shadyinfo

[shadyinfo]

No birds, not a single shadow in sight from the sky she had fixated herself upon on. There was nothing but abyss in this place, an endless ocean that threatened to submurge her for all that was left. She swore that she was hearing another one's heartbeat, inching closer and closer. How she wished to have turned around sooner, for as soon as she chose to face them, the ocean dyed itself black, shrouding her in night once more.

Still, in the same position she had been left in, she kneels before an absent god. If a god did exist however, he must have sold her to the devil for nothing. It was cold in this place, but even more so now. Something was terribly wrong, all too silent, save for the shallow breath behind her. All it does is evoke more tears from her eyes, awaiting punishment to strike her down from her spine and snap her into pieces.

With a pathetic whimper, Irina whispered. "I couldn't leave you alone there." In all her wit and might, the criminal does not understand why those exact words left her lips. Whatever vague pain in her chest that lingered, it was now discarded in favor of the alarm she felt when she realized that the ocean was gone, and so was her room. Death was there, watching her. Watching her. Watching her.

@shadyinfo || cont.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌,     stretching  for  countless  miles  beneath  the  monochrome  sky,  but  envy’s  eyes  are  solely  drawn  to  the  young  woman  ahead.  she  is  undeniably  beautiful,  even  from  behind,  with  the  sort  of  features  that  may  only  ever  be  found  in  fairy-tales  or  forgotten  portraits.  he  imagines  that  she  must  be  at  least  twenty,  judging  by  the  velvety  tone   &   the  moon-kissed  hair  that  crowns  her  petite  shoulders.

it’s  intriguing.   envy’s  mouth  slowly  opens,  his  lips  preparing  to  curve  around  the  words  but  the  much  needed  answer  abandons  them.   how  does  anyone  even  begin  to  explain  the  obvious...?  how  should  he  react  to  a  stranger  sitting  on  the  floor  in  his  own  home?   momentarily  halted  by  that   trail  of  thought,  the  young  serial  killer  looms  within  the  living  room  entrance   ──   hiding  a  butterfly-knife  against  own  thigh.

           ❝      . . . . .     ❞

why...  won’t  she  turn?  better  yet,  who  is  she...?  unable  to  grasp  at  any  reasonable  explanation,  envy  budges  from  his  spot  in  the  dark   &   closes  in,  slowly,  stopping  right  before  the  young  woman  whose  smile  glistens  with  tears.  it  catches  the  young  serial  killer  off-guard  for  a  second.  of  all  possible  expressions,  this  certainly  doesn’t  match  the  one  in  mind   &   yet,  in  some  strange,  inexplicable  way,  envy  cannot  help  but  feel  more   &   more  intrigued  as  time  passes.   ❝     why...   are  you  crying?     ❞   so  he  mutters,  for  once,  withholding  own  questions  for  a  moment. 

#ic ; irina #s-talking #;ah how i missed this! #;and she misses him too!

[shadyinfo]

@abrasife in response to this

Almost immediately after Keith had posed the question, the dark haired man answered in lightning speed. He didn't even think of the sort of relationship that Keith and Reanne had, but after years of being the resident playboy, Alex knew better than to play off her friend with a sleazy excuse. "I like her, I still do." Bluntly, he nodded and shifted his weight onto his foot as he began to repack the plushies into his bag. "I'm using Valentine's Day as an excuse to let her know that." Once he had finished, he tucked his hands into his pockets.

With a hint of sincerity, he met Keith's eyes. "She's a good friend and I want to treat her as such. I only want her to be happy." He murmured thoughtfully before clearing his throat. "—but I'm shooting my shot here. Any man would be lucky to be the one to catch her eye, and I'm only one of the thousand who look her way."

#abrasife #ic ; alex

[shadyinfo]

@abrasife i have funny thing

"Pardon my staring, but I can't help it. You had a face that I swore I have seen before." It was almost nostalgic to spot that dark red hair poking from the side. He looked average at most, and Mikel does not pay mind to those who cannot catch his eye. He has met models, artists, a celebrity or two, but he has never seen this boy before. Icey blue eyes scanned him up and down, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Mikel swears that he has never seen this boy before, but there was a pang in his chest. It was the same feeling he had when he met that silver-haired man, more alike to that sensation when he met her again. A quiet-like pain crawled all over his skin, and it only tugged him towards this young stranger.

"Forgive me! Where are my manners? My name is Mikel, and I moved into the neighborhood last week! Pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

#abrasife #ic ; genevieve #; i did get your asks! i'll get to them eventually! #;but in the small free time i have #;i had this horrid idea LOL #ic ; mikel #;i do think mikel and randel have reuinted by this point too?

[shadyinfo]

Sinister would be the last word that would ever come into mind whenever she meets his gaze. Even when the pounding in her head is demanding and threatening to split her head in half, Eve had long muted away that twisted desire to dissect and ruin him. Whatever comfort he found from her hollow cold body, she returned with the same intensity. She holds him with such care and grace, as if he were a flask holding something so dangerous and poisonous. The scientist patiently listened to his stammers, holding in her piqued curiosity and confusion. A part of her wished to stay confused, more so that the curiosity can be quelled. That desire to know more, it chips away at her self-control and kindness. Crane deserved more than that bare minimum, but he deserved the comfort of someone who never had such malicious thoughts. Crawling fingers traced over his back, her heart pounding from the absolute dizziness caused by his touch. Still does the scientist wonder why he touches her, why he yearned for her warmth.

“ Is that what you wish for? ” For me to remain as myself, as I am before you? She murmured, eyebrows furrowed with concern. Even with his confession, all she sees is Crane. With a heavy sigh, she heaved forward and held him closely, folding him into her frame in an attempt to shield him from the outside world. The ache in her chest, she wondered why it was there to begin with. It pained her to know that for all the knowledge she had about this world, she cannot help the one she cared about most. 

“ ... and even if you were to change, I will always be here to stay. Whatever you become, I will forever remain here for you to return to. Even if this very union is sin itself. ” Eve vowed impulsively, refusing to acknowledge that heart alone cannot save them both.

“ I won’t lose you. I refuse to let that happen without trying. ”

Eve will find her way back into that forbidden garden somehow— build it from the ground up once more, and turn it into a paradise where he and her could rest for all of time. 

♙.  shadyinfo​

Touches from him were not different from shots of ecstasy; addicting yet something she mustn’t actively want. Even after becoming long accustomed to them, Eve had the restraint to maintain a blank expression, arms limp at her side with confusion. She let him pull her closer, moving along with the waves of contact until her body melds into his own. There wasn’t a fight put up, and all she could do is bask onto this warmth. The scientist had always imagined being held like this would be suffocating, and in theory, it still did. Even so, she had no motive to pull away when she enjoyed this feeling of being constricted yet safe altogether. When it came from this man, things were always so different and that very thought alone drove her mad. 

Palms pressed flat against his chest, they extended forward to his shoulders and ensnared him in return. It was natural for such gestures to be returned. This was the only comfort she could give him when her very soul was cold to the bone. Eve held him closely, too close to the point they may be mistaken as one. It was warm, discomfortingly so but badly did she want to drown in it. Hidden behind angelic wings, the scientist rested her forehead against his chest, holding her breath as she heard her name leave his lips. 

“ … I don’t think I’m the first of myself to exist. ”

Unbeknownst to the fallen angel, the scientist’s lips twitched into a wide crazed grin, pupils constricted with maddening ecstasy. It took everything in her will to keep herself from bursting into crazed laughter, a reaction towards the bitter irony that surrounded them both. Fate was a cruel mistress, and this might be one of her finest works. It was too perfect to be a coincidence; not one, but two false players. 

That cruel grin of hers twists into a frown made up of clenched teeth and promise. “ That doesn’t change anything— doesn’t change what I think of you. ” The words left her in a quiet sigh, accompanied with the way her fingers trail and entangle themselves into his hair. It wasn’t a lie, but perhaps, it may not be the truth either. She still saw him as her friend, but seeing him as something otherworldly and less ordinary had become much more different. It was as if she believed that their strange bond extended further then, whether it was a good thing or not. Whatever this confession brought, Eve knew that it would only serve to hold the man much more closely. “ You’re still you. Even if it isn’t something you could accept, I’ll accept it all. What matters to me is the ‘you’ I am holding, yes? ” 

Another sigh left her, heavier than the previous. To think that he had found her own closet of skeletons, the scientist truly wondered about how he’d feel to find that she was a bigger monster than he thought. “ Perhaps you and I have much more in common than I imagined. ”

    (  — ᴇᴜᴘʜᴇᴍɪsᴍ. ♙ ) ┊His breath becomes lodged in his throat, a weight that he can neither swallow down or spit back up. All he can do is gasp in a tight breath that burns as it enters his lungs. His gaze locks onto the night sky even as the pristine stars above him blur and mesh together. When he blinks, his eyes water. With each thud of his heart, he feels like it’s a tumor rather than the very thing keeping him alive. His fingers grip tight, so tight Eve’s shirt starts to go taut across her back. Blunt nails manage to dig into her skin, not quite enough to draw blood, but enough to let her know that he’s struggling against something raw and ravenous.

     “Eve,” her name drips from his mouth in a strained tremor, “I can’t– can’t–”

     Crane’s head dips down lower. Sweet breath rolls out labored and hot across her head, sending that same welcoming warmth rolling down her neck. He shakes his head back and forth, rubbing is forehead against her hair. He wonders if she can feel how he trembles against her. Before he can stop himself, the words all come tumbling out from where they had been locked deep within. 

    “I don’t want you to be like me. I… I don’t like what you’re implying. But I know not liking it doesn’t change whatever it is you’re telling me. It just…” he trails off, takes a short breath that sounds more like a hiccup than anything else, “I want to be me. I want to stay. Every morning though, it’s like I’m someone else. I don’t know how to stop it. It feels weird. It feels wrong. Sometimes I think, as much as I like being happy and kind and everything else others see in me, it– it’s pretend. It’s like I’ve tricked myself.” 

     Heavily scarred fingers run through her hair, palm occasionally petting the back of her head as if she was the one in need of comfort. He lifts his head and shuts his eyes tight. He can’t look at her. If he does, he’ll just want her more. Want her more in pure innocence, in pure hunger. Because that’s what happens. He feels and he feels and he feels, and then his heart opens its mouth wide–

     “I keep believing I haven’t ‘cause I always think that’ll make it true. But, do you know what?” He laughs, airy and defeated, “I don’t know where it came from. I love life. I love being here. And it scares me because it’s like I didn’t actually choose to be this way.”

      Crane steps away. It’s an arduous task that physically pains him, and he flinches at the separation of her form from his. Those same scarred hands now cup either side of Eve’s face, gently coaxing her to look up at him. His eyes are nothing but fading embers, wet with tears and shadowed by desperation. And yet one of those seraphic smiles still sits on his face. “If there’s somehow more than one you, I would accept it. I… I don’t want you leaving. I’m just so afraid I’m not ever going to be the same person you just looked at.” 

       A thumb sweeps across her cheek as though she’s the one who is crying instead of him. He hopes she understands. There is something changing me, yet keeping me the same. Tell me you aren’t like that too.

#phantasmaw #ic ; eve #;AHHHH MY BIRD BABY #;AND MY ELDRICHT WRITER HOW I MISSED YOU

[shadyinfo]

Click.

As quickly as the creaks came, the snap of her revolver echoed through the small space. Silver hair reflected the pale moonlight, and her lavender eyes were pointed straight at him, just like the head of her gun. The crook was never one for a direct appearance, but alas, the object of her supposed desire was not normal. Such a face haunted her dreams since their previous encounters, much to a point where sleep could not bring her reprieve. Irina was angry, but she would never let that show. Not when she is now prey to something she believed to be far from human. This man had to be a monster.

"I wonder if you remember me." She cooed sweetly, hoping to mask the terror she felt when she saw his face. His beautiful haunting face.

⌘ 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑.

𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄  since  envy  heard  his  vintage  doorbell  ring,  being  so  old  &  terribly  weary,  &  still  somewhat  managing  to  deliver  those  last   dying   noises  in  the  middle  of  the  night  almost  as  if  determined  to  wake  even  the  dead  ( ──  much  to  his  surprise  &   dismay ).  after  all,  on  most  idle  days  ‘twas  usually  just  some  neighbourhood  kids  looking  for  a ‘ spooky ’ adventure,  or  perhaps  that  one  mailman  who  stubbornly  came  to  deliver  letters  but,  never  at  this  hour.  the  children  at  best  were  far  too  frightened  for  such  midnight  dares...

         so,  who  else  could  it  possibly  be... ?

the  police  didn’t  know  of  his  whereabouts  nor  did  the  new eden sanatorium,  &  the  only   friends   which  he  ever  had  were  all  busy  resting  deep  inside  the  earth  in  his  very  own  little  back-garden, leaving  only  the  mind  to  wonder. 

alas,  taking  his  sweet  time  to  sit  up  in  bed,  the  little  killer  stares  blankly  at  the  long  row  of  newspaper  covered  windows  &   slowly,  with  the  creak  of  iron  wires,  gets  up  to  leave  the  darkness  of  the  bedroom.  the  house  is  terribly  silent.  so  silent  that  each   &   every  step  sounds  almost  like  a   beat  of  the   drum  down  the  rotten  stairway,  occasionally  muffled  by  the  strangers  voice  &   downpour  of  midnight  rain.  envy  himself,  however,   never   answers.  he  merely  approaches  the  front  entrance  &   without  as  much  as  checking  who  the  late  night  visitor  may  be,  finally  opens  the  door. ❝ . . .. . ❞

#s-talking #ic ; irina #;ahhhh how i missed my favorite slasher! #;and i missed you too!

[shadyinfo]

Without a word, Keith reached his hand to run it through Ophelia's hair. He couldn't stop himself from hovering at the haphazardly cut ends as he threaded his fingers through her silky locks. Something must have happened for her to cut her hair, but all that mattered was that she was safe and here now—a thought conveyed by the gentle press of his thumb to the edge of her jaw. ❝ I should craft a new accessory that suits your shorter hair. What do you think about that idea? ❞ he asked her with a soft gaze (a gaze befitting of a boy deep in the trenches of love as his sister would point out).

Haircuts always costed money, and the most that Ophelia had done was trim her split ends on a regular basis to keep her hair from getting too long. Perhaps she would go cut it once every few years or so, but never aimed for something so drastic. Her long hair was one of the only things she found pretty about herself, something that she took a lot of pride in. The day she made the decision to cut it all off was full of heartache, especially knowing she can no longer pull it up. It was even more painful to look at the few scrunchies she took with her, aware that they no longer had anything to hold but her wrist. It was almost as if she lost another piece of him by cutting her hair.

It almost stung her to come back to him looking drastically different. Seeing herself in the mirror since she came back, she no longer looked like herself. Too many grazes and scratches on her skin, her body toned and too big for her heart, and her hair shortened and messy— She came back wrong. And yet, as Alex had told her, at least she came back. It was the best she could do, and seeing Keith again was the least he deserved for her absence. Perhaps it was selfish on her part, but a part of her longed to be with him again.

It was such an intimate act; the way his hand brushed against her cheek, fingers gently pressed against the sharp cut of her jaw. She swore that she would start crying on the spot after being long accustomed to dodging and biting against fists that aimed at her face.

—but she was not in a ring anymore. She was with Keith now, all where she had longed to be this entire time.

As an act of reciprocation, she leaned back into his hand. With a mustered attempt of a smile, Ophelia raised her wrist to show off a scrunchie he had made for her once long ago. Worn out, yes, but not forgotten. "Whatever you think suits me, Keith. You've always had good taste."

#abrasife #ic ; ophelia

[shadyinfo]

He had come to visit the lady who resided in the woods once again. Niko knocked on the door to Analyn's home and waited for her to greet him. The moment the woman opened the door, the brunette gently took hold of her wrist and pulled her close to him. He did not force an embrace of any kind nor did he force her to rest against him. He simply wanted her close. The corpse didn't really have words to say either so he stood there in silence as he held onto Analyn's wrist. He wanted to confirm his feelings for her, but with a heart that didn't beat, it was going to be quite the difficult journey for him for feel 100 confident about them.

It was almost instinct at this point, the part where Analyn seems to have a hunch of when she would be having a guest. It wasn't much to worry about either, knowing that she only had one guest she consistently saw and welcomed into her house. At this point, she always had something ready or lying out in case that he would come in without notice. Not that they really scheduled anything or sent letters to notify one another of a visit, but she wanted to be ready to welcome him whenever possible. She had enjoyed his company as of late, aware that she had opened up slowly to this man. They were friends, to her knowledge. Such was a joy in her prolonged existence.

When he reached out for her wrist, she hadn't reacted. Rather, she was just too stunned to react. Analyn hadn't expected this kind of interaction that day, let alone from him. Doesn't this seem a bit too strong?

Slowly, almost awkwardly, the woman's warmer hand brushed against his own, her thumb drawing slow circles on his skin. She didn't exactly expect herself to act on impulse, but she couldn't help and hope that he found some reprieve from it. Was she overstepping? She believed that he was still in love with someone else, would this act of intimacy be too much? Still, if it were unnecessary to bring up, she shouldn't do it at all. "How are you today?" Softly spoken, a faint ghost of a smile quirks upon her lips, just as she slowly shifted her weight to pull him inward into her home.

#aeipathcy #;okay im a lil convinced that analyn was gonna call him dear #;but i do imagine this took place a bit before his confession? #;but that wrist grab had her feeling like a school girl again istg

[shadyinfo]

❝ Can someone tell me why I was called to paint a portrait of you? ❞ Keith remarked as he furrowed his brows at Mikel, canvas and paint supplies tucks underneath his arm. Unlike his usual countenance, his words carried bite and opposition, much like he used to present in his youthful years of turned life. He had certainly hoped that his paintings hadn't grown popular over the years (especially since the only portraits he did were of the regent and made in secrecy for the most part), but for this guy to request such a service rang alarm bells. They weren't exactly on good terms so what was his motive for calling him out this time?

(We hardly do Mikel/Keith interactions so I thought of this~ )

Obnoxious smile and alarming red hair, Mikel had already known the exact expression that Keith would have on his face the moment he entered the room. Combing back his locks, the man smugly sighed in faux offense. Shrugging his shoulders, the redhead pouted at the unimpressed guard. "Why, am I not allowed to mingle with my lady's consort? Ah! Forgive me, you are merely her keeper. Or is it the other way around?" Followed by a cackle, the vampire prepared his body to evade the potential easel to be thrown his way. Yet, Mikel knew better than to think that the regent's guard would ever stoop so low.

(A part of him genuinely wished to see if this former human could best a demon like himself in a fight).

"Alas, no ill-intended ulterior motives for you today. Death (my dear friend), himself, has sang praises of your art! I wished to witness it for myself!" Mikel would have to give Randel a run for this money, tell him stories of today's episode of terrorizing this poor guard. The Grim Reaper was surprisingly full of gossip, and exchanging gossip with him was always such an absolute delight. Staring at the obscured moon from the window, Mikel mused to himself out loud. "I haven't seen my own face for years. Of course, I could have seen another artist," Turning around in a flamboyant fashion, Mikel met Keith with a smirk. "I wondered how you saw me. So, draw me with your utmost honesty, if you please."

It was true, Mikel did not come here with any malicious intent. Still, he wondered and hoped to find an answer to the persisting question; what in the world did the Beast of Gluttony see in him in the first place?

Short bonus: In which Regicide!Mikel recounts this memory.

Staring at the torn painted portrait, a sullen man gripped the pink tips of his long red hair in alarm. Not even this portrait of him resembled him anymore. How he missed his long red hair, and so did the grim reaper who was once so fond of it. Even without the mirror, Mikel couldn't help but detest his own appearance that seemed to embody both his greatest victory and regret. There was pink. So much pink, and no matter how much he chopped off his hair, the pink would remain.

Again, he stares at the painting and continues to wish that the man in the portrait remained the same.

Mikel just knew that the artist would have painted his muse so beautifully.

#abrasife #;HAHAHHAHAH pain #;but i do think that mikel gave the painting to randel as an obnoxious narcissistic gift

[shadyinfo]

"Niko," It comes out as a whisper, tears immediately pricking at the corners of her eyes. Arm shielding her eyes from the burning sunlight, her teeth tightly pressed against one another into a pained grimace. So terribly did she want to clamp his mouth shut, tell him to take all those words back and to never tell her such false things. A part of her strongly believed them to be lies, that Niko mistook friendship for something more than that. The very few years spent together, blinks of an eye in comparison to the years she has spent alive. She imagined that the time he had spent with her was even shorter, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So, why? Why? Why? Why did he have to say he loved her?

Analyn never exactly thought about it, it was something so simple as living. She recalled when they started as acquaintances, that reciprocal relationship between two undead beings. By the time it had evolved to friendship, she had already been content with leaving it there. There was no need to think of anything else, not when she believed herself to be unable to love and be loved in return, not in a way that binds her to someone else until death. To call Niko her friend, such as enough and will always be enough. Of course, piled under all her denial and logical excuses, she had come to love him in her own way. It would have been impossible to not grow to care for him.

Love terrified her beyond belief. Still, it was not something she could easily answer out loud. It pains her that she could give an answer he deserved in that moment.

She hastily wiped away at her eyes, refusing to allow herself to look any more sorry than she already was. With a light tap, the door creaked open.

Writhing and trembling on the floor with a pained expression, an arm reached out towards his weakly, fingers barely brushing against his knee as an attempt comfort. The other was wrapped around her waist, struggling to keep her body together as one. Her hand was colder than it used to be, but the strength in the slight press of her nails translated her wish to remain alive.

"I can't promise you anything about how long I can keep going for. You're right, we aren't guaranteed the amount of years we have left." She murmured with a calmed expression, yet unable to draw attention away from the wound caused by her accursed existence. "You've made these last few years so bright, bright to the point where I still wish to stay with you. I want to stay!" The gasp was followed by a heavy sigh, one of content. Averting his gaze, she shut her eyes in thought. "I cannot… It's a hard sentence to articulate and I'm sorry that I can't make it leave my lips.

But I hope you know that I feel the same. I... would be happy to get older, as long as it would be with you."

The silence stretched on and on to the point that Niko was beginning to wonder if the hammering sensation that echoed in his ears really wasn't the result of his heart pounding in absolute terror and panic. He could feel himself growing paler than he already was with his rotting and deathly white skin. His gaze was still fixed on the floor, but with each second that went by, there was no red that dared to peek out from the crack beneath the door. The corpse hoped that was a good thing, but with how he had no idea what kind of injury Analyn had, the wound that caused the scent of blood to rush to his nostrils must be significant.

The slightest sound of weight pressing on the other side of the door caused the brunette to lift his chin up and tear his gaze away from the floor. The faintest bit of hope glimmered in his eyes—almost like he was begging for Analyn to open the door and let him hold her at least if she still refused to treat her wound. Slowly, Niko brought himself to his feet, using the stability of his prosthetic foot to help balance himself.

And then her voice reached him from the other side, a pained hiss that held no semblance of the gentle kindness he was used to hearing from her.

Promise? Don't make such hasty decisions.

Something inside him felt like it shattered and died. What remained of his physical heart felt like it was being suffocated by some snake constricting around it. A sharp pain burned at the edges of his eyes, his vision blurring as he felt the tears well up.

Why did she... sound so... why did it sound like she didn't care about their relationship? No, that wasn't right—why did this feel like a final rejection, that he'd never see her again?

Niko, you won't have to worry about that for a long time.

Although his voice was practically silenced by his own fear of losing the woman on the other side of the door, Niko forced himself to reply, his fingers resting on the door knob as if he was afraid to turn and open it against Analyn's wishes.

❝ We don't know that, ❞ he muttered, probably too quietly for her to hear properly, ❝ for us, there's never a guarantee for how long we'll live. ❞ A tear slid down his cheek as the realization of maybe this being truly the end was starting to take root in his mind. That was how it worked being an undead. It was a miracle he even lasted about two centuries himself. He didn't expect he would have another to live. Even if Analyn had lived it herself, it didn't mean he would as well. They were fundamentally different no matter how similar they were in others.

Gathering his confidence, he pushed aside his fear to better communicate—to make sure that Analyn wouldn't make light of his offered promise—and yet his voice still cracked and shook in places, ❝ and even if I were to live longer than you could stay, I'd want to spend as much of that time with you! ❞ His voice rose in volume as his feelings bubbled to the surface, ❝ the many nights I've spent alone and depressed enough I wished I could die—I was able to endure that because I knew you were still here! If you leave, if you die on me, at least let me tell you— ❞

He abruptly stopped his words, taking a deep breath to make sure his voice wouldn't tremble and shake pathetically with his confession. Leaning in closer to the door, he rested his forehead against it, as if Analyn would be able to feel his touch even through the barrier it was.

❝ —at least let me say that I like you, Analyn. Let me say it before you go if you're so adamant on refusing to let me in. Let me tell you before you choose to die. ❞ His voice lowered to a faint whisper as heat rushed to his ears. Gently placing his palm against the door, he imagined Analyn's hand just on the other side, pretending he could feel the warmth of her hand against his, ❝ I love you. ❞

#aeipathcy

[shadyinfo]

At least there was someone who didn't seem too fazed by her sudden reappearance. Reanne had a vibrant personality, and it was more than enough to bring some form of comfort when she couldn't fill in the silence herself. A faint smile was pressed against Ophelia's lips, satiated by the sight of someone so animated and alive. Alas, the girl was smart in making eye contact. The brute was ready to flee the area and let her friend be on her way.

Sighing, Ophelia blew her bangs out of her face. Wherever her mind was at that moment, it was faraway. "If I had the money, I want to open a toy repair shop. I wouldn't mind building and rebuilding toys for a handful of years." Meeting Reanne's gaze, she spoke slowly and quietly, very much unlike her bubbly self from months prior. "Still going down the nurse route. Hated math, could handle a little bit of science. I don't want to be one forever, but I just wanna make sure I can provide." Provide for herself, and maybe Keith, but that's a fantasy too far ahead.

As she walked out of her advisor's office, Reanne couldn't help but scowl at the pamphlet she was given. As if a stupid piece of paper would help her actually pick a major at all. It sucked that her only good classes were indicating she should head onto the medical school route. Despite those careers making tons of money, Reanne definitely didn't want to go to school for that long.

Making her way down the hall, she wasn't really looking where she was going, grumbling to herself as she cursed out her advisor's terribly generic advice. Only then did she bump shoulders with someone along the path, reflexively causing Reanne to look up and see a very familiar face. Although her hairstyle was different, it was definitely the Ophelia she remembered (and of course she'd keep to remembering the girl Keith liked like a good friend and wing man would do).

As taken aback as she was by running into an old friend after so long, Reanne didn't have the means to stop herself from replying with the most blunt answer possible as she stuffed the brochure into her pocket, ❝ Ugh, I don't even want to go back to school! It's a pain and I don't like school subjects at all! None! Zilch! NADA! ❞ Letting out a sigh, she rambled, ❝ maybe I should just quit school and take up those offers to be a model or idol that I keep getting from random talent scouts. ❞

But she knew better than to do that. Those careers weren't long term and modeling especially would make her problems worse than they already were. Even if she suited the looks and vibe for idol life, her life wouldn't be private at all. It wasn't worth her sanity to actually take up those offers. She liked her low-key life and being a regular girl who stumbled along in life.

Setting her hands on her hips, she looked at the dark haired girl, not allowing her to slip away now that they were engaged in conversation, ❝ But what about you, Ophelia? What are you thinking about pursuing? Surely you have a better idea than I do about what you want to do with your life. ❞

#aeipathcy

[shadyinfo]

Speech HCs + Quotes + Genevieve VCs — Alicia (x) (VP2) / Valkyrie (VP2)

“ You are human, yes? Great! I’ve never had a human friend before. Can we? Let’s be friends! ”

Genevieve is so full of energy, and this is evident in her voice too. Though this VC doesn’t do that justice, she clearly sounds young and is far from hostile. One can tell that she is naïve and quite gullible, it is easy to see through her and how much she trusts a person based off her tone. Sounds as if she were raised by royalty as well, and speaks with good articulation.

Even when thrown into a tough spot, she tries to maintain that same cheery disposition. She takes hard battles as a challenge, and treats them like games. It’d make sense, considering she has never known fear at this point of time. She is a demon, praised and groomed to be a destructive piece in a chess game. Clearly, defeat is alien to her. She laughs in the face of her enemies, giggling all the while as she plans out how she’d devour her prey.

Can’t exactly hide her sadness when she witnesses death, even if they weren’t particularly close to her. Genevieve openly mourns for those who pass away due to natural causes, though that is not to say that she is entirely apathetic to those she fed from. She words her sadness in a way that seems awfully insensitive, but it is genuine. 

“ Humans are such darling companions. It’s such a shame that they break so easily. Oh, what fun things we could do... ”

“ Aha! You’re a fun one to play with. Come on, let’s up the stakes! ” 

“ Ah... It seems you grew up. You are no longer so beautiful, nor can you chase after me anymore. Why must it be this way? ”

“ I will take any punishment befitting me when the time comes. It is what I deserve for failing to be what others wanted me to become, and failing the promises that I wished to fulfill. Just as long... as I don’t see him there too... ”

Regent!Genevieve’s voice matures with the rest of her— losing the naïve youthful tone she once had. There is an authoritative edge to her voice, seemingly forced for the sake of her character. It’s not that she ever wanted to sound so cold and hardened, but it was the only way to keep the attention of others. It was for the sake of hiding away the cracks of her vulnerability and weaknesses that she decided to place up the front of a strict ruler.

There is a hint of solemnness to her voice, always. It isn’t as if she were carrying a burden, but rather more so that she knows that the end of all things are approaching. She sounds as if every second ticking by would be her last, and that there is nothing she could do about it. Even in the moments a true smile flashes upon her face, her voice still shakes with hesitance. Anyone who had known her from the past surely would’ve imagined that the happiness in her tone may have been faked.

While she was much more vocal and aggressive in other verses, her anger is much more frightening here. Genevieve’s silence is never a good sign, despite how much more quiet she had grown over the years. What makes things even worse is if one could hear an ominous rumbling from the pit of her abdomen. As hilarious as she could have imagined it centuries prior, no one likes coming across her when she has been starved. 

Okay but the ending of VP2 as the end to her Regent Verses :D—

“ If only I had been born human. ”

“ You dare to question my bloodright? ... Very well, then you shall serve to be an example of my gluttony. ”

“ If the day comes that we make it out of this alive, make it so that we reach a happy and blissful end. ”

“ ... I will remain here with you, till death do us part. ”

What keeps Mikel company in his Regicide Verse is the voice of the woman he had devoured in his conquest. As comforting as the idea sounded, he couldn’t help but feel so unsettled to hear her voice so distorted and ruined. Still, in that comforting and soothing tone, he was certain to have felt poison seep into his ears as he dreamt. 

Undeniably, what was left of her must have been the very core of her heritage. Mikel expected an obnoxious demon constantly raging out her hunger. Instead, what he was left to face was merely a ball of never-ending violence left caged by his very body. He wasn’t wrong in claiming that Genevieve was a demon in that right, that she was just as the same as all the other foul beings in the underworld. What he failed to anticipate was just how much she had been holding back when she was alive, including that insatiable hunger of hers. 

“ You are me and I am you. ”

“ ... You want to devour him, don’t you? That way, you’d have him for all of time. ”

“ It seems that you were mortal after all. ”

Bonus: Rebirth Verse Quotes

" So the wheels of time had begun turning for me once more. And yet... why am I still here while everyone else has gone far beyond my reach? ”

“ Is that what happened? The humans’ version of history is a lot more sound than I remember. ”

“ That was fun! Let’s go on again, can we? 

“ Look, I don’t hate you... You just— ...forget it. I can’t look at you right now. I’m sorry. ”

“ I’d rather never see him again. If I did, that only meant that he endured such suffering here. Seeing his reincarnation happy in this life is all that I could ever wish for. ”

“ I will simply return to the shadows at the end of this life. What I become from there... I wouldn’t know. I hope we never meet that way. ”

#hc ; genevieve #hc ; mikel #;man this draft is OLDDDD #;ah but geni still hoping to see retainer!keith again even when its never possible #;maybe thats her curse after all since she was reborn a human

[shadyinfo]

Hands tucked in her pockets, Ophelia gave a deadpan stare at the academic curriculum pamphlet given to her by an advisor. It was rather embarrassing having to be chewed out for months worth of absences, but to be lectured on tardiness and being 'indecisive' on what she wanted to do with her life was an absolute pain. "For what its worth, it's never too late to go back to school." She drawled sheepishly before folding the paper in half. "Lots of people do it for the money. I know my brother took engineering because he liked the math. I mean, do you like chemistry?"

This is the look of a girl who still hasn't decided what to do with her life and her advisor has been pressuring her to pick a major. No wonder she's been avoiding re-enrolling in classes and shifted her part time job to full time while unofficially dropping college entirely.

❝ How the heck does anyone figure out what to major in? I have zero hobbies, and just because I find chemistry easy doesn't mean I should major in it. ❞ Hmmm, what if she pursued culinary school or something? Making good food is timeless.

#aeipathcy #;i just imagine reanne and ophelia making eyecontact as one of them leaves/enters the advisor's office LOL

[shadyinfo]

ophelia and alex things post-return:

ophelia can beat alex in a fight now. when alex saw her for the first time since she left, he was a little bit scared of her. like ??? why does she suddenly have muscle?? they aren't big as his own but wtf did the underground boxing ring do to her??? (its also bc the first time they saw each other again, alex got so mad that he shoved her. then she shoved him back really hard)

she cut her hair after a fight where her opponent kept pulling at her hair. coming back, she would like to grow it out again. she does feel bad that she couldn't wear the scrunchies anymore, but one is always on her arm when she isn't fighting.

ophelia had to drop out of university during her absence. thankfully, she didn't accumulate much debt due to her using the savings meant to renovate the house. by some miracle, she was able to return to her studies under a concentrated program and is trying to get her nursing degree ASAP.

she is convinced that she is at risk for some sort of head injury as an older adult. since she is often subjected to getting hit on the head a lot, ophelia takes those intelligence games more seriously.

lots of fighters often caught ophelia crying if she was given some sort of sweet or confectionary. she received a lot of puzzled looks when she was crying while eating a cake after a fight. (it reminds her too much of keith)

ophelia actly became more emotionally-restricted over her absence, mainly bc she didn't want to show any fear or weakness. when she saw keith again for the first time, she so badly wanted to be weak again. but there would always be that fear that someone is watching them, looking for a way to extort more from her.

she actly did pay off her debt shortly after meeting keith! not to say that it was without a cost though. that being said, she now works part-time at a gym as a receptionist, but also helps other people with their workout routines and forms.

first thing that ophelia did when she came home was look for all the gifts that keith gave her and hug all of them. she feels very upset that she left them (and him) all alone for so long.

alex is still hella concerned with ophelia. she has grown quieter and her smile doesn't quite meet her eyes the same way they used to.

i wanna think that ophelia and reanne bumped into each other at least once during her absence period LOL

ophelia's mother has not made an appearance at all either. alex is the one that maintains the house in her absence to the point he is the one that started living there every now and then, paying all her bills, etc.

meanwhile, alex became an engineer! he's just lazy at times, but he's good at his job. still no luck in finding his mother, but he lowkey stopped caring bc he has other priorities (money, his love life, etc.). he definitely stopped smoking too for reanne, and even when stressed, he no longer resorts to it.

alex tends to check up on keith every now and then, but is also likely to avoid keith. he couldn't bring himself to tell keith to stop waiting for ophelia to come home. though she did eventually make her reappearance, he is concerned that it wasn't the same girl as before. he knows that look in her eye, and he fears that ophelia will never come close to the way she used to be.

alex took up crocheting at some point post-absence. he tries to hide it, but reanne probably caught a crochet needle in his bag and he had to explain himself by revealing his collection of amigurumi and mittens. he definitely gifted her a handful of cute things throughout the months of that discovery.

#hc ; alex #hc ; ophelia

[shadyinfo]

minor spoiler things that i re-discovered when looking at my 400 drafts: seren impacted alex's choice to quit smoking???

[shadyinfo]

In all fairness, entering a relationship now would be quite tricky. He was not as established as he would have wanted to believe. There were still so many loose ends that he needed to tie up; his past, the burns, his family, his mother. Could he truly manage a future for both himself and her this way? On top of barely catching the whiff of a missing sibling, Alex knew that he may not be able to give her the happiness she deserved. Wasn’t she entering the medical field as well? His gaze softened, and without thinking, his hands gently took one of her own. 

He knew he was anything but a good boy, let alone a decent boyfriend. At the very least, he can attempt to be a better man for her. “Well, you can have all the time in the world. We don’t have to rush into anything.” In a softer voice, he murmured and mustered a smile. Such results did not upset him. If anything, it was more comforting to know that she did not see him as a troublemaker. “I only have eyes for you. I don’t want to look at anyone else but you, and I will wait until you have an answer.” 

@shadyinfo * ✭ ❪ cont. from here┊☓ ❫

The way her heart hammered in her chest only solidified just how much she truly cared about hearing the answer to the spontaneous question she had given him. Normally, she wouldn’t have felt so anxious, but this anxiety was exactly the symptom that marked her as a girl truly in love. Even now, it was hard to wrap her head around the fact she attached so strongly to a guy like Alex. He was nothing like the guys she had dated before (that was a plus point), and he was someone who seemed like he could accept and love her for all her faults too. Alex was capable of that. He deserved someone better than the disaster she was, and yet…

Heat blossomed on her cheeks as he revealed his answer. He’d accept her feelings. She could feel her ears burn too, like he had whispered the very admission into them. Reanne liked him, of course—she could even say she loved him—but she couldn’t see herself being in a relationship with him just yet. Something was holding her back, likely the fear of it ending just like the last one. If he grew fed up with her need for affection, if he didn’t want to deal with the manifestations of her trauma, her binge-purge habits that she couldn’t stop even if she tried to, if he felt betrayed that he wasn’t her first relationship, if Alex met Elanor, if he liked her more—he’d be gone like the wind.

She was definitely happy to hear he liked her too but even still, she couldn’t commit just yet. She couldn’t clear the air and say she did actually like him right now. There were too many things she hadn’t confessed to yet, like her past romances or the possible elephant in the room with her to-not-be-named approach to food. Reanne knew she was a whirlwind at times and simply did as she pleased, but things like a genuine romantic relationship were hard to picture herself in, for the trauma of her past horrendous ones wasn’t the easiest thing to shake off.

Now, she had felt as if she had played a cruel joke on him. It wasn’t her intention at all. No, it definitely wasn’t when she asked, but now that she found herself wanting to back out it certainly felt that way. The guilt was evident in the way she had lowered her gaze and dropped her smile. 

❝ If you told me that, ❞ the girl slowly started, unsure of how to tactfully express herself. Twirling the ends of her hair around her finger, she couldn’t help but try to avoid the expression on his face, fearing the pained look that might come across it, ❝ I’d say I’m not ready to move forward yet. There’s so many things I haven’t told you that I feel like I’d be lying to you if I accepted your feelings here. ❞ 

#aeipathcy

[shadyinfo]

When she first died, Analyn had already made her peace with the fact that she would've died there. Having nothing left at her childhood home, no legacy, no dreams or aspirations, to die was nothing she had ever feared. To live with this void in her chest with the knowledge that she will never have the family she wanted, that in itself was a punishment enough for her attempts at murder. Even the mere thoughts of eating and consuming were enough to make her stomach churn. Whether it was hunger or mere guilt, nothing could have ever resolved that feeling of horror that she carried.

Back pressed against the door, she silently listened to his attempts at begging. His proposal prompted her teeth to grind in irritation. Not that the sentiment behind such a promise meant nothing, but she knew that he feared death. His attempts at staying alive were a testament to such. With a heavy sigh, the woman let out a grunt to at least notify him of her life.

"Promise? Don't make such hasty decisions." She hissed, tucking her arms under her knees in an attempt to close in the gap in her abdomen. "Come back to me on that in another century." In an attempt to keep herself from sinking further into the floor, her hand banged against the door, latching onto the doorknob to pull herself up. She wasn't thinking then, but this urge to stay alive for a bit longer kept persistently kicking. "Niko, you won't have to worry about that for a long time." Softly, she spoke from behind the door, staring at the reddened hand pressed against her lower half.

There was no mistaking the scent that wafted from the other side of the door. The mix of iron and rust and the hint of freshness would be something he'd never forget. It was a scent that brought him back to the day he first awoke from the grave—a day he'd never forget—and it also reminded him of the first time he had taken blood from someone precious to him too. To think that he'd now be faced with a another core memory: the idea of someone he treasured possibly dying on the other side of a place he felt was his second home.

As much as every muscle in his body wanted to shove open the door and get Analyn the help she needed, her voice reached him plain as a cloudless sky. She didn't want him there. He couldn't call for help due to their undead states, and any person who could would likely be unwilling. It also could possibly be that her time alive was coming to an end right now, as was fated to happen to every creature like him and her, monsters that feasted on the blood of the innocent and living. Even he, too, would soon rot into nothing.

But he didn't want to let her go. He wanted to be by her side longer.

Still, he held firm at his spot on the porch, keeping himself from barging on in despite his instincts. As much as he hated standing out here knowing Analyn was in danger, he... respected her and her wishes too much to force his way inside.

Placing his free hand on the door, he lowered his gaze, hoping to not see the red creep in from the space between the door and the floor. With a voice weighed down by bottled up fear and anxiety, Niko found himself nearly begging her to do something about what he assumed was a fatal injury, ❝ Hey Analyn, why don't we promise to die together? ❞ The words slipped out before he could stop himself. He wasn't sure what spurred him into wanting to make that promise, but he knew he didn't want to lose her. She had become... more important than he realized she'd ever be. His voice dwindling, he asked weakly, ❝ is this enough to convince you to treat your injury? ❞

This couldn't be the end. He didn't want to end up alone again.

His fingers curling and nails digging into the wood of the door, the corpse crouched down and curled himself the best he could—anything to prepare himself for the terror that could be the end of this relationship he held close to his unbeating heart.

❝ Please, I don't want to lose you here. ❞

[shadyinfo]

In which Alex and Ophelia have their first conversation in person after months of no-contact.

“I feel sorry for him, you know?” Heaving with angered pants, only then did Alex pull away from the seemingly lifeless Ophelia. The older brother was furious, all sense of relief faded away when met with her apathy. He could no longer recount how long he had waited for her to come home, let alone the many times that the red-headed boy asked about her whereabouts. She just had to come back as a shell of her former self, no longer the ray of sunshine she had posed herself to be. “You could have at least called him. Texted him. Anything!” Shoving her back onto the wooden floor, the raven haired boy looked down at her with a sneer. "How do you think I would've been able to handle telling him you might be dead out there?" He hadn't, but it was always a possibility that he dreaded.

Grazing her tongue over a cut lip, Ophelia met the man in the eye with a pained gaze. She pulled her ragged body up from the floor with a sense of control that she never had before her disappearance. It makes Alex uncomfortable, seeing the shadows of her muscles flex and how her arms move with an uncharacteristic grace. Where did that clumsy girl go? He sees her inside, all carved out and greyed inside. It nearly broke his heart when she shook her head, mumbling so quietly that he almost missed it.

“I’d rather Keith hate me than pay the consequence for being my only weakness.”

#;idk tags anymore at this point