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“Rather than burning the bodies, we could—” She hesitated a moment, knowing she could never take back what she was about to say. “—reanimate them and use them as an infantry in order to protect our living combatants. This would be done only with their written permission—”
Im on board with this, would of been useful. PLUS consent is being given
“You stand before us and propose a desecration of the natural cycle. This is the reason why vivimancers can never be trusted, not even for a moment.
*Flips table* take those sticks out of your asses!!!!
“And…?” “He wants you, Marino,” Crowther said. “Both now and after the war.”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Becoming a healer would slowly carve away Helena’s life span, like a candle being burned at both ends. Someday, she didn’t know when, her resonance would begin to wither and fade, and Helena would go with
Dude, care for yourself for once!
Why would Kaine Ferron, the iron guild heir, want Helena Marino?” She shook her head. “He could have asked for anything, cited a crisis of conscience, demanded a mountain of gold, but instead, he wants…you? It’s an irrational choice.” Crowther drummed his fingers thoughtfully. “A sign of some kind of subconscious obsession perhaps.”
As we established, you’ll go to Ferron twice a week and bring his missives safely back to me, and during those visits, you will do anything he wants.”
Welp as Ferron quoted earlier, they would whore her around if needed
“Ferron was already gone when your vivimancy was discovered. He doesn’t know what you are. With your abilities, you can make him feel however you want him to feel about you. Enthral him.”
This girl never had a break
“Your job, Marino, is to use any means necessary to bring Ferron to his knees. You will use those cursed abilities of yours to make him forget he ever wanted anything but you.”
Jesus
only enough to alter the heart rate and stimulate certain hormones and reactions to stimuli until there was an ingrained physiological response. Using vivimancy would simply be taking a shortcut in old behavioural experiments.
Going to Pavlov him
He didn’t even look seventeen. There was a coltishness to his build, the kind that boys had just after a growth spurt before filling out. Even his dark hair was combed in the same way he’d worn it at the Institute, as if he’d stepped straight through the years. He was in a stone-grey uniform that almost matched the hazel-grey of his eyes.
You also lost a lot, huh Ferron?
“You understand the terms?” he asked, tilting his head appraisingly. His face might be deceptively young, but his eyes weren’t. She met them. “A full pardon. And me. In exchange for your information.” “Now and after the war.” His eyes glittered as he said it. Helena didn’t let herself react. After years in the hospital, she’d learned to ignore her feelings and do her job. “Yes,” she said, without emotion. “I’m yours.”
“Swear it, then. I want to hear you say it as a vow.” She didn’t let herself pause or think, just pressed a hand over her heart. “I swear it, on the spirits of the five gods and my own soul, Kaine Ferron, I’m yours as long as I live.”
Noticing her scrutiny, he straightened and walked around her, tsking when she tried to keep him in her line of sight. His eyes were aglow with amusement.
A cat and mouse game
“Yes, I am generous. However.” Ferron suddenly looked appraising. “I do think you should give me something, at least.” The smile he flashed was viperine. “After all, I did have to give up some rather precious information to earn you. Surely I deserve something in return, to warm my cold heart.”
Ok 17yo Ferron is bold
She didn’t like to think about the kinds of things men considered a favour.
No one does
“Well, since you’re a void of creativity when it comes to gratitude: Kiss me like you mean it,” he said, and then as if it were an afterthought, he added, “Based on your performance, I’ll decide how much information I feel inspired to part with.”
This little shit
“Well.” He blinked and shook his head. “That was certainly—something.” He ran a gloved thumb across his mouth. “You are full of surprises,” he added after a moment, voice lower than before.
where is that bravado now Ferron?
It was a tarnished silver ring;
IS THIS THE SAME RING SHE ALMOST SWALLOWED???
she could see the hammer marks that had beaten a scaled, almost geometric pattern onto it.
AAAAAAAAAAH IT ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
“A symbol of our relationship,” Ferron said, and when she looked up sharply, he raised his right hand to indicate a matching band on his index finger.
Noooooooooo bruh Im sobbing...no...like...no, I see where this is going
I’m a healer, I’ve taken oaths—” “No, you’re not,” Crowther cut in, a susurration in his voice like the snap of scissors. “Not in this room, not on this assignment. I don’t have any use for a healer. I need a vivimancer who will do what is necessary.
“It’s a trick I learned from Artemon Bennet,” he said, stepping away from her. “He calls it animancy.
Animancy = "Mind reading", got it
“Are you wanting a confession? Shall I tell you everything I’ve done?” She stared into his mocking eyes. “Do you want to?”
OPE
There was a flash of surprise that softened his features for an instant. He was lonely.
*Cries*
“You are a known advocate for necromancy with entirely conditional clearance now. Whatever allowances Ilva has permitted in the past, consider them all revoked until you have results that would make the effort of rehabilitating you worth it.”
In other words, "I wont let you do anything until you've whored yourself"
“Well, now I know what I’m doing with you next,” he said with a sigh. “I thought your mind would be the biggest danger to me, but it turns out you’re somehow still a walking liability. I’m not wasting my time training a new contact after all the time I’ve wasted on you.”
“You don’t want me to train you?” His voice had turned slippery and dangerous. “Why not? I’d have thought you’d prefer to fill our time with training rather than with some of the other activities I could demand.”
No expectations. And I don’t have to pretend I care.” His lip curled at the last word, as though caring were the most offensive concept known to man.
The more you say it the more you care
She’d finally get it over with, stop enduring Crowther and Ilva’s search for signs that she’d been ravished or ravaged. Stop lying awake at night, cold with dread, wondering when it would finally happen. She was sick of waiting. Of wondering on and on. Like bracing for a sword to fall.
Gosh that's invasive of them and horrible for her
“I see now.” He smiled like a wolf. All teeth. “It’s been killing you, hasn’t it? Wondering. You expected me to do this to you right off. The waiting—trying to guess when I might get around to it—that bothers you more than having to fuck me. Well, you have your wish. Take your clothes off, Marino.”
“You don’t even want me. Why did you ask for me?” He laughed. “You’re right, I don’t want you, but owning you will never get old. As long as you live. What a promise to make. I wonder how much I can make you regret it.” His teeth flashed again. “Take your clothes off, Marino. It’s time to see what I’ve been paying for.”
Ugggggggggh
“How are things progressing with Ferron?” Ilva asked as Helena started to stand. Helena stilled, sinking back into the chair, fingernails digging against the punctures in her palm. “He’s quite—mercurial.”
Ask her about her underwear color while you're at it
She hadn’t realised how much she’d expected it. She’d assumed that if she ever provoked him, purposely or not, death or severe injury was inevitable.
And we can see this in part 1 too
“I’m sorry,” she said, breaking the tense silence. “I shouldn’t have said that last week. I lost my head. I’ll do—whatever you want to make it up to you.” Ferron didn’t react beyond his eyes flickering briefly.
“It’s fine,” he said after a moment, his voice void. “When I specified willing, that meant you were allowed to say no. Although, perhaps try saying it next time, instead of provoking me.”
Yey consent
No, he was altering the terms of their agreement because of what she’d said to him.
“I’m a—medic, Ferron. Let me help.” He stared at her, dazed, as if he needed time to process the information. “What happened?” she asked, risking a step closer. Blood was still flowing at an impossible rate. Finally, he shook his head. “Just lost my arm.”
Tis just a scratch M’lord
“It’ll grow back. But it’s—taking a while.”
Lizzard Lizzard
“I have command of a new district…” His voice trailed off. He straightened as if trying to rouse himself, blinking several times. “Previous commander—rather attached to it.” He gave a lopsided shrug. “Insulted his mother—few times. Insinuated some unfavourable things about his wife and a certain horse.” His head lolled back again. “Didn’t like that. Duelled to the death. Well—close as we can get. I won, so now I get his command posts.”
True Malfoy fashion
“Marino…” He sighed, as if it were obvious. He was still talking inside his mouth, lips barely moving. “Once I’m done here, I intend to drink so much I won’t remember my own name for the next three days. I have a map—somewhere.” He patted awkwardly at himself with his remaining arm and only then seemed to realise that his clothes were ashen scraps. “Fuck…”
Stripped down, he looked so young. It was no wonder Ferron wore a good three layers of uniform in an effort not to look so overtly juvenile.
HA
“Do you leer at and fondle all your unconscious patients, or am I special?” Ferron’s voice was as unexpected as a bucket of ice water.
As she closed the door, he shrugged off his cloak. “Let’s see how you fight, Marino.”
Hello to you too man
“Do I get to know why?” she asked, still staring dully at the floor, ribs aching with every breath. “Did I—did I d-do something?” “You exist, Marino. I think that’s reason enough.”
Broken blood vessels stained Pace’s cheeks. “I came to be sure that Marino is being looked after.”
Fucking right Pace
“Are we—t-training again this week?” “No,” he said quickly. “No. I won’t do that to you again.”
Kinda wish he would think of this before acting ugh
“Well, you may have noticed, the High Necromancer wasn’t pleased about the ports.” He drooped, his head dipping, but then he jerked up sharply, face contorting in pain. “Bad luck—for the commander in charge.”
Oh no..that why he took charge of it...and why he said maybe see him again
“A medic like you can do fuck all.” She swallowed hard. “That’d be true if I actually was a medic.”
Hannah Montana moment
Bennet was put out over losing his lab, all those subjects and experiments of his. He’s been wanting to experiment on one of the Undying. He said that as the one who’d suffered the greatest loss, he should be allowed to punish me.”
