sunday snippet - sic itur ad astra
Roathe lovers rejoice. Uhhh descriptions of canon-typical violence ahead and that’s really the only warning I have. I was tagged by my love, @elinorbard and I’m tagging @spiritsong @winterscale @carnage @thornb4ck and @shadow–writer
[[MORE]]With eyes held shut and air pumping through her atmosphor, Laline drifted off into the abyss of her subconsciousness, tracing the intricate web of Transference energy from the refractory pool to Roathe’s position in time. This had become easier over the months they’d spent studying it, and the fond memories the act stirred up were filled with the smallest details of his fingers tracing her neck and jaw while she spoke, his tail wrapped around her waist or her ankle while he read ancient Orokin works aloud, and the occasional brush of his lips against her forehead when she was distracted. Those were not the actions of a monster. Descending despite her fears of detection, she landed safely amongst the brimstone and flames of Roathe’s intricate prison, built by Albrecht and fortified by a deep seated fear of vulnerability. Her mind and physical form were carefully cradled inside the Warframe he’d provided her with not so long ago, a testament to his trust in her as his most loyal soldier, his Uriel. At home in his skin, she’d barely reached the next precipice before a dejected howl of her name sounded off, indignant and shrill.
“Laline! What in the Hells— What do you think you’re doing? I told you we were finished with this naive absurdity,” The Devil of Tau chirped, his voice cracking on some syllables in such a way she knew he would sooner kill her than forgive her if she failed in the battle ahead, but this did not prevent her from rushing forward toward where his subconscious memory waited. “You contemptuous creature! Leave well enough alone while I still have the patience.”
“Consequences be damned, Vice Regent, I can not abide by that order,” She barked back, the fortitude of Uriel’s resounding growl giving her the boost she needed to continue forward through the Descendia. “Prepare yourself, little lamb!”
The resounding silence that followed became the permission she sought; tearing through the hordes of spirits long passed, she finally landed before Roathe, the heat of her ire causing sparks to jump from her claws as she scraped them against the floor. Sensing the subtleness of his apprehension in the air, some manner of inference from their shared Warframe, she leapt into action without giving him the chance to speak. While he moved faster, she danced with grace and when his rigid aim nearly struck true she refocused on the offensive, hunting him like prey whenever he darted out of her sight. Each time he opened his mouth, whether to plead for mercy or simply to mock her, she struck, her single-minded focus preventing her from even entertaining the pause in battle he so desperately desired. For every shot from the Vinquibus that landed, her claws cut, nearly blinding him when she got too close. When finally she bested him, a perfectly timed shot with her gift from Hunhow — treasured and honed despite their tenuous connection — she rushed him, slamming him to the ground with a familiar growl as her claws lightly pierced his neck.
“Stay down, pretty piggy,” Laline hissed, drawing fang with a sharp twist of her wrist, pressing the blade beneath his tipped chin as she prepared to end this cycle. “I’ll make it quick.”
“I can’t say the same for you—”
With a minute shift, she slit his throat.
