SpicyBats0

Upon the road outside of the Vassal of Wynlomere, 'neath the bowing peaks of the pines above, a doe steps onto the path before Vivian, Lys and Icarus. She stands across it a moment, turning her head to meet Vivian's eyes. Black, but not hollow. A reflection of the three warped and dim within them. Her ears turn in opposite directions before pointing forward at them. Listening to the sounds of the environment around them. She approaches just a few steps closer, stopping a few feet short of where they stand. Her head lowers, her eyes shut, and she stands still in a bow. When her head lifts again, a second passes where something familiar hangs over her presence. A bit of comfort. A quiet I understand. The doe turns and leaves. Walking straight into the trees before disappearing.

Where Fenrick pins one message, a doe grazes nearby. She lifts her head at the sound, ears flinching. It meets his eye for a moment, unblinking. A moment passes, a soft breeze moves her fur along her back, and she appears to dip her head at him before returning to the trees.

Absolutely beautiful! Genuine happy tears shed for you over here. Thank you for sharing your journey. You never know, it could help someone else to be inspired to be themselves too 🤍

"A life lived loving deeply is a life well lived, my dear." Honey and sweet vanilla scents filled Revekka's senses as she tended to the small pot of daffodils sitting beside the door to the orphanage. While her knees had grown far weaker these days, she never missed her daily gardening. It had become one of the smaller joys she'd filled her life with, something just for her. Since coming here to Wynlomere, she'd returned to the one thing she secretly pined for for the last 20 years: simplicity, the domesticity of the farm back home. It was no sowing of fields, nor was her mother's rocking chair present to rest in here, but it was more than enough. She'd exhausted herself for so long seeking some grand purpose that she'd forgotten the biggest lesson her mother taught her: that life, if lived well, is still grand. She needed no medals, no grandiose titles. Just this. Just her flowers. Just her brother. Just her friends. Her found family. The orphanage stood beside her, the walls quieter now that Everly had been adopted. No children occupied the beds now. Hers had been turned down, cleaned and prepared for the eventuality of another coming to occupy it. Though she'd always been excited to help any in need, empty beds meant more children in happy homes than not. And she was content. Two years she'd spent preparing the place. And three she'd been running it. One and a half that she'd been living on borrowed time. The daffodils settled lazily as she withdrew her hands and spade, tilted proudly upward. With a soft smile, she drew her gloved fingers along the petals of one blossom, sighing. Daffodils were always Wayde's favorite. ~ The malflame burst from the Chimera up the stairs, heading down toward Revekka, Justinian, Syrd and Vitharr. Revekka didn't think twice about what to do. She knew damn well walking that into this fight in her condition might result in her death. And if she must die, she would do so ensuring that those who still had life to live made it out. She'd come with no armor, only her sword and mace. But at the very lease she had what body remained after her illness had sapped some away. Weak or not, her body was still a barrier. She'd spun on the stairs, blocking the way for Justinian. Both hands lifted and pressed to either wall, holding as firm as her depleted muscles could stand. When her eyes, lined in red and donned by dark bags, landed on him, she spoke: "Tell Relad I love him." ~ When Revekka returned inside, pulling her gardening gloves off with hands that moved as a dry leaf in a breeze, she immediately headed to the kitchen to brew herself some tea. Perhaps the Breathe Easy brew would give her some relief today. Goodness knew the heart healthy tea had not somehow magically regenerated her slowly dying heart. Relad sat quietly there, mulling over shop ledgers. His fist pressed the flesh of his cheek against his teeth as he rested against it, stubble scraping his knuckles. He peered up at the sound of her footsteps once she came down the ladder, grunting softly in greetings. Once she turned to face the room, she quietly watched him. He'd done little else other than busy himself with their shop sales these days, barely leaving the orphanage itself save for restocking days. It was lovely to have him close again, after having left Solgaard. She was keenly aware of the effect moving away from there had on him. And she tried her best to accommodate him and make him feel at home here, too. "Keep your nose in those pages any longer and you'll go cross-eyed, brother." She jested through the filter of tired lungs, patting him softly on the back. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, leaning her cheek against his head. Neither of them spoke, just existed together in the kitchen while he flipped another page to scribble numbers in. She still had not told him what their mother's old physician back home had told her. She'd not gone to see Yelizaveta like she'd kept telling other people she would. Perhaps a part of her hoped there would be time. Time that she did not want him wasting worrying about her. She'd told a few others...but him? She could not bear the thought of seeing that heartbreaking look in those beautiful brown eyes of his. Not again. She just wanted him to focus on what time they had without that ever dawning. She'd meant to do something special for him. Even spoke to Justinian about it earlier that week about it. Just to bring that smile back to his face, just for a little while. She so loved when he made that goofy grin that somehow remained from boyhood, even as he aged alongside her. He was still her big brother, young or old. She rose from resting against him and gave his shoulders a little shake, finally drawing his gaze up from the book. With a defiant little snap, she drew the cover closed and shoved it away from him along the countertop. "Come on, close that for a while, Relad. Let me make you some tea." ~ The pain was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. The flames clung to her hair and neck like a silk scarf caught in wind, stubbornly wrapping in a way she could not correct. Her wails were inhuman. Torn from lungs that barely worked anymore, high and crackling. The pure, excruciating burn of it carried over her hair, neck, and hands. Everything inside of her wanted to rend her own flesh away, nerves and all, if it meant ceasing the torture. But even through the agony, a much louder voice in her mind screamed to keep the others away from this. To keep herself between them. She couldn't stop Vitharr as he rushed past her. Keenly focused on the battle. As he reached the next landing, Vitharr ended up getting hit with it himself. If she'd the mind, she'd have pulled him back and forced him away. Put herself between the Chimera and him too. Spare him from getting hit by not just that blast, but the pillars set by one of the other Grendel blindsided both of them as they rose to strike them with another burst of the malflame. Justinian had tried to drag her back, but she warned him not to. Even as her flesh began to bubble and crisp, she pressed closer, stepping from the pillar to throw her arm before him. She would not let him get exposed to it too if she could help it. Behind her, the Chimera leapt for Vitharr, slamming 300 pounds of muscle and power into the Norn. Revekka had heard the sound of it, and had a mere fraction of a second to respond. She'd rushed herself forward, wrapping her arms around Justinian to take the brunt of the fall to come. The three of them were thrown down, tumbling head over foot over sharp stairs to the landings below. She held tight, feeling something splinter harshly within her chest as she tumbled into the wall and down a few more steps. Landing crumpled beneath them. ~ Once she knew Relad was resting, Revekka went down to the staff quarters to check the chest beneath the floorboards for the 100th time that week. She would always scold herself afterward, wondering why she treated it as if it would vanish the moment she covered it up again. When she'd built this room, she deliberately left this and one more space beneath the floor to keep everything safe. And not once had that failed her. She lifted the boards away, dropping them with a soft clunk to the carpet beside her. With a momentary pause to steady the sudden uneven rhythm of her heart, she withdrew the key she kept in her pouch to unlock it. It still contained the letters and items she meant for her loved ones. It had been prepared for a long time. Her will, drafted and redrafted, sat atop each carefully wrapped bundle. She obsessively checked this chest every single day since she'd finalized the will. Wondering if what she left for everyone was good enough. If each piece of her she curated here was enough to express how deeply she loved each and every one of them. Fróði crept into the room, nosing the door open with some insistence to plop beside her. The wolf panted softly, slowly leaning his weight against her where she knelt. She turned to press a kiss into the fur beside his eye, then leaned her forehead against him. Still practically a pup at only 5 years old, he'd been a breath of fresh air for her. Loyal, a reason to smile when she woke up to a cold nose against her cheek. "He's gonna take such good care of you boy, I promise." She whispered, trying to hold back tears. Failing. The hall was quiet outside for the first time in three years. No sounds of Everly walking in and out of her room. Sopa, too, was gone. No shuffling from the hall near the ladder anymore. The silence, though, made the creeping thoughts of what was coming far louder. Perhaps she should have been more tactful when answering Everly's inquiry about if she was dying. Though she did not want to lie to her. It felt unfair to do so. Lying to her and passing would be far crueler. She would rather her be prepared than paint her a pretty picture to splash black over later. But the look Everly had given was one that would haunt her for however long she had left. All she hoped was that Enaid would care for her. Make her happy. She knelt to stare down into the open chest, rearranging the packages in order. Each one labeled with an addressed letter tucked beneath the twine. Sitting next to the one meant to go to Fenrick and Iris, a smaller one that she'd long ago saved for Wayde, when he'd still been alive, peeked out. Inside, the wedding rings she'd had made long ago. Before things shifted and the world tilted, pouring her into that new chapter unbidden. She loosened the strings on the pouch and poured them into her hand. The two landed together with a soft metallic clink in her palm, settling to rest edge to edge while she tilted her hand. Within the bands, each held an inscription. Upon his, the runes read "Together we will weather the greatest storms." Upon hers, "Until the world falls down." Her heart fluttered with a faltering, uneven twinge behind her ribs, making her bend forward to catch one hand on the floor. Wayde's ring rolled a foot away and clinked onto its side beneath her chair. Wherever he lay now, the last words they spoke to one another still rang loudly in her mind day after day. He'd begged her to move on, and in a way she had. She'd made a new life, carried on as she'd asked. But she could not keep the promise to stop loving him. She always had. She always would. As she gripped his ring against her palm with her first two fingers, she carefully placed hers onto her finger. Once his was laced back into the pouch, she held her hand out with her fingers opened, watching the light catch the gold with a racing spark along its edge. She'd once told him she would love him even after death. And whatever compelled her to place the ring there now, she wasn't sure. But something deep down must have known. She'd be seeing him again far sooner than she thought. ~ The air had begun to move through her lungs as though she were breathing in small pebbles rather than clean oxygen. Revekka pushed herself up as much as she could, though it was not far before she dropped once more. Justinian extinguished the flames on her head and neck, though it was too late by then. The pain had already seeped so deep into her screeching nerves that her heart began to protest. Loud, sporadic pulses pounded in her ears. She could hear the organ trying and failing to steady many times. Her chest grew tighter, and an ache began to bloom outward down her arm. Justinian yelled something up to Vitharr, but the sound of his voice warped through her senses as though through water. Her head bowed forward, singed hair smoking in small, rising wisps. She could hear a thumping above--The Chimera. In her periphery, she could see Vitharr rise to his feet, dousing himself with something in a bottle before readying his sword again. There was not much she could do then. If she tried to move any further than the distance her chest expanded for breath, it would only quicken the inevitable. In a delirious moment of though, she reached for the pouches of Aurum powder Relad made. Whether it was fully efficient to deal with the Grendel above, she didn't care. It was something. It was the last of what she had to help them. She'd shoved the pouch against Justinian's chest, urging him through her teeth to use it. Toss it in the beast's eyes. Give some to Vitharr. "It will not come to that, Revekka." Justinian had snapped, panicking as he pat her white hot skin down as gently as he could. "Just focus on breathing." "Focus on living. For Relad. For your brother." That was all she could do. All she'd been doing since she landed here. Just enough to give this to him. Just enough to urge him on. While she could not get back to Relad, she knew she would not live long enough for one final good bye, she could at least give two of her best friends this last bit of aide. "Don't you understand?" She laughed weakly, her breath trembling. The thread stretching taut, ready to fray. "I died the moment I walked in here..." ~ Revekka walked through the peacefully quiet halls of Daffodil. The dormitories all cleaned, despite being empty, the play room organized for the hundredth time, and the storage room inventory finished. The donation chests had been checked, emptied, and all contributions put away. The expired food had been cleared and replaced with fresh donations. Everything was done that needed to be. Something in the routine of it made her feel so at peace. Relad had gone out for the evening. Where to, she didn't know. Before he'd left, she stopped him at the door, meeting his eyes. He looked down at her with that same stoic stare he'd given her quite a lot. Perhaps he did know, somewhere deep down, what was coming. Even if she hadn't said. But he never brought it up. Just looked at her. "Be safe. I love you, brother." She told him, lifting to press a loving peck to his cheek. As he walked out, she followed to watch him walk down the path. "I'll bake that pizza from the kit when you get back, tonight!" She'd called. "Just for the two of us!" Relad lifted a hand to acknowledge the thought, disappearing over the lip of the hill. An hour or so later, Justinian and Vitharr returned together to visit. As she was wont to do, she offered them both tea. They spoke of plans that would never come to fruition. A future that would halt in a mere few hours for Revekka, unbeknownst to them. "Hey, speaking of events." She'd mused, fiddling with the tag on her tea. "There's a tavern night tonight, want to go? I haven't visited the capital in a while. It would be nice to get out, do something fun." "Can't live a little if I don't step out." ~ "Then why did you walk in here, dammit!?" Justinian's words came from beneath his helmet down at her, fighting through sobs as Revekka continued to insist the pouches of powder into his hands. "Because I love you and Vitharr too much." She spoke, jaw hammering with pain as it shook. "And I knew you two would be coming in here. I would rather die here, trying to help or save one or both of you, than alone in my bed..." Once more, she pushed the pouches against him. She clamped his fingers around them, fighting against the waves of dizziness now threatening to pull her under. "Use it. If you won't let me...and I may not be able to anyway. USE it. You take some...get the rest to Vitharr...PLEASE." "Please..." Justinian begged, anguish and anger blending as one. "Die in your bed. Me and your brother will be right there for you. Don't you dare go now Revekka, not after all this." She knew she could not keep promises now. The sand was running fast. Nothing could stop it, the hourglass was bolted down. "Justinian...it's ok." Once more, she pressed the pouches hard into his chest. Breathing through her nose at a quicker pace. Racing against her own clock. "Like I said...I died the moment I walked in here. If I---" She choked, gasping as her body's final moments began to wrap. "If I have done NOTHING else good in this life...at the very least, I have loved." ~ Her words were in part to assure him that this, if it was her last breath, came from a life she'd become content with. Revekka had tried in her life to be many things she was not. A Guard of the Northern Host. A storybook author. A Keeper. A Norn. Many mantles taken, many shelved. It had taken many years for her to realize that not a single second of her life needed to be spent being anything other than her truest self. Revekka was a farmer's daughter. The very picture of her mother, the woman whose ideals she never once set aside for anyone else's comfort. She was a writer, sure, but her passion for her craft did not need recognition in the end. Only the joy it brought her in the quiet moments she spent alone penning her thoughts and dreams. She'd become a mother to a wonderful young woman, one who inspired her to be nothing more than herself just by watching her. She'd become a member of a wonderful community below the surface, having built a home to spread love, comfort and safety to those who needed it. She'd been a woman in love. Who despite watching the man whose name was forever carved into her heart deteriorate and vanish, never wavered. Her love for him had never had conditions. And it never died. Nor would it die even now. She was a friend, whose devotion to her found family never wavered. No matter how close or how far they were. No matter how often or sparce the conversations. No matter what forks that parted their paths, she loved them. She was a sister. Through every trial life had given her and her brothers, especially for her and Relad in the years they spent together in Norland, she remained an ever loyal and loving sister. Rori, wherever he was, had been a childhood confidant and friend. No matter his wayward nature, she still loved him. Relad had given her so much more than he ever realized. No matter what he believed, what shortcomings he insisted upon himself, Revekka never looked on him with anything less than love. ~ In her last moments, Revekka's heart began to steadily shut down. She watched Vitharr and Justinian on the stairs above her and slid down further to rest. Her mind turned to Relad and Rori. The memories of her brothers flitted in golden threads across her thoughts. Wheat fields spreading over the canvas of the hills carried their laughter, even if the years had taken it away. The river near their home there remembered the splash of their feet as they ran through, chasing dragonflies by day, catching lightning bugs by night. To Wayde, during their happiest years. How he'd lift her and spin her in a circle each time they kissed. The way he'd lit up when she gifted him the flowers he described his mother loving so dearly. How his voice never failed to calm her even when things seemed so impossible. Before things changed. Before he changed. To good times with Vitharr and Justinian above her. How many nights she'd spent with either one of them talking deep into the wee hours about everything from what animal represented them to laughing at things that once brought them pain, throwing those things to the wind. To her daughter, such a strong and wonderful young woman. One Revekka had no doubt would become someone amazing. Remembering the first time she'd been called "Mama." With a fondness that made her dying heart glow in that moment. To the friends she met along the way. To all who had touched her life even in a small way, no matter how good or bad. "Revekka..." Her mother's voice filled her senses, drawing her gaze suddenly forward. "Remember, a life lived loving deeply is a life well lived, my dear." Revekka's vision filled with the sight of her mother, holding out her hand to her youngest child. "Come now." The pain had ceased, and suddenly her breath was not so hard to chase. "Comin' home, momma." She spoke, taking her mother's hand. The world filled with white, the stairway vanishing to open into glorious fields filled with tulips, daffodils and sunflowers. The sun was warm here, and laughter carried over a breeze that moved her hair over her cheeks. She walked hand in hand with her mother for a time before she spotted another figure in the distance. Tall, pale blonde hair catching the wind where he stood beside a large white wolf. When he turned to face them, her mother released her hand. Revekka sprinted through the long grass, flowers bending away as if to clear the path. Joyful tears warmed her cheeks as soon as her arms wrapped around him, crushing her head to his chest. Her mother stepped close, placing her hand on her head to pet gently over her hair as Relad so often did. There the three of them stood together, basking in the warm light that never dimmed here. Finally, after so long... Revekka was home. ˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Within the walls of Daffodil, down at the bottom where the staff quarters lay, beneath the floorboards of Revekka's room lays a chest. Inside, where she'd looked mere hours before her passing, sit items and letters for those she loves the most. Soon to be delivered. Her skygod, on the other hand, has words for the skygods of those people. To @Calise11 To @Dbird2 To @frant1c_xr To @myrtheegs To @CamoRein To @Crimbolio To @Flynnigan To @Smoketheknight To @Major Waffle To @SamaelYhwach To @tsqv To @LuckyD And finally, to everyone I've had the privilege to play Revekka with, in whatever capacity, even if I haven't named you personally. Thank you for whatever role you played in her life. Role playing and storytelling is something I love very deeply, and I have had fun playing Revekka. I will be taking a hiatus for some personal reasons. But I do plan to eventually come back with a new character and a new story to tell. While Revekka did not make any wild accomplishments, that's not what matters. I am just happy to have met some amazing people while playing her. Till we meet again.

˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Announcing the Newest Adoption ˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Congratulations Miss Enaid Illwm on adopting through Daffodil Home for Children! We wish you and your growing family nothing but joy, love, and peace as you start your new chapter together! ˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Revekka posts the announcement with trembling, pale hands. She couldn't help but smile knowing little miss Everly found a new home with Enaid. Even if only two adoptions had been fostered through Daffodil in the three years she's run it, the weight and joy in bringing them together in however small a way warmed her heart.

Revekka sat with her knees bundled up against her chest, draped beneath a thick blue quilt. The missive lay open within the pages of her journal, which rested open on her thighs, the paper folded and unfolded several times. So, the war was finally over. And the victor owned the claw that once shoved her brother into the dirt and forced him to watch the woman he loved die. "...Ave Imperium, indeed..." Spoke she with a bitter note on her tongue. The two children under her care slept just down the hall, quiet and peaceful. She wondered briefly what this meant for the future. For hers and for theirs. Would it mean anything at all? The world had a way of seeping in no matter how well sealed the walls were. All she hoped was that whatever lay beyond the horizon, it meant good lives for them. Relad snored from beyond the wall in front of her. She stared at the grooves in the wood, as though she could see through to where he slept. At least he was closer now. Safer. She couldn't help but wonder how he felt. Would it anger him to know the Empire claimed victory? He hadn't said. Maybe he never would. And it was not in her nature to pry. "I wonder what you'd think." She said, the person she meant to address laying cold somewhere unseen. Her journal pages sat blank. Had been for years now. She hadn't penned a single entry since... The book snapped shut around the missive, still blooming slightly as other papers sat between other pages. This one just another in a collection of things that meant her life and the lives of those around her was shifting once again. There wasn't much to say. Just the silence of a snuffed candle and the shift of a body moving to rest despite the aura of uncertainty clouding the air.

Revekka will be away from the orphanage until Monday(March 16). If anyone needs anything contact her volunteers Vivian (RezRatKeia) or Mantis (fizzyquack) ✌️ (Have a good weekend y'all I'm off to the Renn Faire.)

Squiiiiiint

A family growing! Revekka certainly can't wait to see what the future has in store for them! ((Revekka also has some bamboo if you need! Finally figured out where and how to get it lol))

˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Announcing Our First Adoption! ˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Congratulations to Qi Zheng and Brite Palelight for being the first family to grow through adoption through Daffodil Home for Children! We wish you and your new growing family joy, good health, lots of love, and new beginnings! ˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚˚⊱ ❀ ⊰˚ Revekka posts the announcement with a smile paired with happy tears. Seeing this new family come together is exactly why she went ahead with this in the first place. With many more to come, and lots of work to be done, she leaves the announcement to get back to it.

An addition has been made to this missive: Let it be known that under NO circumstances will the Daffodil Home for Children EVER: BUY children brought to us to be put up for adoption, NOR will we charge adoption fees and therefore never SELL children into new families. This is a promise from me, Revekka Orison, that nothing of the sort will ever happen under my management. Period. Revekka pins the addition to each missive. Grumbling under her breath. The fact that this has to be added at all is a genuine source of frustration. But she will not allow anyone to think she will pay for or get paid for what she's doing. That isn't her motivation here.

Revekka, upon seeing Iris' note, can't help but grin. She'd come to make sure the next wasn't ripped away. And once it was confirmed, along with Iris' support, she moves to check the donation chest. She's got one child in the dorms already, it's time to make sure she can gather some food to keep her fed. ((Revekka would absolutely welcome Kelpie as a volunteer! :D)) Were Revekka around to hear him--and if she understood--she would likely tell him that the cave is secure, beautiful, and peaceful. And even invite him around to give him a tour. Knowing Rev, should the man formerly known as Sly want to help out, she'd welcome him with open arms. Revekka positively beams at Eistalyn. The seed for this whole venture had been planted by her, Revekka simply nurtured it to allow it to grow. She gives her dear friend an affectionate grin and a tight hug in response to her words. "Thanks, Essie."

((Oh ok I'm just gonna cry over here. 😭))

Good thing Rev's got lots of paper.