Memento Mori: A FC/UC Background Short

Gamma Belt
Mortal Realm
Moneta Residence
2009

“Lysa!”

A blonde-haired lady turned, clutching something tightly in her hands. A smile reached her lips as she saw the brunette-haired man approaching, attempting to relax at the sight of him.

“There you are,” he scolded. The weapon in his hands, a lava-red scythe, retracted into a simple bow. “What did I tell you about running off? I’m supposed to be your Watcher. Someone who protects you. Not someone who would end up losing you.” He meant it seriously – losing Lysa would cost him a lot – but the lady gave him a mischievous little smirk.

“Nothing happened to me, Z.” his cheeks flamed at the nickname and he huffed, turning away from her. “See? I’m unscathed from the attack. If you can even call it an attack,” she mused.

What had happened to the twosome?

Well.

Zachariel Vasilias had been guarding Lysandra Moneta carefully as the female got home from college, when a rustle from a couple of blocks away captured their attention. Zachariel had instructed Lysa to stay close, but the stubborn Storm Original went off, wishing to give the monsters a distraction while Zachary summoned his weapon.

And it did provide a distraction.

That is, they decided to chase her rather than attack him.

So Zachariel ended up having to do a number of things at once; ward off the monsters away from Lysa, make sure that no one saw them, and make sure that the girl didn’t clumsily fall over her own two feet (as she tended to do).

Luckily, they were safe – and Lysandra was patiently waiting for him inside the comfort of her own home.

“You shouldn’t worry too much, Z,” she teased. Zachariel gave her a look. “I mean it! Besides, I was able to get them off my back a little bit, right? Right?”

The sky above them gave a rumble and it started to rain. She gave him a cheeky grin.

“Come on inside, idiot. I don’t want my Watcher getting too sick.”

Character Tropes: Aria Venura

"Truly a complicated and complex thing. I'm surprised she's able to cope."

Inspired by: [x]

Russ' Updates #015: Rainy Season

Hello, Darlings!

Yes, Russie is definitely back – after two consecutive weeks of not really hosting the RussDate, I’m (finally) back to navigate you all through it. Astra and Miles have been doing a great job for the past Updates, but for now, I’m going to let them sit back and take a small breather.

To be honest, these past two weeks haven’t been the greatest. Despite the really amazing retreat I went on last November, things just sort of went a little bumpier than I expected it to. But now that the Post-Retreat Crash is over, I think I feel better and capable enough~ ^_^

So what’s up this week?

Well, disheartening as it is, another typhoon found itself within the PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility) last weekend. Due to that, a lot of places have been devastated (particularly the Visayas region). Classes have actually been suspended for my school tomorrow, delaying my supposed finals. :/ Away from the finals though, please, please do keep those typhoon victims in your thoughts/prayers.

December 9 – December 12 is supposed to be my finals week – third finals week holy hell – and with that in mind, I think you guys know what’s up:

Mini-hiatus.

I’ll be posting once more this Saturday morning/afternoon, depending if the exams I’d be missing tomorrow would be rescheduled on that day, huhu. After QT week would be the Vigil/Dawn Mass Week, and after that would be Christmas Break!

I hope you guys are excited for Christmas, because I am too – I might be planning some things for the holiday season, so keep an eye out for that~

Posts to Expect:

[x] Russie Writes: Memento Mori – A FC/UC Background Short [Zachariel Vasilias] 
[ ] Russie Writes: Shattered Heart – A Mad/Fallen!TSP Short [Aria Venura]

Enjoy the rest of the week, Darlings!

And to all my fellow Filipinos out there, stay safe and stay dry. :)

Allergic Reactions: A Squad A Short

Matsuda’s Apartment
Tokyo, Japan
December 2014

Touta didn’t quite know how he had landed himself in this kind of situation.

See, it had all started when Squad A (minus Mack since he had forensic duties) had decided to gather over at Touta’s apartment for a night of light drinking and take out. A had explained that Matt would be out with Kenichi for late-night shifts; Peters told him that J would be elsewhere.

So fast forward to that evening, two out of three members of Squad A had their pets with them. The other member was trying not to stumble as he sneezed all over his pristine furniture.

In the living room, A was gently holding Mari in her arms while Peters rubbed Asher’s belly enthusiastically, the six-footer cooing over his pet. “Come on, T,” Peters called as he looked up to see Touta veer away from the two of them. “It’s not that bad. Asher loves people.”

“I’m aware of that,” he managed. Asher had nearly knocked A down, smelling her all over and then proceeding to cuddle itself into her. A was momentarily shocked until she could hug back, while Mari and Peters stared (rather enviously) from the other side of the room.

Mari was a beautiful Japanese Bobtail who was predominantly white with small streaks of color here and there. Her bright blue eyes were the feline’s most striking characteristic, just as A’s own green eyes were her own. At the moment, the cat was curled up in A’s lap, A rubbing it behind the ears this time, humming quietly. Mari seemed to appreciate this, stretching out and mewling faintly to the tune of her owner’s song.

On another hand, Asher was large. He was able to fit through the door, but the canine’s size made Touta fear for his life. Asher was golden, just as his breed stated him to be – a Golden Retriever. The energetic dog rolled around on the wooden floor of the apartment, panting happily and playfully nipping at Peters’ hand as his owner fooled around.

Before the two pets came to know each other, A had expressed her worry that Mari and Asher wouldn’t get along with each other. Peters refuted this; Touta, however, felt the same way A did.

Beautiful Rage: A FC/UC Graphic

"He's got an aching for vengeance and blood lust."

For the Brokenhearted: A Character Short

Office: TL Maxwell

Headquarters – Tokyo Branch
Tokyo, Japan
8:34 PM
2012

“You should really get home and take a long sleep, A.”

Touta’s voice seemed far away to the woman; she sat there on her office chair, typing idly on her laptop while a steaming cup of coffee rested right next to her. The lady ignored Touta’s suggestion and merely kept her eyes on the screen.

His co-workers battled emotional struggles in different ways. He and Peters would go to the gym, engage in sparring when the American needed to let off steam. Olsen, although he worked with Squad J, occasionally joined him for afternoons spent on tea and needed venting. Both men would usually feel better after (despite Touta being covered in bruises or sick of chamomile and such).

A, on the other hand, plagued herself with work. She liked to busy herself with reports, filing and research day and night, whenever she felt troubled in whatever way she could feel. Touta had initially ignored that, not wanting to break the woman out of her calm reverie – after all, people dealt with stress in different ways.

However, three out of seven days had passed and Touta was starting to worry about her.

A usually came in around ten and left six in the evening, looking polished and mild-mannered, silent until she had her coffee. After that, she would be a little burst of working energy, accomplishing as much as she could in a single day. Her lunch breaks would occasionally be spent alone or with the other members of Squad A, or with Olsen if he too was free.

This time was different. She would come in earlier – eight in the morning – and would leave around ten. The woman’s look was less put together than usual, her hair thrown into a wild bun than tied into a high ponytail. And instead of radiating a strong, commanding aura, she lacked it and merely went straight to her office, silently working on her reports and such.

Often times he would see her move out, then in, repeating a few times a day. Each time she came back into the building, she would have a new paper cup fresh full of coffee. By the end of the day, she would lightly smell of caffeine; except her energy would still be at a low – perhaps even less.

That was when he deduced that something was wrong.

“Come on, A. Did you hear me?”

Russ' Updates #014: Reality Bites

Hi, readers. It's me, Astra - and I'm here to give you this week's RussDate. *nods* Sadly, Miles isn't here to deliver with me since he's doing his Watcher duties. And Aria - Russie - can't say much tonight since she needs to finish up a lot of homework and all that other stuff, including a few...gifts.

She better finish those by tonight.

Anyway, she has to focus a lot this week since her class was out for a week due to their retreat. And of course, the first thing that happens when they get back? The unleashing of the goddamn stress.

So as much as possible, she'll be working on a few school-related things until they all simmer down. Luckily enough, she'll have a really long weekend - from Friday to Monday. But based on her planner, she'll be studying on Monday for her exams, which are already next week.

Have no fear, however; she actually has a few planned up her sleeve for this this week. Oh - Russie's here to make a small announcement. 

Hi, Darlings - I updated the FC/UC sidebar this morning. Check out this month's character. 

Look who came from the chaos that is the Gamma Belt.

Posts to Expect:

[x] Russie Writes: For the Heartbroken -- A Character Short [Arianne Maxwell]

[ ] Russie Writes: Shattered Heart -- A Mad!TSP Short [Aria Venura]

[x] Russie Photoshops: A FC/UC Graphic

Enjoy the week ahead, readers. We'll see you when we see you.