath increased to shallow gasps with a spinning head, and she tried to slip away, to run, run, run, but she couldn't. She wanted to rip herself from her own body, and her body rippled with her desire to do exactly that: trade this body for the wolf. His command halted her however, and she became aware that she was held firmly against him, and she could feel the large X scarred over his chest. She could still feel sticky, warm red being smeared across her middle, the phantom shocks of her blade pulling across and splitting open skin. Run, every instinct roared, but his voice carried over it. She looked down to the ground with wide eyes as her hand was pressed down over his heart. You're safe. Safe. Ashe let out a heavy gasp and squeezed her eyes shut again with a deep shudder. And she obeyed. She held onto his voice, the heartbeat that thrummed powerfully under her hand, the warm skin of a bare chest under her head. It isn't real. There were no gloves of red over her hands or up her arms, no blood-slick dagger hilts in her palms or a mask waiting in the shadows. Something in her still hissed, move, run, away, away, away.. One minute or one hour, Ashe couldn't quite tell, but soon enough she was regaining her breath. Regaining some semblance of self. She blinked out into the gray light of pre-dawn, revealing more of the room she had scrambled into. She remembered now. Her wine in the rafters, Kalt insisting she come back with him.. and they had kissed up in those rafters. The small woman swallowed with a dry throat, and she leaned just lightly into Kalt, breathed him in. Here and now, right then, she was safe. When was the last time she let something like this happen, let anyone pull her back from herself? Run. That was what she did, what she had to do, because all of this pain and punishment was hers. But... this time she couldn't run. She wondered if he would have found a way to come after her if she had run after all. Ashe finally turned her head up to meet his eyes, and her brows pulled together as she pieced together her thoughts. She was at his house. She'd stayed overnight in his house. In his bed. Nothing had happened between them beyond the kisses in the temple, of that she was certain.. but between them? Sleeping in the same bed had been commonplace since she was seven years old and couldn't sleep through a night. "I'm sorry," she rasped. She looked away and brushed the side of her face across his chest, over a part of the X, and she made herself sit up - if he let her go. Her sense of calm in the wake of her night terror was chilling and not at all the impulsive wolf that ran until her legs gave out or she found something to burn her terrified energy with. She glanced at Kalt in the absolute silence of the earliest moments of the day, and her heart stumbled a moment. "I should go," she said quietly, but made no move to leave. Ashetta |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-21-2018
|
Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
He held her. For the first time in far too long, she allowed him to hold her when she was terrified. Despite her initial panic, Ashe didn’t pull away from him, instead leaning into his body, which brought him to strengthen his hold on her just slightly. He didn’t want to constrict her in anyway, but rather give her some kind of feeling of security, of safety in his arms. As she lifted her gaze to meet his, Kalt flickered a gentle smile, seeing the effect in her eyes of reality bleeding through. He had been dealing with her night terrors since she was seven years old, so even after the time apart, holding and guiding her through one was second nature to him. Her apology brought a roll of his eyes, though he waited until she had looked away to do so. Apologies... Why would she apologize for this? Why should she have even felt the need to apologize? His jaw feathered slightly at the thought, but he didn’t move, didn’t comment any more than whispering, ”don’t be.” She didn’t have to be sorry for her terrors. They were justified ten times over, and he shoved away the knowledge that he was the source of some of them. Everything done was for the sake of survival. He knew that, she knew that. The rest of the world might not understand, might not approve of what they did, but it didn’t matter. They were the ones who lived it, who survived it, so they were the only ones who got to say what was necessary or not. Kalt realized he had gotten suddenly consumed by his own thoughts when he felt he moving. His hold on her lessened, allowing her to sit up, but he didn’t take his hands off of her, the instinct to keep a reality tie against her ingrained in his mind. ’I should go.’ Go? Go where? The two assassins sat together on the floor for what felt like hours in silence, as Kalt’s eyes searched over her. She didn’t move when she said it. It was Ashe. If she had truly wanted to leave, she could have blasted his door off its hinges and disappeared into the fading darkness. But she hadn’t. No, instead she remained exactly where she was, sitting on the floor against the door while he knelt just in front of her. ”Ashe, you aren’t going anywhere,” he whispered with a gentle smile. ”You’re already home.” He drew a slow breath, casting a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure they hadn’t woken Theea. Bringing his eyes back to her, he would reach forward to brush his fingers over her cheek, before putting both hands on his knees and pushing himself to stand. ”Come back to bed,” he said, offering his hands. ”You don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to, but just come. I’ll carry you if you’d prefer that.” Kalt smirked down at her at the latter comment, but it was true. It wasn’t like it would be difficult, considering she weighed as much as a piece of parchment. |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-21-2018
|
You're already home. Ashe exhaled, and then couldn't seem to make herself breathe in as she stared at Kalt. She was utterly silent as he looked away and still had not moved when he looked back. She finally breathed in at the touch of his hand to her cheek, darting her eyes away when he stood. That wasn't right. She'd had a home, and now she didn't, and that was it wasn't it? It had felt natural to slip into the role of a vagrant, of a wolf. She flashed her eyes back up at Kalt, at his outstretched hands. Come back to bed. A shallow breath escaped through parted lips.. and she reached up, taking a gentle grip of his hands and pulled herself up to stand. Her legs trembled just barely, but she was steady as she looked up at him. "Try to carry me and you'll find yourself with new bruises, silver." The growled quip rolled off her tongue without thought, and she released him to rub her hands over her eyes, rake her fingers through her hair with a deep breath. In the pale light of pre-dawn, Ashe glanced about the room. Home. She wasn't sure what to do with that. She slept outside, found warm enough places on cold nights. Stayed moving, meager belongings all fitting into her harness bag. She hadn't slept inside a house since.. Ashe looked back at Kalt as she pulled up the loose collar of her black shirt - when did the shirt of her uniform get bigger? - and she offered the smallest hint of a smile. "Back to bed then," she said quietly. They returned back to the bedroom on ever silent feet. As they crossed through the door, Ashe paused as she eyed the bed. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she regarded the black silk sheets and luxurious comforter. Before now... when had been the last time she slept in a bed like that? She thought of her old rooms, that canopy feather bed. For all the brutality of their lives, they had lived in luxury that rivaled royalty. The assassin approached the bed and slid into the sheets, letting out a long sigh as she felt the silk under her arms and hands. She would return to her daily routine soon enough. For now.. for now she remembered what this sort of fabric felt like. She stayed warm. She laid down instead of run herself ragged in the wake of a terror. Ashe turned over slowly to look at Kalt, and her heart clenched as she met his eyes. "I can't live here Kalt," she tried to say, but her voice wavered. She glanced down and then back up to his eyes, and she had to look away when her heart leaped into an erratic rhythm. She flickered a smirk, perhaps bitterly as she went on. "People might get the wrong idea." Ashetta |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-21-2018
|
Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
There was just a hint of a downturned grin on his face, as she spat the minor threat back to him. Her fire was beyond entertaining to him, and he felt a settling reassurance at seeing it return so quickly after she had been lost in the hell her mind whipped up for her. He took a deep breath, looking over her carefully, observing each of her mannerisms and movements intently, committing them to every just like he did every time he watched her. They walked back to the bedroom, and the tips of his fingers gently lay over the small of her back, a habitual guidance from years ago that he didn’t seem capable of shaking. He only dropped his touch once they were inside. Kalt closed the door behind them and turned to see her climbing back into the bed. A smirk flickered, and he walked around to the other side and climbed into his bed with her. His brows raised slightly at her words, while his eyes remained remarkably relaxed, as though he hadn’t fully registered what she was saying. He did, but that wasn’t important right then. ”People?” He said, an undertone of disbelief in his voice. ”Since when have you ever let what people think dictate your decision making, hm?” Certainly not when they were in the Guild! Not very often when he saw her in Northaven! So, when did this bullshit about people’s opinions even begin to creep into her mind? Kalt rolled over onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows with the blanket only pulled up to his waist, exposing the scarred expanse of his back. He looked at her with a half smirk, crystalline eyes fiery with intent and with the reflection of the small flames dancing on candles. A breath escaped him that might have been a scoff, and he raised one brow. ”We’ll just simply have to prove their ideas wrong, yeah?” He asked, smirk never wavering for a moment. ”We can play games together.” The man slid just barely towards her on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. ”Could train like we used to in the Guild.” Kalt playfully pulled the sheet up and over his head, so he had to tilt his head back with a gradually widening grin to spy her from underneath the cloth. ”Hells,” he started, his one hand gliding down her arm until it rested over her hip, ”could even finally teach you how to cook. How scandalous!” His hand moved away from her hip then, and he gently touched her cheek as he lowered himself slightly over her, dangerously close to touching with his finger tracing the curve of her bottom lip. He breathed slowly and smirked, sliding carefully down the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. His fingers slid underneath the fabric of her shirt, touching the warmth of her skin, and he flashed a grin up to her, before bringing his gaze to her body near hungrily, then returning to her eyes. ”Or maybe...” he muttered, ”...we prove them right.” He leaned down, his lips trailing over her bare skin delicately with a grin up at her. |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-22-2018
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Ashe turned her gaze back over to Kalt at the sound of his voice, and she met his gaze with that ghost of a smirk still on her lips. It flickered however, and she glanced down and away once more. She had never cared before what people thought of her, of her life. "Since I realized that my decisions were hurting people," she said quietly, glancing down as something heavy settled in her rattling chest. She pulled in a deep breath and pressed her lips together, brows drawing together as she ran a splayed hand over the black silk. She glanced up again from where she lay as he moved over the bed, and her eyes briefly flickered across his back with a stutter in her heart - scars that matched hers - before he caught her gaze. The look he gave her with his scoff coaxed a breath of a laugh from her, but her smile didn't quite make it to her face. She just watched him, and she allowed herself to absorb the moment: the candlelight flickering in eyes that already sparked with heat, the bearded smirk, the way his tattoo moved when he raised his brow, the way the muscles in his shoulders tensed and moved as he drew himself closer. Ashe blinked rapidly as Kalt slid towards her. Play games. She had still been shaky with the tension of her night terror, but just then her eyes went a bit wider and she shivered outright. The amount of things that could be meant by that... She wasn't sure if it was fire or ice seeping into her veins. He drew her away from such thoughts as he went on, and she let out a weak breath with a brief roll of her eyes. They already had been training, though she hadn't known it. The thought of training like she'd had in Guild again though... She finally cracked a small smirk as Kalt drew the blanket over himself, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You mean I could kick your ass again," she snipped quietly. She knew better - he'd knocked her on her ass as often, if not more, than she did him. She didn't have reply for him as he moved his hand over her arm, calloused fingers drifting across her skin until he held her hip, and her breath wavered uncertainly. She managed a sharp glare at him however, wrinkling her nose at him.. but she would be the first to admit that had no concept of how to cook a half way decent meal. She didn't get a chance to fire back at Silver Wing whe his hand rose from her hip and up to her cheek and - Her words died in her throat as he moved over her, leaning downwards until she could feel the heat of his skin. She couldn't look away from him if she wanted to as his thumb brushed over her mouth, her lips parting at the touch. Some part of her had alarm bells ringing, telling her to roll away from him, to run, to escape these feelings she didn't have any right to feel. But the only words she could form, the only ones dancing on the tip of her tongue... She remained wholly silent with her eyes on him. Her heart strained painfully, but then he was moving down. Ashe breathed shallowly as his hands slid under the fabric of her shirt, and there was no stopping the immediate response of her hands curling into silk at the touch of his fingers over bare skin, her heart thundering powerfully in her chest. She had not been denied the touch of skin to skin in the last two years, she had certainly had it... but there was no one, not another soul, that understood what it meant. No one but him. Her throat tightened unexpectedly with a tremble in her lips, even as heat rippled from where he touched her. She stopped thinking, all that overthinking, and she focused on that touch, on the way he looked at her. So long - it had been so long. Her hands had moved to rest over his arms, her grip feathering a touch tighter as his eyes roamed over her. Maybe we prove them right. Everything within her suddenly flared with fire, heat flushing her and coloring her chest, her cheeks, and her eyes widened on him. She inhaled a sharp breath as his head dipped down. She felt his lips drag over her skin, and her fingertip pressed down into his arms as everything in her dissolved and flared at the same time. A thousand things and absolutely nothing flooded her thoughts all at once as sense seemed to abandon her - there was only Kalt and his mouth grazing the sensitive skin of her midriff. She didn't take her eyes off of him, and gods, she tried to stop it, tried to maintain herself, but her hips moved under him as her chest rose and fell deeply. Wrong, this is wrong. Why was it wrong? There was no Master to catch them. No restrains other than her own deep sense of worthlessness. Her eyes fell shut briefly at his breath on her skin, a small sound very nearly escaping her at the brush of his beard that just barely tickled. "Kalt..." she murmured in a barely audible voice - and though his name was meant to come out as a warning, it tasted like a plea. Ashetta |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-22-2018
|
Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
A slow grin - a devious one that she would absolutely recognize - spread on his lips In response to the sudden flush of color on her cheeks. Even in the dim light, he was keenly in tune with her reactions to his stimulation. Why shouldn’t he be? Her reactions, learning her in every tiny way possible was largely what kept him so eager to keep coming back. Her satisfaction and motions... That was the motivation. Her fingers dug tighter into his arms, and his own grip on her petite form tightened just slightly. As soon as her hips started moving beneath him... He just... Good gods, he fucking wanted her. He felt his own body warming, and he had to focus so hard on keeping his desire under control, focus on the intensity of blood flow and where it was flowing. His lip twitched just barely, as his grin made another appearance. Her movements... The way her chest was moving... His name on her lips... Kalt’s hands moved down her sides, his fingertips digging into the top of her pants, carefully moving to inch them down her fucking perfect body. His lips followed along the hem of her pants, and he moved her leg to the other side of his body, so that he was lying between her legs. Before the fun really started, there was a soft knock on the door, then the sound on the knob clicking and the door opening. Kalt closed his eyes with a slow exhale, as a small voice asked, “papa?” The assassin opened his eyes once again, finding Ashe’s gaze with a dissatisfied grin, leaning down and nipping her exposed skin with a breath that could have been low growl. At that very moment, he was seriously reconsidering his willingness to take part in the fatherhood lifestyle. The blanket was whipped off of his head, and he cast a smile over to the little girl in the doorway. ”What’s up, kiddo?” He asked. Theea complained of a nightmare, and Kalt gave her a small grin, looking at Ashe for a moment. Then, his arm extended to the wide-eyed toddler, who proceeded to run over and climb onto the bed. The man chuckled breathily, wrapping his arm around her as soon as she plopped in his lap, and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. ”Remember what I tell you about bad dreams?” He asked her, looking at the girl and combing her dark hair back, as she shook her head. ”They’re stories, like the ones papa tells you before you go to sleep. The heroes of the stories will always protect you from the bad guys in your bad dreams, okay?” He just smiled when Theea nodded and crawled off of him, and he knew she wasn’t actually listening. Oh well. ”Ashe, she’s gonna hang out with us. What do you think?” He smiled at |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-23-2018
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Ashe watched that grin pull slowly at his lips, and her heart plunged over a cliff it had been carefully balanced on. Rapidly her tension was dissolving under his hands that dragged down her sides. Her back arched just barely, almost involuntarily, as Gods, she was going to go up in flames, burst apart into a scattering of lightning, dissolve into nothing at all. He moved so slowly, and she bit back the hiss of frustration. Five hells, between his mouth moving lower on her skin and the silk sheets all around them, nothing but candlelight flickering over them... Her lips parted with a soft gasp as her leg was effortlessly moved to the other side of him, and heat throbbed at her center with the sight of him between her legs. It was just them, and she was seventeen again, and there were words dancing on the tip of her tongue, gods, she needed - The sound of the door opening turned her blood to ice as a surge of panic hit her - caught. But then there was a soft voice that sounded. Papa? Ashe felt Kalt's slow breath, and she shut her eyes for a brief moment. His daughter. Ashe opened her eyes to look down at Kalt, and she felt herself nearly smile in return. A sharp breath hissed from her as his teeth over her exposed stomach sent a shock through her, his growl of frustration sparking in her, and then he flung the blanket off of himself and her to address his daughter. With a brief glance at the little dark haired girl at the door, Ashe lay her head back and rested her arm loosely over her forehead, staring up at the ceiling. She was gritting her teeth as she calmed the roaring in her veins that was steadily shredding through her self control. That gods-damned mouth of his. Shit. She was in such deep, unending shit. Ashe huffed a deep breath and pushed herself up so she sat half against the wall, adjusting her pants back to their original place just under navel and fixed her shirt. She was willing the flush from her skin as she watched the little girl climb into Kalt's lap with unwavering eyes, and an old ache flared in her chest. He was soothing away her nightmare, but it seemed just being held had been enough for her - her mind was moving on before he'd even finished telling her not to be afraid. The little girl clambered from his arms and onto the bed, and the assassin watched her warmly. Still, she could hardly believe he had a daughter, and she tried not to think too hard about it. For her sake, for his sake, she didn't want to go down that road. Her eyes flashed up to Kalt then, and she nearly froze. She blinked a few times and glanced at the toddler on the bed, then back to him. I should go. But she knew the reply waiting for her - that this was home. "I... uh, yeah. Okay," she said uncertainly. Her heart beat quickly, and she looked down just in time to see wide, baby blue eyes staring up at her. "I hadda bad dream," she said in a grave, small voice. Ashe adjusted herself to sit up and cross her legs under her. "I heard," she said back with a nod. "You don't seem so scared though. You must be real brave." The little girl tried to hide her smile as she looked down shyly, grabbing at the silk top sheet and pulling it over her. She squirmed at it until she apparently pulled it properly over one of her legs. "Yeeaah, I am," was all she replied without looking up. Ashe smirked with amusement as the little girl looked back up and haphazardly pushed wisps of black hair from her face. "What's your name?" Ashetta |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-24-2018
|
Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
Watching her carefully, observing the interaction between ”She’s very brave,” Kalt muttered, brushing the toddler’s hair away from her face with the tips of his fingers, looking at her softly. ”Takes after her momma.” He flashed a crooked grin at Ashe, then returning his gaze to his daughter. His daughter. He wasn’t sure if he would ever really get used to saying that, to hear her calling him papa. Never had he truly imagined that he would have this kind of life, a domestic side. The thought was laughable once upon a time. When Ashe asked for the little girl’s name, the man felt his muscles tense for just a moment, his heart pick up pace slightly. Theea. The realization would mean something to Ashe, really mean something, and Kalt wasn’t sure that she knew what she was asking. He wasn’t sure if she was really ready to walk through the door she had just opened, but there was no stopping it. If he denied her the little girl’s identity, it could only drive her away. The toddler looked back at Kalt with cautious eyes, and he gave her a gentle smile, silently telling her it was okay. “Star,” the little girl said. Kalt nearly flopped over to his side with a laugh. Instead, he leaned forward, rubbing his hand over his face with a gentle pinch to his eyes. ”That’s your nickname,” he said, glancing over to her with a quirked brow and a look of ’quit messing around’ in his eyes. The little girl squirmed slightly with a smile and scrunched nose, clasping her hands together and lifting her shoulders. “Theea,” she finally said, bright eyes looking at Ashe. There was a silence following, as Theea once again began readjusting the sheet over her to her liking, and Kalt brought his gaze back over to Ashe. ”You remember Theea, Ashe?” He smiled at her, almost if he was waiting for it to click in her mind. He didn’t expect it immediately, didn’t expect her to instantly realize that the three-year-old girl sitting between them was the baby they had taken care of in the Keep years ago. Ashe didn’t know what happened to Theea, but it would have been a safe guess that Master had killed her. He would have. He ordered Kalt to kill her, but clearly Silver Wing’s defiance was part of him that ran deep in his veins. The fact that Theea was alive and healthy was evidence of that. Now, Ashe’s reaction to the news would make the difference between talking in front of Theea or Kalt making up an excuse to excuse himself and Ashe from the room for some privacy. |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-24-2018
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Ashe glanced at Kalt and his crooked grin at the mention of the girl's mother, and she held his gaze before finally looking back at his daughter. Who was her mother? What had happened to her? She couldn't help it - the wondering. Kalt knew everything of how she had moved on from the heartbreak - first her infatuation with Jasper and engagement to him and... and Alistair. If he had been in Northaven, he certainly knew about her relationship with him. So what right did she have to be concerned over the woman that was the mother to his daughter? Star. Ashe finally smirked again, looking between the pair as he identified her nickname. She didn’t know why that didn’t surprise her any, but she thought it was fitting as she looked down at the wriggling little girl. It was bright as she turned to look up at Ashe with her name - The whole world jerked to a halt. Theea. Her name was Theea. Ashe’s breath left her all at once as her chest caved inwards, and she stared at the little girl. She stared, and stared, and all she could hear was her blood roaring in her ears. He named his daughter after her, came the distant thought. She had told only one person about Theea before, and it was briefly to Alistair. She’d never brought it up again after he had that clarification on what happened to her back. She never told anyone how much she loved the baby she had worked so hard to protect. Had failed to protect. Ashe began to tremble. Her eyes turned up to look at Kalt as he spoke, her eyes wide. ’You remember Theea, Ashe?’ She couldn’t breathe. She had told Alistair she didn’t know what happened to Theea, had never found out the truth, but she did - she had known. Theea was gone. Gone. But… She turned her eyes back down to her, to that little dark-haired girl that was exactly the right age, whos features could be placed with that infant now that she looked, really looked. She couldn’t make herself inhale as she took in the slope of her nose, the roundness of her eyes, the delicately arched brows and high cheekbones… The scars on her back were the mark of her greatest failure… and here she was. Gods. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t make her lungs work, and her head was spinning as she watched the little girl begin talking to no one in particular, her little voice saying something about a soft cody, tiny hands arranging the silk sheet. Entirely unaware of the assassin that was crumbling into a void as she watched her. Can’t breathe. She had grown. She thought of Theea, and she saw the soft face of a four month old little baby, eyes locked on her with uncoordinated arms and a bright smile she had just learned how to make. Ashe’s teeth were clenched as her entire body seemed to shake. Her greatest failure. Of everything she had done, all the horrible, terrible things she had done, losing her Theea would always be the worst. She had more than deserved those three weeks in the pit, the lashes to her back she had lost count of, the five weeks of torment that followed. With blackness rimming her vision, Ashe suddenly pushed herself from the bed. Her leg nearly buckled when she stood as the room pitched, but she didn’t look back, couldn’t. She didn’t know what Theea would think - gods, Theea - but she made it out the door. Can’t breathe, can’t breathe, can’t breathe. She stopped and stood on shaking legs in the hallway. Her hands clawed into her hair as she stared at the ground, shoulders curling inwards as she tried to make her chest work, but she could not breathe. Theea was alive. Ashetta |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Kalt - 12-25-2018
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Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.
Kalt watched her carefully when the girl’s name was revealed. He watched her expressive eyes widen and freeze, her breathing seem to stop and trip over itself at the same time. He watched her start to shudder at the sound of the name she had likely tried so hard to forget. There was a piece of him that regretted allowing them to be introduced so soon. As he looked at the way Ashe practically flew out of the bed, making Theea jump slightly in shock and bringing a sharp huff to Kalt. Wide eyes looked up at him, and the man stood up, rubbing the toddler’s back once. ”Theea, stay in here,” he directed. ”Papa’s gonna go talk to Ashe.” The girl simply nodded and flopped onto her back with a giggle at the way the sheets floated for a moment under her falling weight. He briskly made his way out of the room, clicking the door closed behind him. Kalt released a slow breath through his nose, brows furrowing in an empathetic manner, rather than a disapproving one. Ashe remained on her feet - a good sign for her mental status - in the hall, as her hands raked into her hair. Slowly, he walked up behind her, but she likely would’ve known he was coming after her, especially once the door had clicked. ”Ashe,” he said quietly, stopping and putting his hands firmly and gently on both of her arms. He would carefully encourage her to turn, and if she allowed it, would hold her against him. Unlike when she was in the midst of a night terror, he didn’t force her against him. This time, she didn’t need a tether to reality. She had been thrown too far into reality too quickly, so he was simply giving her a place to curl safely. When she was with him, she was safe. Even if she didn’t consciously remember that, a part of her would always recognize that feeling. He combed her hair back, moving her hands from the raven locks. ”Breathe with me,” he said quietly, drawing elongated breaths, deeper than he needed, but enough that she would be able to stabilize herself to some degree. Kalt smiles at her gently. ”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you back in Northwind, but I couldn’t risk it. Master had found out once. If he discovered her again...” His heart started racing, red creeping into his vision. Theea was his daughter. Master may have had a blood connection to the little girl, but Kalt put in the blood, sweat, and tears (sometimes all at once) to keep her safe and to raise her. To think of that masked fuck taking her from him... He refocused himself, looking at Ashe and drawing a breath mostly for himself that time. ”Are you okay?” He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted her to speak, to tell him what was going through her mind. |
RE: Shattered Windows, Broken Locks - Ashetta - 12-25-2018
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Her chest was starting to hurt with the way the muscles clenched, but she barely registered it, barely noticed her nails digging into her head. She was right there in the other room. She heard the door click shut, and her eyes squeezed shut with it. How often had Ashe refused to even hold a child because of how she had failed? How many times had she woken up with sound of a baby crying and cutting off sharply? She refused to have children, had worn a charm against it for a year and a half, because she had gotten Theea - She knew he would come, but she still flinched sharply at the touch to her shoulders. Her skin felt too sensitive, and everything was too dark, too loud, too much, and she couldn’t breathe... but she let him turn her, draw her into him. Her whole body shook, and it took her a moment to understand that Kalt was holding her. Still she couldn’t inhale, but she folded against him and pressed her head against his chest as she shuddered. She finally opened her eyes when he moved her hands, moved her hair, and she turned her face into his chest with her lips parted. Still struggling for breath until.. she felt his deep inhale, heard his instruction. Ashe felt some barrier crack, and she gasped with a sharp and heavy gulp of air. The moment her lungs filled, she she held it nearly on instinct. Theea is alive. She listened to Kalt's apology, and she had to focus on her lungs again. Her breath halted and skipped and stuttered as she tried to breathe around this twisting thing in her chest. She understood why he didn't tell her, gods, of course she did. She had nearly gotten Theea.. she had.. gods, if Kalt had told her, how long would it have taken Master to find out again? Ashe couldn't be trusted. To this day, she still didn't know how Master had caught her, and would likely never know. She had turned over everything in her head an infinite amount of times and ways - she still didn't know where it was she fucked up. She felt his heart race, and she finally made herself look up at him with wide eyes. ’Are you okay?’ Her brows pulled together as she pressed her trembling lips together, and with glistening eyes she shook her head. Fuck, she couldn't even pretend, couldn’t find the will to lie. Not with Theea right in the other room. Not when near every night terror she had included that pit, that whip, the weeks after, and the silence following a baby's screams. She turned her eyes to the shut door, and it took everything in her not to rush back into that room, to hold her, smell her, look at her and hear her speak and watch her think and act and smile and live. She barely swallowed back the sob, thinking of how small she had been, how she fit in just one of Ashe's arms. Ashe turned to look up at Kalt then with her racing heart and tear-filled eyes. ”She's okay,” she choked out, and her voice cracked. She looked down and squeezed her eyes shut, tried to hold her breath and shove it down, but Theea was okay. Better than okay. The sob burst from her chest, and then her shoulders were shaking with the force of tears that refused to be held back. Ashe caved in on herself, leaning into Kalt without thought, a single hand rising over her lips as she fell apart entirely. Ashetta |