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nixcoleoz · 4 years

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What? Okay this new prologue woof...

I miss the pomegranate scene with Portia very much,,

My absolute favorite paid scene with Asra in the dream is GONE...

They removed the tarot readings with Nadia and Asra which I just don’t get.

A lot of the mystery that the prologue gave is just... gone and the characters and their characterization feel too shoved in.

I did like the new scenes with the snooping and Lucio by the very least, and the CGs are great. There was also a little new convo like with Asra which was nice I guess.

But... there are things that definitely do not line in with the plot. Why are we already telling Asra about Julian breaking into the shop?? I just finished replaying Asra’s route and there’s literally a scene (when Asra and Julian are in the dungeon together) where Asra introduces Julian and the apprentice and the apprentice notes they forgot to tell Asra about their encounter with Julian and that they’ve already met. And THEN you have the option of telling Asra “He broke into the shop. Twice.” ??? Just???

WHY is Julian already telling the apprentice of Asra being at the palace and the whole working together thing??????? That’s explained in the beginning of Asra’s route!

And what the flipper was with changing Julian’s scene with the Portia letter... into just a wanted poster with a tangled reference joke.

Muriel. Don’t get me started on that. It’s been clear he has something against the apprentice in all other routes (except his own and even then he’s like that in the beginning). Usually coldly replying, glaring, or just flat out avoiding. But in the prologue he’s all blushy n actually pretty willing with the apprentice? Mercy on us please at least keep characterization consistency.

To add; ugh I still don’t like the changes from the last prologue update. The CGs? I adore. But removal of the deer/rabbit guard scene? Removing the part where the games says to take note of everything or smth along the lines of that and having to pay attention to the password Portia had in order to get past the gate. Taking away the choices that affect future outcomes like when Portia asks if you like the animals and depending on your answer, the dogs will treat you differently.

Just. There are a few changes that are nice. But it most definitely does not make up for the multitude of bad changes. Changes that take away from the story, changes that don’t line up with the story. Just so much is wrong. Honestly I beg for them to change this.

EDIT: turns out, without mentioning anything, they also changed scenes of the routes to line up with the prologue and I’m FURIOUS

#this is just the top of my head even #im sure there’s WAY more im forgetting #im severly disappointed #the arcana #the arcana game #asra #julian devorak #portia devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel #lucio #the arcana prologue

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raccoonpoptart · 4 years

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wanted to share this scenario idea bcs it's adorable ;; it's where the reader accidentally made a mistake in casting a spell, ehich resulted in them turning into an animal! i'm wondering how the characters would react to them huhu

YESSS THIS IS SO CUTE THANKYOU 🌸✨ this is so funny to think about honestly could you imagine suddenly turning into an animal? personally if i turned into a raccoon i would never want to be human again 🦝🦝🦝

☼

that’s not how that goes...

warnings: none! wholesome times tonight <3

some of the animal choices are obvious but others are...just for giggles 🐝 hope you like it! ✨

Earlier at the market y/n got some new ingredients to use in a spell, but had to substitute a few obscure things with more easily accesible items. With nothing but hope in their heart (that they wouldn’t absolutely ruin anything important), they made their way home.

It wasn’t until about halfway through the spell that y/n realized something was a bit...off. The smell just seemed a bit more potent, and the color was a little more unexpected than usual. Magic was strange like that, so they shrugged and threw the last ingredient in the bowl. Poof! Smoke went everywhere and y/n was covered in green dust.

Suddenly, everything grew so much bigger in the shop and y/n began to panic. Asra wouldn’t be home for a few hours! What were they supposed to do? Their heart raced as they walked to the nearest mirror. They realized that it wasn’t the shop that got bigger, it was them who got smaller. Uh oh...

alright gamers lets do this

Asra

when he came home he looked everywhere for you and when he saw the mess you made he started to panic a little

he had no idea what you were trying to do but the fact that you weren’t around was...really unsettling

“mc?? where are you? please come back...”

suddenly he felt something slip up his arm and squeeze...

“oh, hi, faust...did you s-”

what looked back at him wasn’t those red eyes he was used to but instead it was two big purple eyes

he was about to scream (because who wouldn’t freak out over a random snake) when he heard your voice in his head

i think i messed up the spell :(

he laughed softly and placed a soft kiss on your head and assured you if he couldn’t fix it, it would probably wear off anyway

spoiler alert it took almost a whole day for it to wear off but he enjoyed having you wrap around him whenever he went anywhere

faust thought it was the best thing ever, she would wrap around asra’s left arm and you would be on his right

Bite the goat!

(i was so tempted to do a fox but i thought it would be cute to sorta be like a chimes and flamel moment)

Nadia

when she was told that a lynx had been spotted sneaking around the palace she was a little worried

lynx are not common, so of course she wanted to see! but when the lynx ran up to her and started to rub against her and purr?? she was very confused

it wasn’t until she saw your eyes that she realized it was you! but didn’t really know how she knew...it was just her intuition she guessed

she just assumed something magical happened and hugged you

loved when you followed her around the palace because everyone was so afraid, or just had a puzzled look on their face

when you would meowl (or, yell for lack of a better word) she would smile and kiss your head then laugh if anyone around her got scared

would talk to you like normal even if you couldn’t properly answer, she just assumed any noise you’d make was a response

complimented your ears and thick coat then offered to brush your fur (she wanted to hear you purr again)

she enjoyed having you around all day and once you were back to normal she asked so many questions

Julian

another damn raven had taken a liking to him and he was ready to leave vesuvia again

he facepalmed as malak and this new bird had started messing with his hair and squawking

meanwhile you found it pretty funny how he accepted it so quickly and waited a while before having malak tell julian

you and malak had continued to bother julian for a few hours but once he got annoyed you had malak explain and julian just laughed and asked if malak had run into a window again

when you softly pecked his nose and rubbed against his face he blushed softly

“ah, well...at least it’s temporary. it is temporary, right? please tell me it won’t last forever!”

boi was a bit stressed because now he felt like he had to look after you but malak told him to *ahem* buzz off we’ll say cause he was having so much fun

found the looks he got a bit funny because of course having two ravens follow you everywhere would look strange (CAN I MAKE A NORSE MYTHOLOGY JOKE PLS.....TWO RAVENS = ODIN LMAO)

once the spell wore off he held you close and let out a sigh of relief,,, “darling, you make a beautiful bird but please don’t scare me like that again <3”

Muriel

ignore the part where it says the shop got bigger, for this it got smaller ok thanks <3

inanna had been gone a while so he went out to find her

instead found her outside playing with a......bear?

he closed his eyes and exhaled then turned to go back inside to avoid dealing with another unexplainable thing

but inanna dragged him over to the bear and he just stared as the bear stared back

woof! “inanna that makes no sense, it’s not mc”

then the bear hugged him and he blushed but didn’t pull away because why else would a bear have silver fur and pink eyes

you couldn’t exactly fit in his hut so he decided to just sit outside with you. he assumed that a spell went wrong because the same thing had happened to asra before

“so, mc... do you think this is permanent?” you grunted in response and placed a paw on his head

it was a bit awkward but he laughed softly and placed a hand on your head (wholesome mountain man :( i would die for him...)

watching you catch fish was hilarious to him considering you couldn’t do it by yourself a few months ago, but made sure to keep an eye on you anyway

he liked that you were taller than him for a bit and felt safe when you would hug him, even if the sight of it would seem strange but was happy when you were back to normal (now he can kiss the top of your head and hold your hands properly)

Portia

walked into her cottage and stopped in her tracks

she was face to face a puma and her heart started racing, she was about to run until she saw pepi run up onto the bigger cat’s head and headbutt her

“pepi.....can you please explain who this is quickly” she was trying not to freak out in case the giant cat would attack her

in response pepi started to purr and rubbed against the cat and was surprised when the big cat started to purr too

she thought that maybe pepi had somehow made a new friend? and just was grateful that it didn’t eat her

you had to lead her back to the shop and show her the mess as well as the pile of your clothes on the ground for her to understand

“mc :3 does that mean you’re technically naked?~” she poked your side and laughed when you made a slightly annoyed noise

absolutely loved how everyone ran at the sight of her with a puma and walked with a bit more confidence “i feel like the main character in a story! strong, beautiful woman with her most trusted cats at her side!”

you wished you could laugh but you loved how adorable she was and also you were amazed at how even though you were walking, pepi stayed asleep on your back

after work the next day she found you asleep in her bed wearing some of her clothes and she smiled so big as she hugged you tight

Lucio

“can somebody please explain why the hell a damn PEACOCK IS IN MY ROOM???”

as he raised his voice, the bird puffed up its feathers and started to squawk which freaked him out but it just walked up to him and stared

he was so confused but was thankful the bird wasn’t attacking him so he tried talking to it

“uhhhh- hello there, aren’t you beautiful? are you an albino? your white feathers are gorgeous” you puffed up your chest at the compliments and expanded your tail feathers

he smiled and tried to pet your tail feathers “you aren’t so scary now, how’d you get in here?” he didn’t really think to ask anyone because the only person he could think of was asra and he didn’t want to talk to him

mercedes and melchior liked the bird so why shouldn’t he? he shrugged and just let you follow him around all day, talking to you like you were another one of his pets (which was annoying but you liked the compliments althought they were new, obviously you didn’t normally have feathers)

the spell wore off in the middle of the night he went from having two dogs and a bird in his bed to having two dogs....and YOU!! just when he thought being with you couldn’t have brought more surprises and weird stories

he gave you his shirt and laughed as you explained what happened ,, “well, it’s good it was temporary! if i never saw you as a human again i don’t know what i would do”

☼

that was so fun!! omg i love writing weird stuff like this 🍓 anyway, i hope you liked it! i’m thinking about writing a story where mc can turn into animals on the regular but we’ll see ✨✨ now i wish i could turn into an animal for a day lmao

#the arcana #asra alzanar #asra x mc #countess nadia #nadia x mc #julian devorak #julian x mc #muriel #muriel x mc #portia devorak #portia x mc #count lucio #lucio x mc

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flusteredmountainman · 5 years

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Bullet-pointed predictions I have for each of the new 3 routes

For like an in-depth prediction I did of Muriel’s one a couple months back see this old thing

So a huge commonality in the first three’s arcs (as I mention in that linked post) is reconnecting with family (both found and blood) and so I first and foremost think that this will be present in each LI’s route; I’ll go into more detail on what I think this will look like for each of them individually, plus upright/reversed end speculation based on the definitions for their patron arcana.

***Spoilers for Muriel, Portia and Lucio’s routes so far and references to Nadia, Asra and Julian’s routes***

I’ll start with Muriel because I’ve already talked to his route the most and I think it’ll be the easiest place to start!

Muriel:

The role of family in his route:

Obviously as we’ve seen so far, Muriel has a lot of unresolved feelings of abandonment, shame, self-loathing and loneliness associated with his family and the fact that they’ve abandoned him.

He’s already had the very beginnings of opening up to MC in his last book (The Hermit - very fitting), and he will perhaps continue to do so

I think a central theme for his story will be reconnecting with his family and hearing their perspective on what happened for two reasons: firstly because of one of the options for MC’s response to this discusses that he actually doesn’t know his parent’s reasoning and that maybe they Did want him, and the second relates to Nadia’s route and her arc with reconnecting with her sisters

In her route, similarly she vents about how annoying and patronising her sisters were throughout her life and you can either agree or posit that maybe they were just trying to help/showing they cared about her (reversed vs upright choice)

I’m also hoping he generally creates a stronger support network - I think at least Portia, Nadia and Asra (and maaayyyybe even Morga but that might be pushing it) will end up helping him and MC in the confrontation with the devil at the end - just based on who we’ve seen interacting with him the most in positive ways so far

Upright meaning: Look inside yourself for the answers you seek. Take time for introspection in the days ahead.

He’ll recover from his trauma, recognise himself as a person who is deserving of love and support and who has Needs (including like. a bed. lol.)

Honestly I don’t have a lot else to say ‘cept that bc I said it already so kjaefjef check my aforementioned post if you want More for my favourite man

Reversed meaning: Be wary of retreating too far within your own mind. Others still have valuable things to share.

He decides that he needs to handle the confrontation with the devil alone - probably erring more on the side of self-sacrifice than anything else and/or seeing his sacrifice as just (still blaming himself for his trauma, he believes that his only way to “Redemption” is by falling on his own sword, so-to-speak)

Portia:

Oof, Portia’s a tricky one so far.

The role of family in her route:

So, obviously she has a lot of baggage with Julian. Some of this is hinted at just around her arcana’s definitions, but I’ll get to that soon.

She’s a compulsive secret-hoarder and collects information about everyone around her. I think this is probably a hang-up that she has around control - or loss of it. She doesn’t have security or wealth or even anyone to permanently look after her/mentor her (Julian left and Lilinka - her adoptive grandmother - passed away leaving her to fend largely for herself).

I think that information is the one thing she feels that she has control over, because so much of her life has been out of her hands (and also just chasing Julian around trying to clean up his messes)

She’s literally a head servant as her job -so much of her life is being told what to do and also telling others what to do. I think she fears loss of control in her life, but she’s also never been in a position where she’s been able to be an active agent and do things just because she wants to do them.

She craves validation, safety, and support and that’s why she found herself in this employment role with Nadia - and even then in Nadia’s route (and her own), she’s terrified that Nadia will abandon her in a heartbeat - even though she literally nursed her for years and has been nothing but loyal. Girl has some Mad abandonment issues

Edit: Portia ultimately blames herself for the people around her leaving and thinks that people will only stay if she can be useful in some way - hence why she so doggedly pursues Julian's innocence because she thinks the only chance she has of him staying is if she can literally fix his mess

Largely I think her arc with her family will be about her feeling emboldened to be honest about her feelings and letting Julian know in a meaningful way how much his absence impacted her, but also realising that she Actually Can lean on Mazelinka (who she obviously loves but has made Many excuses as to why she’s too busy to see her - probably again a thing of “if I control when and where I see you, then I can’t get hurt in this relationship”), Nadia, and probably also Asra and some of the other servants even?

Upright meaning: Believe in your inner light. You may have endured great hardship, but it only makes you shine brighter.

Idk man lol this is honestly quite vague.

I think this will prolly be a similar thing to Muriel - just specifically confronting that Yes, she’s had a hard time of it but she shouldn’t let that impact her quality of life

Also probably a lot of stuff around her realising she’s worthy of love as a person and that the people who love her won’t abandon her

Reversed meaning: Now is not the time to despair. Keep believing and let your star shine bright. The world needs you

Again.... aefkjfkae...... very vague.....

I think she won’t be able to let go of her fear of abandonment generically - or alternatively will perhaps? Try to bargain with the devil? I could see a similar thing happening with her that happened in Nadia’s reversed end - perhaps she believes she can save the world/MC by offering her servitude to the devil and being beholden to him? This is Fully a reach, I honestly have no idea :P

Lastly, Lucio:

Don’t worry, I’m not dunking on him lol. I don’t like him but that doesn’t mean I don’t have Thoughts about his route.

The role of family in his route:

Well. This one is clearly quite literally maybe the messiest out of these three (I mean that literally, in terms of, the amount of blood lol)

Obviously, he has a lot of baggage with both of his parents. I’ll disclaimer and say that I personally don’t see Morga as abusive - that doesn’t mean people can’t - but I’m making speculations specifically about their relationship just based on the in-game context clues we have and nothing else

As a person, Lucio is ultimately obsessed with power and attaining it. He’s clearly insecure and is desperate for any sort of validation, which is made messier by his natural sense of entitlement. This combination means that he chronically chases power, thinking that leadership means being able to do whatever you want to do with no consequences (e.g. in his route and also in Nadia’s when he briefly discusses killing people as count/countess) - and especially he thinks that if he has the power, the wealth, and the status then he’ll get the validation that he desperately craves.

As count, he throws lavish parties and spends a lot of time with the vagabonds in the south end - trying to win petty devotion and admiration with meaningless shows of wealth meanwhile his people are starving and suffering in the flooded district. He just wants to be popular at the end of the day, he doesn’t care about actual leadership or using his power for good, unselfish reasons. He claims his people love him, but it’s hollow, ornamental love based upon flash, not substance

Morga as a parent is harsh - she’s critical and derisive at times, but it’s also clear that she does love her son (specifically how she says she spoiled him by never letting him get hurt). Lucio as a teenager grew up somewhat spoiled and expected that power would fall to him by virtue of heritage from his mother when he came of age.

I think that Lucio didn’t get what he needed from Morga necessarily as a kid, and as a result he craved that first position of power because he saw it as a source of validation he hadn’t previously had - and when it was denied him, he became resentful and even murderous towards his parents.

Woof, long fucking paragraph. I do think that Morga and Lucio will end up reconciling in his route somehow. I think it’s central to his character and to filling the void inside of him that he learns that you can’t buy people’s love - also just because his whole story and entry into the world was sparked by that essential conflict with his mother. I think it would feel weird narratively if that weren’t at least addressed - whether or not it ends in reconciliation

Upright meaning: Shake off his veil: you are not trapped. There is always a way out of even the darkest places.

I think that this will be a redemption arc for Lucio. I think that in order for him to be redeemed he’ll have to relinquish the devil’s influence over him - which will involve addressing the wrong he’s done and apologising/trying to atone for it (whether or not other LIs accept his apology is another thing - as they all have very valid reasons not to)

I think the “way out of the darkness” for Lucio is in giving up his quest for power. He will learn that it’s ok to just be Lucio as a person, that he can be vulnerable and responsible for himself, and that people will love him as he is and not for the way he throws his money around

Reversed meaning: It is time to clean house: purge the things that harm you from your life. Take back your power.

Now this literally includes the sentence “take back your power” so. whoomp there it is. Lucio can’t let go of his power-hunger and becomes even more selfish and self-righteous.

I think also unfortunately this will mean he will literally probably kill some if not all of the other LIs, and also (especially) his mother. He will see anything that challenges his power as opposition to be removed, and he will rule (alongside the devil? who knows) in chaos and blood.

Ookey!! kajefnkae glad I got that out of my system. If I missed anything/if people have their own ideas/thoughts I’d love to hear them! Have this giant essay lol, we’ll see if anything I predicted comes true in the next several dozen updates eh? B)

#muriel #portia devorak #muriel the arcana #lucio #the arcana #the arcana game #lucio the arcana #long post #meta #jaye writes #the arcana spoilers #nadia #julian #asra #mazelinka #morga

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happywitch416 · 3 years

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Chapter 20

Rhena and Muriel gazed out over the vast frozen plain. The ground was hard beneath their feet and it spread endlessly and unbroken into the horizon. "The Shining Steppe. This is where I was born."

Rhena still shivered beneath the layers she was wearing under Nadia's cloak. Morga had already given her derisive opinion of her delicate sensibilities. Rhena couldn't be bothered to care. "It's beautiful." He gave her an arched look at that and she shrugged self consciously drawing the cloak tighter about her. "I am cold, not blind." A little huff of laughter left them both. "Is it like you remembered?" She asked softly.

Muriel was quiet for a long moment. "Flashes here and there, nothing specific. Probably for the best."

She studied him thoughtfully. "Do you have any good memories?"

"Good memories?" She nodded and frowning he stared out at the tundra. Inanna startled him as she headbutted his hand. "Yes, meeting you wasn't a terrible memory, Inanna." She stared up at him very pointedly. It made Rhena's nose twitch as she watched them. "I guess it's happy. Sort of."

"Would you tell me?"

He shifted. "I'm not really good at telling stories." Inanna woofed and he sighed leaning down to scratch her ears. "I was still a gladiator, I told you Lucio had me perform executions." His voice grew an edge. "Sometimes he'd get bored, throw me in there with rabid animals to shake things up." Rhena felt her heart in her throat, knowing what he was going to say next. "That day, he put me in the arena with Inanna."

She looked at them, a bemused smile forming. Inanna looked very pleased. "I am assuming he didn't get what he wanted."

He shook his head. "No."

Inanna woofed. "I didn't forget, I just didn't say it." She woofed again. "She says Lucio caught her when she attacked his army as it marched through the forest. Anyway." He said with a look to Inanna when she made a whuffling sound. "When they opened her cage, she was starving. Her fur dirty. I expected her to attack me but she just sat there." A small smile appeared. "Lucio was furious. Docile wolves don't make for good entertainment." Inanna licked his hand, tail thumping. "And I knew I couldn't do it anymore." He continued a little quickly. "She was innocent. She hadn't done anything except defend her home from invaders. Everyone else I had faced were criminals. And they fought back. But not her. She looked me in the eyes and waited. So I took my axe and broke down the gates keeping us in the arena and we ran."

"Both of you."

"Both of us. I could have left, I could have walked out on my own whenever I wanted. But I didn't until her." A tired sigh moved his shoulders. "I thought she'd leave when we got to the forest. Instead, she stayed. Still hasn't left." At the last sentence he smiled, wide and genuine before pressing his forehead to Inanna’s. "Without her I'd still be in that arena." He looked up, flushing across every inch of skin she could see. "Story's over. Let's get moving." Rhena gently scratched under Inanna’s chin as she watched him head out over the tundra.

Chapter 21

"Make sure he comes back in one piece." Rhena heard Morga say softly as Rhena went into the darkness after Muriel, summoning a ball of light as she went. Morga was hard on them, true, but she had grown to like the woman too. Morga reminded her of her Anassa and Nana. A wolf howl led her to the stream, and the figure huddled next to it.

Inanna paced before him but he looked up as the light reached them. His eyes were red and her heart ached. "Go away." She reached out gently, he looked so small under the vast sky. He jerked away from her. "Don’t." She nodded and dropped to the ground before him and waited, for as long as he needed her to. She gently toyed with her medallion, her fingers occasionally brushed the charm next to it. Finally, he spoke. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know." She said softly.

"Do you? How can you?"

"You told me you wouldn't." She was calm, sure of her words and hands falling still in her lap as her head fell to one side to watch him.

"It doesn't matter what I say. My hands are stained with blood. You don't." His breath caught in his throat. "You don't just forget that. People don't just change." The tears that had formed in his eyes slipped down his cheeks. "This is who I am."

Rhena shook her head. "No." She met his shocked gaze, her eyes steady and bright with their sunshine glow. "I trust you, Muriel."

"I don't trust myself."

"I can prove it." She took his hands squeezing gently when he tried to pull away and he stilled.

"How? By fighting? I know how that goes! You." He choked out. "Bloody at my feet like everyone else." Rhena's heart ached at the pain in his eyes, the fear. "You have to let me leave. You're too important to hurt."

He tried to pull away but Rhena was faster with her knees under her. Her lips met his for a brief moment. He stopped trying to escape, his hands hovering awkwardly. "What are you doing."

Rhena gave a short huff of embarrassed laughter as she pulled away a little, hand still wrapped in the front of his cloak. "Not a great job at kissing you apparently."

He stared at her, a million things rushing through his mind and across his face. "Why."

"I." She floundered, flushing and letting go of him. "I don't want you to leave."

"So you kissed me."

Rhena fell back to sit on her heels again, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "Yes?"

"Okay." He said with a slight nod, still sitting still and not trying to get away. "It was." Rhena perked up a little as he struggled to find the words.

After a moment, she gave him a shy smile, her eyes sparkling. "Should I try again?" She chewed the inside of her lip as his face turned into a kaleidoscope of red.

"It wouldn't be." He spluttered. "I mean." A mumbled stream of words left his mouth so fast she didn't catch it. At her quizzical look, he said it again. "It wouldn't be the worst thing."

She leaned up a little on her knees again, giving him time to escape if he wanted, her one hand steadying herself against his bicep. He stared out over her shoulder and she smiled a little before brushing her lips against his. He leaned forward, nose gently bumping hers as he softly kissed her back, his hands gentle at her back and waist, holding her like she was priceless.

Rhena pulled away for breath, eyes fluttering open as the sky began to glow with light, ribbons dancing across the sky in a thousand colors. Muriel looked upwards and watched them. She had heard of the southern lights, but none of the descriptions had done them justice. How the colors were so bright even as they shifted, like an endless song dancing through the stars. Her gaze kept returning to him. She knew he was the same Muriel, but he wasn't either. Her eyes roved his face and shoulders before it hit her with a spark of happiness. "The chains are gone." Her voice was quiet and filled with wonder.

He started, checking his wrists and finding them gone before his hands went to his throat. The collar was gone too. Rhena leaned back, searching but they were lying on the ground beside them. "I don't understand."

Rhena reached out, fingers gently running along the scars on his wrists. "They were from the Coliseum."

"Yes. To remind me." He picked them up, studied them a moment before hurling them as hard as he could into the darkness. He watched where they went for a moment before turning back to Rhena, lacing his fingers with hers. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything." She shook her head with a soft smile.

"No, you." He took a deep breath. "You did. All I've ever done is run away. I don’t. I don’t know how to do anything else. But you." He met her eyes before staring down at their hands, both of them twined together now. "You came and you wouldn’t let me. You expected more from me." He looked a little ashamed as he continued. "Even when I was mean. Even when I tried to drive you away." He flushed. "And you are patient. You give me time to talk, even when I'm not good at it."

"I'm not always great at it." She fidgeted, thumbs brushing against his knuckles. "It's hard sometimes."

"You're better than me."

She gave him a bright little smile. "We can get better together then."

"I'd like that." He looked away then, truly away. "Sorry for running off."

"Morga would drive the forest to the end of their patience." She said tartly. He stood and pulled her up, keeping her close to him. "I'm glad you are coming back to camp." He smiled a little at that but it turned to a scowl with her next words. "She's going to keep at it about the sparring."

He sighed. "Nothing sharp, hand to hand only."

Rhena's eyes rounded and a shaky laugh left her. "I don't know how. If they got that close my training was run away before they get that close."

"I'll show you." He leaned down towards her when a sound from the stream interrupted them. Water was bubbling rapidly and spreading out to form a smooth surface. "Rhena?"

"Not me." She said softly and called small stones to her as she edged to the stream. She peered into the smooth surface and the rocks thudded to the ground. "Asra?!"

Asra and Nadia peered up at her, a third figure coming into view. Julian waved with a chuckle. "Fancy seeing you there, Rhena."

A moment of silence was followed by everyone speaking at once, Nadia worried when the horses arrived without them, Asra asked a thousand questions, Julian a thousand more. Finally they fell into silence again and it was Muriel who spoke. "We're alive. Are the horses okay?" Rhena nodded anxiously beside him. The smelly things had grown on her.

Asra laughed. "They are fine, if a little dirty. We were more worried about you two. When they came back without you." He ran a hand through his hair, his laughter disappearing like smoke. "We feared the worst."

Relief had filled Nadia's face. "We are all quite glad to see you alive and well, to be honest." She paused a moment. "Are you? Well, I mean."

"It's been a bit of a disaster but we are fine now." The three faces stared up at them not looking the least bit convinced. "We’re alive and that's what matters." She added.

"Not for long if Lucio has his way." Rhena debated kicking his shin.

"Tell us everything."

Chapter 22

Muriel had headed back to camp but Rhena stayed to speak to Asra, even with the twinkle in his eyes. "You and Muriel, hm?" He didn't say anything else, but his smile widened when Rhena flushed.

"Yes, me and Muriel-."

He lit up. "Really? Like really really?'' Rhena smiled, his glee infectious. "I knew it. This is so exciting, tell me everything." Rhena laughed but his grin faltered. "I mean you don't have to if you don't want to. Of course. I just. It's really good to hear that he's opening up."

"Well." Rhena caught him up on everything. It was like being back at the shop, her and Asra kicked back at the table and just talking. When she got to the kiss, he gasped and clapped.

"He kissed you back." She nodded, half hidden in her cloak but grinning. "I’m so proud of him. And you." He straightened his shoulders and attempted to look serious. "When's the wedding?"

Rhena gave him a grin that made her nose crinkle. "Tomorrow, I think. Inanna agreed to officiate." Asra laughed, deep and long. He hasn't been this happy in a long time. She thought affectionately.

"That's probably a little fast for him." Rhena chuckled as he continued. "I've known him a long time, you know." He gave her a sly grin. "The day after tomorrow then, I'll wrestle Inanna to see who officiates." Rhena laughed but it fizzled out when Asra grew somber. "It's been a long time since I've seen him this happy. Life," Asra sighed. "It got crueler, and crueler. And worse when the plague came. And we ran. But. He ran further, into himself. It always felt like something was missing. He didn't smile a lot." Asra gave her a conspiratorial grin. "And every time he thought you weren't looking, he was beaming at you."

Rhena's heart thudded and her voice squeaked. "Really?"

"Really.” He said with a grin before sobering again. “I don't know what the future has in store. With everything happening, all the moving pieces. But I know how strong you are, how strong Muriel is. Together you can take on anything."

She nodded as he stood away from the water. "Wait!" He stopped, brow raised. "Sweets?"

He grinned. "Waiting for news, hee's keeping the chickens company."

She smiled. "He's going to give them complexes."

"I'll keep in touch okay?" They waved and the magic disappeared, leaving her alone on the tundra, but her heart was happy.

Heart of the Wood

#the arcana game #the arcana muriel #muriel x apprentice #apprentice rhena #the witch writes #otp: heart of the wood

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