@yunhuntress liked for a starter. [ FANG | ELLIOT ]

He’s trying not to stare. He’s trying to play it cool and pay attention to Fin but they both know his eyes and mind are elsewhere and the knowing look the Sargent is giving Elliot is more than enough to make him laugh. No, it wasn’t funny, all contraire, Elliot laugh is more out of pity for himself. Because, once more, he cease to act on his feelings, once more through neglect and unclearness he had come to lose Olivia once more and this time around? He knows it is forever.

Blue eyes chance one more glance into the office where said woman had been engaged in quite the animated conversation with whom he is only assuming to be her new girlfriend. The laughs, he can hear them… they are full of life and genuine and as much as it kills Elliot to admit it, she is happy without him. Well, hate is a strong word because all he ever wanted was for Olivia’s happiness just that this time around he was ready to try harder but it was too late for such a thing. He had fumbled, allowed himself the excuse of timing for them to not be together and now they probably never will. After picking up the case file Fin had spoken to him about, the detective decided to leave without really saying anything to Olivia. Walking out of the bullpen in the direction of the elevator. The trip would be longer down now that his mind is stuck with Olivia and her new partner.

There had been laughter in the office as Fang had brought flowers for Olivia along with some homemade lunch she had done for her. It was her way of checking in on her partner and ensuring she properly ate. It was something she also did for Noah in the mornings and evenings in helping to take him to school and getting his own lunch made with his help at night too. A little activity together. A nice family routine of sorts and one Fang cherished.

She had given Olivia a tender kiss goodbye, knowing she had to get back to her own work soon enough at the mechanic shop. Waving off to some of the other detectives who knew her, she moved to the elevator in time to catch it before her green eyes locked to Elliot's face. A face she knew too well from old pictures and a name she recalled from talks with Olivia and others in the department.

She kept her back straight while looking to him before motioning toward the numbers on the elevator. "Headed down and out yourself?" she asked deciding to try and keep civil. The man had once been something extremely important to Liv and still was to some degree. He was the one who could have taken her heart to treat it well if he had taken the chance to step up, but now that heart truly belonged to Fang. It was something Fang would not lose nor injure in any capacity as she truly loved Olivia for being herself. She had been there to help the woman grow in ways she knew Olivia never thought was possible for herself, and she encouraged her to continue being fully true to her.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon around here, Stabler," she remarked calmly once more keeping her tone even.

" i think playing zariel's little game a bit longer will just get us there. we fight this war, kill some fucking imps and devils, keep doing that and she'll turn her back long enough. i think, at this point, she's making sure there's no escape route for me. she's more worried about me getting out of avernus then fixing the engine. i'm her little demonsbane. "

i'm her little demonsbane is said with such vile sarcasm, there's absolutely no doubt that karlach absolutely hates it. she'd absolutely hate the tattoos, and burns and the engine itself if all of those now didn't have good memories attached to them as well. someone loved her as is, but she can't be as is if she doesn't permanently stabilize the engine for faerun.

" we have the battle a little ways up the river and if the pattern keeps up, this is one of the bigger ones then there's a pause while the enemy rebuilds an army and lines it back up all for the same thing. we get through that, then we'll have a couple of days, at least, to get to the forge. for now, though, let's take this little break to eat this ugly chicken and prepare for tomorrow. "

"You are no one's bane." Fang was quick to correct despite understanding the sarcasm from her companion. The woman moved a hand to rest it along Karlach's left shoulder for a moment. A gentle squeeze was given showing Fang would always be her support through thick and thin. She was there, and would always remain right at her side. As she spoke of the directions to fight, Fang made note of that. A proper tactical plan and one she would adhere to. Hearing of eating, she adjusted to lean against Karlach a bit more time. She had no doubts they'd get through and fight on through hell for as long as it took. Fang would always help her tielfing, and it showed in her actions.

"We'll get through this and you'll never have to be here again." she promised only to reach to stroke along Karlach's chin for a moment. Green eyes gazing up to her face with a tender smile on her own lips. "I want to give you that peace as you deserve so much fucking more and I will do my damnedest to give you the world, Karlach."

the shadow-cursed lands are entirely unforgiving. kristen has made it a show of walking through this new freedom seemingly without a care, but this place was draining. even trying to get sleep at the last light inn seems nearly impossible because if something happened to isobel, they'd all be screwed. there's only so much a little pixie friend can do and kristen is positive that pixie friend, who makes her sing stupid rhymes, will only help kristen and her immediate crew. pixies are tricksters.

she had a feeling that fang checking in and out would make a timely appearance -- doesn't forsake the fact that kristen very rarely trusts word [ karlach was the only exception ], but actions do speak louder and kristen is truly growing fond of fang and the woman's very random appearances. the tiefling's lips are curled into a scowl, a growl almost escaping her lips.

" we can't leave! " kristen just shouts, raises her sword, swings it and the sensitive shadow-cursed souls split. mouths the last thing that just disappear as if they wanted to scream.

" halsin is trying to fix this mess. we have to keep this up. "

Utilizing her strength and magic, the woman surged forward to burn and slay more demons as they kept coming. Her positioning shifted to cover more of Kristen's backside to keep the tiefling well-protected from any sneak attacks.

At least Fang was a well-seasoned warrior, keeping up with the oncoming attacks left and right. Her blade sliced and slashed through numerous attackers. Her drive to keep them both alive was in full-throttle mode after all. Blade thrust through flesh and soon was retracted as Fang kicked the body off her blade to move to rest her spine against her companion for a brief moment to breathe. "I'll keep holding the line as best as I can for him then. I'm not going to let you or Halsin fall. We can fix this mess, "she growled out, cracking her neck to keep attacking and fighting the good fight.

More kept coming, but Fang eventually pushed forward to draw attention away from Kristen to keep enemies focused more on her to the best of her ability.

"Just keep swinging and keeping yourself alive! I still stand by my comment of not losing you!" she shouted.

Her forehead leans back against Fang's, exhaling slowly as she tries to breathe, to calm herself down. The last thing she needs to do here is lose control entirely.

(She's already lost control.)

But she hasn't set fire to the room, hasn't exploded anything with her mind yet, or whatever fucking sorceresses do; Xu inhales. Exhales. Keeps breathing.

The bangle works. They know it works. They'd given that little shit Odine money to make sure it worked, and to design better ones for Garden's use.

This one has a thumbprint scanner, and she knows it's not keyed to anyone in this room.

"How long am I locked in here? Or am I free to go? Where's the commander?"

Where's Squall, so she can tell him to his face that now he's ruined her life for real?

And waking up strapped down to a bed is not a point in her favor for walking out of here without any kind of fight. One of the medics moves in, and Xu catches the glimpse of a syringe in hand, filled with something.

"Get the fuck away from me," she snarls. Or else she'll shove that syringe somewhere he really won't like. "I'm not some wild animal you need to sedate."

I won't do this. I won't be one of them.

Fang remained steady at her side where she could hold to her and be her anchor. "I don't know how long you are in here, but I want you fucking out and with me where you belong," Fang remarked only to shift to spot the medic moving in closer. Before they could stab her with it, Fang grabbed the wrist with it and pushed the medic back using her own strength for a moment. "She is right in not being a fucking animal." she snapped. "Don't fucking touch my wife." Fang was ready to kill if need be to protect Michele from any more torture of any kind. "Get Squall here."

Fang punches someone; Xu doesn't see who, only that she's barging through the door with people coming in after her, straight to her.

She doesn't allow herself to say anything, not until her arms are free, until her legs are free, until she can lurch up into her wife's hold. She's not dead, she's in one whole piece, she's not hurt--

(but she can feel it, under her skin, writhing like maggots, like worms.)

"Get it out of me," she begs in a voice that threatens to crack, get it out of her, give it to someone else, anyone else. If anyone had asked, if anyone had ever bothered to dig deep enough to find out, they would know this is her worst nightmare.

There's a thick cuff of silvery-dark metal around her wrist like a single handcuff, something she only notices because Fang's hair gets caught in the edge of it when Xu finally pulls back enough to breathe.

Someone else is talking to her, words filtered distantly through panic, through the sound of her heart beating hard in her chest. She doesn't care. The bangle is there, mocking her as openly as Esthar had raged against the aftermath of Adel's occupation. She can escape it, she can be sent away from it...

But it's always going to come after her.

She should have never taken that job, never done this tiny favor for Squall.

Holding to her like a lifeline, Fang kept her strong arms around her ignoring all the other noise around them. Her wife needed her and she heard the pleas and the harshness within them lying deep inside of the other woman. Fang understood this was the nightmare for Michele and it infuriated her things had unfolded as they did but she wasn't going anywhere.

Easing an arm from around her, she moved it to interlock their fingers for a moment as green eyes looked to brown. "I can't rip it out of you as what is done is done. I think Rinoa's in a third or fourth surgery and if I remember correctly on how this shit happens, you were the one she passed this to." she uttered only to lean in to rest her forehead to Michele's

"But you aren't alone in this as I will be right here alongside you."

She would rip the energy away from her if she could however as she had handled violitile magic before in her life. Remaining close to her wife, she noticed the bangle after it had untangled from her hair. Fingers moved to touch it before looking once more to Michele.

"I'm not leaving you."

It happens without warning.

An escort mission, gone badly awry-- Rinoa Heartilly, in Deling General, recovering from a gunshot wound. Michele Xu, in a subterranean infirmary of Galbadia Garden, surrounded by walls backed with Odine metal, asleep for three straight days before anyone thinks to notify her wife that anything had happened at all.

(And it's only Squall that manages it, because this is the kind of thing that should be kept under wraps, that shouldn't be known. The succession happens, but they hadn't planned on it ever moving from Rinoa. At least, not without a good plan in place.)

Michele Xu, coming to, slowly, confused, blinking against entirely too much sleep grit in her eyes, feeling like her body weighs a thousand pounds, moving to rub at her face, and unable to lift her arms from where they've been pinned down with soft restraints to the cot.

"--What?" Murmured, exhausted, pulling her arms again and getting nowhere for her effort. Her head turns, searching for someone, anyone-- the room is empty, and she sees Fang behind the window, talking to medics in Galbadia red scrubs. "Fang?"

The whole place must be soundproofed, though, because her voice falls flat. Xu moves again, pulling, lifting her upper body as much as she can off the bed.

"Fang," she tries again, louder this time.

(Rinoa, bleeding all over the ground and Xu's lap, Rinoa, grabbing her wrist in an iron hold and whispering that she's so sorry, before all that magic lets go, and Xu has no choice in the matter, can't escape it, can't evade it.)

The panic is delayed, filtering up through those thousand pounds of exhaustion, sedatives, whatever else they'd done to her. Whatever the magic had done to her, an insidious, unwanted invader in her veins.

The panic is delayed, but it doesn't mean it doesn't break through eventually, and she feels something in her shoulder pull painfully, reigniting an old injury as she fights against the restraints, against the inevitability.

She can't be-- she won't be--

Why?

"Fang!"

The notification came far too late, and Fang was rightly blowing up at every fucking person in either Garden as well. She didn't give a damn who was in command, but she was beyond furious and unleashing hell even at the doctors in the red scrubs. Her features were contorted in that fury and anger Michele would recognize far too well when Fang was off the deep end with her rage.

No one had notified her at the time it happened. It was three days later when she was informed about it, and she was beyond furious. Squall had to deal with her proper fury. It was a damned good thing she no longer had Ragnarok in her system to contend with. While she understood it was something no one wanted out to the public, Michele was her fucking wife! Fang had every right to know what happened to her.

In time, she turned to look through the glass to see her partner awake. Instinct overrode any sense of warning from everyone. She knew that look from her and could tell Xu was yelling for her. She'd be damned if she let anyone get in her fucking way, getting to her wife.

Fang ignored all commands of no going into the room and got in after decking a guard at the door. She left him with a busted nose as she stepped into the containment area and moved straight to her beloved. "I'm here." she uttered, only to reach out to gently caress Michele's cheek. "I'm so fucking sorry I wasn't here sooner." she added.

Her touch was tender and warm with familiar callouses as Fang reached down to press a soft kiss to her forehead for a gentle moment despite all the chaos around and within them. While she saw the restraints, she hated they were on her wife and she worked to undo them, understanding how Michele hated being in such conditions. Too many flashbacks of the past in hospitals left Fang beyond murderous for such treatment of her woman even if now she was a sorceress.

The huntress knew in her bones she could handle whatever was done to her by magics, even if she held none herself any longer. There was a sense of calm in the back of her mind regardless of it all. Reaching to hold Xu's hand, Fang looked to her and remained as her rock and mountain of support.

Oh, the misery,

Everybody wants to be my enemy!

Come join us at The Last Drop Arcane server!

This server has been created to connect everyone of the fandom together! The server is 21+ to join. Here we share our ideas, music, art, and more. This is a roleplay friendly server, and anyone from both the Arcane and League of Legends fandom are welcome to join. If you are into a small chit-chat, or having a place where you can share your ideas, this is the server for you.

We hold weekly calls, and monthly streams. That way we can unite people together, and share our interest in the fandom and the show!

Hope to see you there!

Love, The management of The Last Drop

Hello, friends! I have, per friends' request, created a GoFundMe for my Stupid Cancer Bills. At this point, I am just desperately trying to keep my head above water (paying some of the lab bills this month has left me with $15 in my account, and I won't even SEE the bill for the hysterectomy until probably April, so who knows what that will be!)

Venmo/cashapp are @irishais, and here's my PayPal.me if that's preferred.

If people could reblog and share this, that would be deeply appreciated.

Oh, the misery,

Everybody wants to be my enemy!

Come join us at The Last Drop Arcane server!

This server has been created to connect everyone of the fandom together! The server is 21+ to join. Here we share our ideas, music, art, and more. This is a roleplay friendly server, and anyone from both the Arcane and League of Legends fandom are welcome to join. If you are into a small chit-chat, or having a place where you can share your ideas, this is the server for you.

We hold weekly calls, and monthly streams. That way we can unite people together, and share our interest in the fandom and the show!

Hope to see you there!

Love, The management of The Last Drop

hey, y'all, i'm dealing with what my oncologist is fairly confident calling stage 1 endometrial cancer. i haven't had my surgery yet, and there are already bills coming in from the multiple procedures i've already had to deal with, so if you feel slightly compelled to pad my shoestring budget for this nightmare: cashapp/venmo are @irishais, kofi is here.

it is stage 1, I'm getting jerked around by my insurance company, and now I have to get MORE TESTS before the surgery can even get scheduled bc they found more shit, so--!

hey, y'all, i'm dealing with what my oncologist is fairly confident calling stage 1 endometrial cancer. i haven't had my surgery yet, and there are already bills coming in from the multiple procedures i've already had to deal with, so if you feel slightly compelled to pad my shoestring budget for this nightmare: cashapp/venmo are @irishais, kofi is here.