✦ meet me on the battlefield !!

[Vivika]

✦ ━ 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘
‎ ‎ ⊰ starring. cathan, ollie • notes. lil writing exercise; flipped pov (pt1)! ⊱‎

despite being outside the chateau and several steps down the worn stone path, his sword’s exasperated sigh still travelled.

if he was lucky, that particular sigh with all its unspoken syllables and strained notes only graced his ears less than a dozen times before sundown. but today? it’d reached a record high.

at this rate, he should just sign cathan up for an orchestra. his sword had enough breath in his lungs to play every woodwind instrument and all the percussions plus wave a conductor’s baton around. maybe cathan could play orchestra while running a marathon, but that would require juggling, since it was impossible to carry all those instruments…

“alright, alright i’m coming!” snorting, he swept the tulle petals into the curls of sun-kissed grass, their tips bejewelled with morning dew. the sim artisan’s attention to detail was exquisite, the rendering of light and dark, shadow and blend near perfection. “just cleaning up my mess!”

the problem with cathan was the poor guy could just never… let go. perhaps poor sim scores were not exactly flattering, but surely everyone had a bad day? it wasn’t like complaining and trudging around like a destructive, sleep-deprived mammoth would solve their predicament either. and voids, they hadn’t even had to redo that awful sim.

this right here?

an idyllic sanctuary of sols and daydew far from the ichor of the mutated lupines and brimstones of the previous sim. a scene spun from a fairytale legend sewn with the lacework of cedars and pines with a finishing flourish of birdsong. knowing cathan, though, he was probably pacing inside that chateau like a caged creature, cursing everything in sight.

[Vivika]

✦ ━ 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒
‎ ‎ ⊰ starring. cathan, ollie • notes. flipped pov of this interaction <3 ⊱‎

he was wrong.

tucked within the caress the solarium, his sword seemed… lost. lost in a reverie as though the spell of the sim had seduced him with a lover’s kiss, distracting him from the curse of his thoughts. without the scowl blighting his angular jaw, the daylight painted his features with a soft watercolor brush, filling in the curve of his cheeks and taming the storm locked in those eyes.

for a moment, cathan wasn’t that destructive, sleep-deprived mammoth with a grudge against the sols, the seven seas and the souls above and beneath. he was at ease. relaxed and contemplative. gentle.

but moments were like promises━forever on the cusp of breaking.

“you seemed calmer for a second there.” he tossed a wink in cathan’s direction. “an improvement for a little thundercloud like yourself.”

with a sigh, he plopped down onto the cushion, the fabric rough against his limbs. the gleam of porcelain teacups and a teapot lush with jeweled moonflowers lifted a secret smile to his lips. the scientist had a sense of humor. getting the tea on their working partnership with a tea party.

clasping the handle, he poured cups of tea, the heat sending a tremble through his grasp. pale tea sloshed onto a deck of neatly stacked cards. a rather… thin set of cards.

“you realize this is a sim, right?” his sword’s scowl returned, a creature of bloodlust. “none of this is real. pouring me a cup of tea is a waste of time.”

he snorted. “you realize it couldn’t hurt to just, y’know, play along?” he indicated the tea set with a flourish. “amuse whatever-his-name-is who has sentenced us to our little tea party demise together?”

his sword’s teacup slid higher, concealing the twist of his lips. “satisfied?”

although his eyes still blazed with the intensity of cool flames, the small gesture was still a win.

“hey, i’ll take it. ‘least it hides your scowl.” the slits of cathan’s eyes narrowed farther, tugging a laugh from him as he chose a card and brought it to eye-level. “let’s see…”

what is your partner’s birth order?

horribly dull. no spice, no heist. “they could’ve asked something more interesting or at the very least given us… different drinks.” a drunken revel would surely incite interesting confessions from his sword. “mhm, maybe just as well. we’ll fly through this and have time to get real drinks after.”

another sigh, another point towards the record high.

“you’re the eldest.” he tossed the card down, kicking back in a relaxed sprawl. “your birth order. am i right?”

“close enough. i have an older brother and a younger sister.” he shrugged. “you’re the youngest? only child?”

close enough. an interesting choice of words, especially since cathan was unafraid to snap a surefire no. perhaps a runaway brother? but asking was sure to provoke a shuttering response, especially since cathan had asked a question of his own.

he called truce for the time. “just me at home.”

his sword's satisfied smile meant a quick flip of the next card: three things that make your partner happy.

“parties. food. music.”

“and annoying my dearest sword to death.” he poured himself a cup of tea, chuckling. “as for you, it's probably… when i shut up, when i go to sleep and when i leave you alone. sound ‘bout right?”

the sharp bark of cathan's laugh lifted his brows. and for the second time today, his features shifted to something softer. gentler. “i can't deny that.”

“thought so.” he tapped the last card, the smooth edge gliding against his skin, before he flipped it. he blinked, letting the smooth roll and tumble of the embossed words wash over him. “name something your partner fears.”

cathan’s features were carved in stone.

perhaps his sword wasn’t affected, but sols of poking holes in cathan’s defences had taught him enough. liquid blue eyes met his, a collision of storm and seas locked behind that single, leveled glare. a threat. a promise there’d be hell to pay if ollie chose his words wrong.

in that instant, cathan was the embodiment of the very soul who’d risen from the ranks, spitting blood and breaking bones. the first to rise to a challenge through clenched teeth and a muttered curse, unrelenting until conquest. he didn’t need a lie to cover the truth. the truth was already telling its own tale.

“honestly? i don’t think i’ve ever seen you afraid of anything.” he set the card down, positioning it in-front of his sword. “sure, you’re hopelessly paranoid and as stubborn as corked gin, but also ruthlessly brave,” he grinned, “hells, i hope you don’t start anytime soon.”

and even that stars-forsaken scientist could not deny it.

for darkness swept like a wind-blown sail around him. pinpricks of colors glimmered as though someone had poked holes through the sail and towed the fabric through different filters of colors, before the sail could no longer hold. tearing wide open.

a sea of grey swam to the surface, washing the sim’s four walls in a somber gloom. he groaned, stretching out his limbs one by one, before standing. “would you look at that! looks like i totally aced this game. i say we get some drinks. real drinks. what do you say?”

a small frown etched between his sword’s brows, lips tensed into a fine line.

ollie’s smile slipped. right, his sword needed time alone. that was normal. cathan had spent most of the day thoroughly exasperated with him after the failed sim, along with this one. his lips parted to concede, offer amends, an apology… for whatever sins he’d commited━

“where to?”

the world wavered like a shimmering mirage. his tongue seemed tied into knots, tangled between naming a place and filtering for traces of sarcasm or insincerity. he waited, maybe a beat longer than he should, because if he breathed perhaps those words would be retracted, snatched back with a hasty look.

but cathan’s gaze remained on his as steady as ever.

“well,” with a broad, unbridled grin, he bowed low, indicating the exit, “how ‘bout i formally introduce you to my favorite nightclub?”