[ for any newcomers sorry for rav’s pronoun fuckery this bun is genderfluid and therefore until she feels different will be oscillating between she and he forever and not sticking to he/him or she/her

also for those of you who knew of this au things happened on the side while I was inactive and there were MASSIVE CHANGES. like, plotwise. please read this in-character summary post ( it’s shit ), and the new about pages for rav and lorin, as well as the au about. there is also a timeline page. That page is the fastest summary in the west.

ekaa’s about page is here.

honestly you can get away with just coming in blind I guess but if you want context for literally anything that’s going on there u go.

sooner or later the thread that covers the trek to the ice ruins will be posted. ]

[ sorry for the uuuuuuh lack of being here! chronic illness / getting into another relationship does that ]

@revaeli

op: “Revali trying to justify why he died to Windblight”

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•–––– ♛ ▽  

And the truth is, he isn’t. He never was.

Lorin has seen this time and time again-- children who never allow themselves to be children. It’s a song and dance he knows by heart. It always starts the same, too.

They talk. He listens. They lash out. He consoles. All measured steps in the dance.

After all, he knows how it feels. He was there, once. The only difference was that there wasn’t a gentle and kind soul to take his hand. Someone who understood. Someone who believed children should be children, regardless of what power they held.

He has a big heart, he’s been told. Wears it on his sleeve. Today’s events have made that more than evident.

Despite barely knowing this child, Lorin already cares immensely for him.

...Or maybe that’s just the empathy at play again.

Regardless...

The walk back is quiet and quick. They were only just outside of the house, after all, and it looks like a familiar purple-clad... boy? Girl? Person? Has been leaning up against the door in wait.

He’ll greet the both of them as soon as they round the corner.

–––– ❝ Hey! Took you guys a while, ❞ she says, waving the pair over. ❝ I uh... I admit to overhearin’ what just went on, but I won’t press either o’ you about it. ❞

–––– ❝ ...Thank you. Mine apologies for taking so long. ❞ He’ll look down to Vaati, now, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. ❝ I have... a question to ask of you. Given that the next task is to furnish this... house, and to give you a place to stay... do you have something in mind? Describe it for me, and I can replicate it. ❞

–––– ❝ An’ don’t be modest about it either! Tell ‘im what’cha want. He’ll make sure it’s up to snuff. But uh... Try to keep it on the small side, would’ja? Needs to fit on this property. Otherwise I gotta deal with even more legal nonsense than I’m about to for this. Yer gonna basically be a legal citizen once we’re done.

...But anyway! Shuttin’ up now. ❞

Enabling creation mode...

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•––––▼ ▽ 

A familiar weight ‘pon the deity’s crown begins to feel... warmer, than usual. Are the effects of being touched by Creation itself being made manifest? In response to this, Lorin will release the boy from his grip and stand up a bit straighter, holding his head a bit higher.

It’s glowing very faintly but, there, near the back of his head... rests an ephemeral antler-shaped crown of pinpoint stars. They are followed by a crown of smaller white antlers moving in on themselves and circling around. All in all, it’s a mesmerizing sight.

To both command and receive respect in turn. That was Creation’s gift.

And... as quickly as it appeared, it is gone. The crown fades into nothing, but its effects are eternal.

Pleased with the young mage’s response, Lorin will smile softly toward him. Finally, a breakthrough.

–––– ❝ Thank you for your cooperation, ❞ he says, relieved. ❝ Now. Let us make for our destination once more. We have kept Ravio waiting long enough, have we not? ❞

Given that she was watching this entire squabble some ways away, maybe.

–––– ❝ Again... ❞ Again. A hand outstretched. ❝ You need not take it. But I will offer my hand to you anyway. ...Shall we? ❞

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•––––▼ ▽ 

Nope.

Without thinking, Lorin will fast-walk up to him and immediately pull him back by the shoulders. Then, when he has the boy secured in his grasp, he will spin the young mage around and kneel down to look him properly in the face.

That is a stern look.

–––– ❝ Absolutely not. ❞ His grip is loose. Could wriggle out of it. ❝ I will not let you come to harm under my watch. I care not for whatever definition of power you seek-- you are not going anywhere on your own. Do you understand me? ❞

Please. Just put him in time-out.

–––– ❝ ...You will not find power in the den of have-been thieves and brutes. You will only find misery and pain. My hometown may look normal on the surface, but there is a seedy underbelly I cannot allow someone like you to find.

I promise you, you are better off coming with me.

...I only wish to guarantee your safety. ❞

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•––––▼ ▽ 

He cannot help the bodily reaction ( a grimace, some flinching ) to such shrill screeching. It’s grating on the ears-- so much so it is physically painful. In response, he will pull the invisible hood of his glamoured robe up and over his head, making it look like is he merely running a hand through his hair. The screeching is immediately dulled. He’ll say a mental thank you to his husband for helping him to acquire this, and flatten everything down before sallying forth with... whatever the rest of his plan is.

Better. Much better. Now he can focus.

...Hold the phone. Why does he recognize those lines.

–––– ❝ If I did not know any better, ❞ he says, putting a hand on his hip and leaning into it, ❝ I would think you weren’t reciting lines from various children’s plays to illustrate your point. ❞

The sass that’s in that tone of his. Goodness.

–––– ❝ Love is weakness? Where did you hear such tripe from? Tell me-- how? How would love only weaken you? Please. I would love to hear what you truly think. ❞

All right, now he’s just egging him on.

–––– ❝ I am your captive audience. Do tell me how I am wrong. ❞

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•––––▼ ▽ 

Ah. I see, he thinks. All this flaunting is simply to cover up the fact that Lorin had gotten right to the heart of the problem. Can’t let people know you’re vulnerable, right? Absolutely.

He wants to just... to just scream, cover his face and just scream in frustration a little, but he will keep that internal. No, no-- he has Vaati right where he wants him.

GODS, he hopes so.

–––– ❝ ...No. ❞

It’s very curt. Very blunt. A simple no, a simple “you are so, so fucking wrong”.

...Has to cover his face for a moment. No screaming, though. He’ll start speaking through his fingers, then let his hands drop.

–––– ❝ I... no. No? No. I cannot physically express how incorrect you are, but I shall give it my best effort. First off-- I do not look down upon people, and not everyone worships the ground I tread. I wish to meet them where they are at, and use my abilities to assist where I can. In a way, everyone is equal to me. As my younger brother likes to put it, I am “just some guy”. My people pray for my guidance, sure, but beg? Absolutely not. ❞

The urge to slap himself upside the forehead is real, but he will not commit. Instead, he will throw his arms out to gesticulate his next point.

–––– ❝ Furthermore! I prefer the mundane! One might think me insane for preferring to, say, wash dishes by hand rather than instantly clean them with mine own magic, but... it is a grounding tool. I used it as a coping mechanism in the past, and it is still treating me rather well to this day. I feel more... connected to this world, one could say. ❞

This is not impossible. He can do this. He sighs again, in an effort to calm himself down.

–––– ❝ I am very powerful. I can alter this very reality in any way I desire if I so choose. Do you want to know why I do not do that? Why I do not force people to worship me, to kiss the ground I walk on?

...Because of that very force I spake of. I will tell you, right now, what it is.

it is love.

Love is what I, and those around me, utilized to bring my homeland back from the brink. Mine own power alone was not enough. But, through what various abilities my family brings to the table, anything is possible.

...Vaati.

I can tell you are hurt. Someone did something to you, and you craved the ability to strike back at them in a feeble attempt to nurse that hurt.

Seeking the power you sought has only brought you to further ruin. I would advise you to tread a different path.

...This time, perhaps, not alone. ❞

Again, a hand outstretched.

–––– ❝ I am willing to tread that path with you. ❞

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•––––▼ ▽

A sigh.

–––– ❝ ...That is not what I mean. Mayhap I need to be a bit clearer in my delivery. ❞

The petulance of this child is palpable. He needs to be patient, though. Take a step back. Start from step one.

Right.

–––– ❝ The power I spake of was not mine to hold immediately. It had to be fostered, tended to like a plant. If it was ignored, it would have wilted. Refused to bloom. It is a power I share with others. With it, all things are possible.

It is not the Light Force, either. Mine apologies for not making that clear. ❞

He will ignore the kicking of the rock, mostly, save from rolling his eyes at the display. Children.

–––– ❝ ...Have you considered that the Light Force is not something you actually need? Mayhap you are... compensating for something. ❞ And this is where Lorin will gently squeeze Vaati’s hand. ❝ Why do you want for the Light Force so badly? Was it to get back at someone who hurt you? Was it to prove a point? What would you have done, had you succeeded? What would you have done all by your lonesome, at the top?

Is there any joy to be found in being completely alone?

Answer these questions, and I will tell you what this force I speak of is. ❞

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•––––▼ ▽

There is a... smile, that crosses his lips. This is not a smile born of sadness, mirth, or even pity. It’s one born of a realization: I have a lot of work ahead of me.

...Perhaps it’s self-pity, then.

Regardless, he’ll clear his throat and try to think of the best way to answer this. That specifically requires looking down toward the young man he’s leading by the hand for a moment, making a “tsk” sound, and then looking straight ahead.

What am I to do with you, he thinks.

Then... he has it.

–––– ❝ ...I may be a god, but power is not what I seek. ❞ He will briefly close his eyes and sigh, collecting his thoughts. ❝ Power is not everything. Rather, the power you desire is not everything. ...Power is not why He seeks solitude, nor why He seeks treasure, so on and so forth. He seeks these things due to what truly drives man to do what He does-- curiosity. A sense of adventure. And, sometimes, fellowship. There is nothing to be found in sheer, destructive power, except for misery. ❞

Lorin will look down at him, now.

–––– ❝ ...Power is not the only thing that affects reality, either. No. I know of a force much stronger than that. It is a force than binds us all together, for weal or for woe. It can strengthen bonds, but also sever them. That is the nature of this force-- but, so far, it has been nothing but a boon for both I and my kin.

One day, you might come to understand what that force is. Perhaps it was a force even your master understood.

I will say this, though.

I think your arrival here is a lesson in understanding this force. ❞

No, he will not elaborate.

[ about page for someone who is basically a fucked up white mage ]

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•–––– ♛ ▽

His hand is warm.

It is soft, too. Well, where there aren’t pieces of jewelry constantly jangling around.

Most importantly, his grip is gentle, gentle enough for Vaati to remove his hand at any point if he wishes. 

The walk back is fairly uneventful. Quiet, even, apart from the occasional birdsong and insect chirps. It’s... relatively peaceful, even, compared to the events of the last few minutes.

Lorin finds himself humming something as they walk, mostly to occupy himself but also to fill in the silence.

Eventually, though, he will cease his humming to ask a question.

–––– ❝ ...Tell me, young one, ❞ he starts. ❝ You do not know how you got here. You do not know why there is but only a drop left of the great magic that once flowed throughout your veins. Why do you crave for this power once more? Was there a reason for holding it at all? Why do you think it was taken from you? ❞

reduced-threat-vaati-reborn​:

•-)•–––– ♛ ▽ 

Now this.

This is a problem.

Before Ravio has a chance to get a single word out, hell, even a noise, Lorin barks out a command.

–––– ❝ Stay here. ❞

And he’s off.

The speed with which he moves is almost nauseating. He practically glides over the earth, skipping over every wayward stone and stump with ease. It’s impossible to tell if his feet are even making contact with the ground, what with the lack of noise he produces. All in all, it would probably be terrifying to be his quarry.

Eventually, he reaches his destination-- and without hesitation, he leaps off the edge.

A few seconds pass into his free fall, and his target is in sight. He will make a grab for around the boy’s middle and, once he’s sure Vaati is secured within his grasp, stop the both of them in place. He will then pause for but a moment before ascending the ravine, ignoring any sounds of protest, cries or whimpers.

Only when, and only when the both of their feet are touching solid ground, will he release his grip on the boy and gently set him down.

A part of him wants to chastise the boy for literally not thinking before he leapt, but he knows that would not do the either of them any good in the moment. Instead, Lorin will kneel down to meet the other at eye level, quietly examine him for any immediately obvious wounds, and then address him when he finds none.

–––– ❝ ...You are not hurt. That is good, ❞ he says, heaving a sigh. ❝ I am... still, sorry for scaring you earlier. I misjudged the situation. You have my deepest apologies. Just... know, that Lorule is not a place for wandering about aimlessly. Please be careful. ❞

With that, he will stand up.

...And, offer a hand.

–––– ❝ Will you accompany me back to the house? You need not hold my hand if you are uncomfortable with being touched, or with touching me. ❞

NEGATIVE  TRAITS  OF  THE  ZODIAC  SIGNS .

𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑺.          tries to do everything at once.   doesn’t know when to stop & take care of themselves.      bends over backwards for everyone even if someone did them dirty.     has entirely too much on their plate. over-assertive. both insensitive and oversensitive.

𝑻𝑨𝑼𝑹𝑼𝑺.          idealistic.     spends a lot of time trying to impress others.     doesn’t like to apologize.     eating is a coping mechanism or just addictive personalities in general.     a tad co—dependent.

𝑮𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑰.          the most flip—floppy people ever.     what’s today’s mood? never apologizes.     in denial 90% of the time.     their way or the highway.     desperately needs a break.     has a hard time setting goals because their goals scare them.

𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑹.          the literal meaning of  ‘i’ll give you the shirt off my back’.    isolates themselves in fear of someone hurting them.    wants to change but is scared of change.     complains a lot but never takes the advice people give them.

𝑳𝑬𝑶.          no one takes them seriously because they feel they always have to portray themselves as the fun one.    is actually really sad inside. honestly needs a hug. always exhausted.    a crackhead.

𝑽𝑰𝑹𝑮𝑶.          can dish it but can’t take it.     rushes everything.     anxious.     plans their future but forgets to live in the moment.     sometimes ignores their friends because they have so much on their mind.     talks about themselves a lot & sometimes forgets to ask the other person how they are.

𝑳𝑰𝑩𝑹𝑨.          solves everyone’s problems but their own.     is actually really sad & lonely.     gets easily heartbroken but tries not to show it.    will do anything to justify bad decisions.   honestly just wants everyone to love them but doesn’t really love themselves.

𝑺𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑰𝑶. easily set off.     will give anyone the cold shoulder at any given time even without reason.     keeps a lot in.     so observant that they often times find out things that hurt them.   too many  ‘what ifs’  swirling in their head.  has trouble showing their true self.

𝑺𝑨𝑮𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑼𝑺.         impatient.   brash.     commitment issues.     body issues.     doesn’t realize they don’t need to change for anyone.     has a lot of different goals to a point where they get overwhelmed.     just wants to disappear & do what they want without anyone questioning them.

𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑪𝑶𝑹𝑵.         scared people won’t like them unless they’re at the top of their game 24/7.     it takes a lot for them to talk about their feelings.   secretly struggling.     fake happy.     needs a plan but doesn’t know what that plan is. confident but insecure at the same time.     wants to be stable but sometimes wishes they could drop everyone’s expectations of them & live normally.

𝑨𝑸𝑼𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑼𝑺.          gets heartbroken like 30 times a week.     trust issues.     can be unmotivated & disinterested.     feels they have to adapt to every person they meet so they can be liked.    doesn’t know how to tap into their emotions despite being very intuitive.   confused. expects little.

𝑷𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑬𝑺.          empathetic,  often to a point of no return.     plays the victim.     doesn’t know when to say no.     cynical.   hermit.     is very impatient.     trusts everyone too much.     can be secretly very critical & judgmental.     can only tolerate maybe ten minutes of social interaction.     needs a lot of validation.