[ P ] The Serpent's Saint

Out of the ash, i rise with my red hair—
and i eat men like air

She can't quite remember the last time she was ever this deep in the heart of the countries evils—the business of the underworld was certainly grim and malicious, but the Imperial Army was a force to always be reckoned—and fucked—with. Unfettered access to power that could be displayed tenfold in the eye of public, or kept locked away in a deep dark dungeon, was likely what held her allure. She never quite liked lingering here, that was certain. But she also paid her dues on occasion via time in the dungeons—and she recalls a pretty face that was just too irresistible to no play with. But he was likely long gone, retired perhaps, settling with a bore of a wife and kids he likely held resentment towards.

Aely, however, had three; her heart warms only for them, because of them—she was also here, slinking through the barracks with ease for one, her sweetest Annora. This was a path forged on her daughters own accord, to her knowledge, atleast. She didnt protest, she only reminded her of the dangers of anywhere, and everywhere. She made sure Annora was aware of what may be asked while here, what she could see and not—but really, it was no different than the world Aely fought to grow up in.

Her mind is easily tugged away from the detour it was taking down memory lane, green hues lingering on the two bodies she's watching slowly twitch into a slumber. She was kind, though only for the sake of keeping her daughter's life easy. A tempting treat laced with dusted herbs that would go unnoticed to make them pass out and wake with a blurred memory was merely a favor on their end. She posed as a visiting friend of Annora's, curiously asking about her schedule, timing out when she should slip them their snack.

When they're finally under, aely is slipping the very little remnants of her gift into a tiny pouch, one she would discard the moment she was out of the barracks, burying it to leave for the earth to consume when she was far enough away from the borders. In the meantime, she's pulled a rabbit freshly caught just before appearing in annora's shared quarters. She watches the door like a child eager to see a surprise being given just to them, or—like a mother who's all too eager to see her daughter for the first time in what seems like forever, but was really only a couple of weeks, promising to leave her to her duties as the new faces came in to the fold of the army. There is even a subtle sway of her tail as she waits, rabbit laying at her side as she waits for Annora to finally arrive.

code // art

annora o'conaill

Annora hurriedly wiped at her sweaty brow, slipping through the soldiers at the edges of the vicinity. She had just ended a particularly brutal training session, one in which she had not been a total utter failure, which was heartening. Maybe failure was the wrong word. Challenged? Uncoordinated? She was trying her best here, but she was the low woman on the totem pole and her complete lack of basic competency proved it. She was a quick study, and she was already strong coming in - and growing stronger by the day. But that did not mean she had an abundance of stamina, or hand-eye coordination, or really anything actually useful for being here.

But she wanted it. She wanted this. And that's what drove her every day, sweating through her exercises, toughening her skin when she was shouted at by her supervising officers, doing extra workouts before bed, waking up at the crack of dawn. She was utterly exhausted, but she felt like she was earning something here. The routine, the predictability... It was so different from anything else she'd known before. She was tired, and beaten up, and sore, but she kind of loved it. She was dwelling on this buoying feeling when she entered her rooms, which were shared with two other cadets, and saw her mother.

Annora stopped dead, as if she had run into a brick wall. Her jaw dropped open, and she blurted ineloquently: "M-Mom?" Her amber eyes moved quickly over Aely's excited and anticipatory face. A second later, her nose twitched as she noticed the dead rabbit, clearly an offering for a shared meal. And a second after that, her eyes landed on her two roommates, neatly arranged in the corner. The blood drained from her body, and a cold, sick feeling washed over her. "What --" She lurched forward, feeling like she was moving in molasses, but it took only another second, another heartbeat, to register that they were still alive, but asleep. Still alive. But asleep.

She sucked down a breath, a war of emotions vying for first position. "What are you doing here?" she finished, trying to arrange her expression into something less than horrified shock and into something more...welcoming. "How did you...?" She did not need to gesture to the cadets, or the rabbits, or her mother's very presence, for Aely to understand Annora's intention.

""

code by claerie

Out of the ash, i rise with my red hair—
and i eat men like air

Her face brightens even more the moment she hears her daughter walk in, and then she's sitting up, a paw on the rabbit beside her. She gives Annora the courtesy of soaking in the sight before her, letting her analyze until all of the pieces fall together. Aely would never endanger her daughter—killing cadets, in Annora's room no less, would surely put her in harm's way.

"Annora, Mo theine beag bòidheach." (Annora, my beautiful little fire.) She coos, still watching but admiring the ember flecked from her own soul; the one of three she's kept safe from the world, that she's watched ignite into a flame that now burns bright. A hum of satisfaction from her own throat draws her into the look on her daughters face.

"I wanted to see you—to feed you, make sure you're healthy." She lists off the reasons shes here, almost matter of factly as her tone remains light. She gives a tilt of her head, following her daughter's line of sight. When she casts an emerald gaze over the two cadets shes tucked away for their nap time, Aely gives a quiet laugh. Her limbs push her from the ground, her maw snagging the rabbit between her teeth as she makes her way over to Annora. The rabbit is dropped infront of her as Aely circles her, sitting by her side. "How did I—make sure your fellow cadets didnt report the over eager mother that just wanted to see her daughter—in the barracks, of all places?" She finishes her daughters question, unashamedly. "That is information you likely already know, sweet girl. But, I will be offended if you truly believe i couldn't sneak into here unnoticed." She extends a paw out to the rabbit, curling it in to pull the meal for Annora closer. "They are just resting—which i hope you're doing, Annora, when you can. Your well being is still just as important as your training." Secretly, its a worry of Aely's—Annora's safety and health, they both go hand in hand when it comes to Aely's fears while she's living a life amongst those who are bred and trained to snuff out those who dwell in the shadows to work. Annora is the daughter of a shadow dwellerborn into and empire known to live freely in the dark; always pursued by those who believe that horrors live in the dark, even though they choose to ignore that the light often harbors just as many horrors.

code // art

"Annora, Mo theine beag bòidheach." Annora felt a tightness leave her slightly at those familiar words, the familiar moniker that meant something dear to her. "I wanted to see you—to feed you, make sure you're healthy." She tried to smile, hoping it did not appear more like a grimace. She was happy to see her mother - truly happy - but this was...unexpected. She wouldn't have had it this way. She wouldn't have chosen it like this. But she'd come to terms with the fact that she could choose very little when it came to her family. They walked their own path, her mother most of all.

Aely guessed the intention behind Annora's questions easily. The girl watched her mother trace a path around the room with the rabbit, ending up beside her. Effortless, assured. Two words Annora could never use for herself. "How did I—make sure your fellow cadets didn't report the over eager mother that just wanted to see her daughter—in the barracks, of all places? That is information you likely already know, sweet girl. But, I will be offended if you truly believe i couldn't sneak into here unnoticed." Her eyes drifted back to her roommates - her friends - before finding her mother again. "They are just resting—which i hope you're doing, Annora, when you can. Your well being is still just as important as your training."

Duty and love waged a war inside her, common sense clashing with blind faith. She had drank this particular cocktail many times; she knew the harsh burn of it in her throat. Her decision came quickly, as it often did when Aely's eyes rested heavily upon her. After a small pause, Annora accepted the offering and began to eat, tearing a strip of flesh from the rabbit. Once she had finished the bite, and trying not to look at the sleeping bodies in the corner, she said, "Not as much as you'd probably like, but the idea is that we live to see the next training session, so I get enough." She gave a half smile. She knew her mother worried about her being here. She was the only one of her siblings to take this path. But it gave her something of her own, and it was making her stronger. She knew it.

"I'm making friends. It's...hard, but soon I won't be a cadet anymore. I'll be able to do more." She busied herself with another bite so she didn't have to reflect upon what she meant by that. She knew that the implication behind her being here, the way she'd sold it to her overprotective mother, was that she was going to be on the inside of one of the biggest threats to their family. Get in, be known, be trusted, learn, and get out. That was the plan. She just couldn't...say it. She swallowed a somewhat dry mouthful of rabbit.

table by ferus, image by ashon, bg from unsplash