Locarda's Links
A strange fellow indeed, Tesei got to know him in three stages. First when Alrenil began visiting their library, no doubt for its plentiful, rare titles and quiet ambiance. Their first meeting was eventful and mutually startling, far more so on the poor vampire's end, who'd never met anyone as tall or multi-eyed before. Though they did become good acquaintances once the tensions settled.
Second, Tesei had the misfortune to discover Alrenil worked for their arch nemesis, the mobster Marcius Sarorn, as the man's in-call necromancer of all things. Small world.. And awful too. Stalwartly against the unethical use if dark arts, Tesei almost excommunicates the man from their library until Marcius himself convinces them to reconsider. Turns out the vampire is under threat of blackmail, by no choice of his own.
Their relationship is strained and undecided. Yet Tesei harbours sympathy for the man.
Tesei likes to fondly say they have an army of parents and siblings: the ones they were born to, the celestials : Ankarresh and A'vock, the Skarrid. And Estriis, who's always been a bit of both. A father not by blood or upbringing, but certainly by guidance and care, and the type of sibling that your best friend is - the one you've experienced everything with, from devastating fights to unforgettable acts of affection. Their relationship is an odd, tumultuous but steel-strong one. Three thousand years will do that to ya...
Sure, between being called Virgo or Denna one too many times and Estriis' dramaticism, Tesei finds the skarrid an absolute handful. They know each other so well they're one of the only people that know how to run each other's patience dry. They can scope out each other's buttons and relentlessly jab at them. But then have a laugh about it after. And Tesei wouldn't have it any other way.
They may call him old man with a smile and try to get him out the house and travelling, lest he 'turn into a gargoyle', but they love him dearly and have looked up to him for the last 3 milleniums, always maintaining the hope that they've filled the hole in his heart that his child, Denna, left.
Tesei is one of the few people Estriis has a deep respect for. Actively seeking to keep them save and going out of his way to preserve the essence of his favorite Skarrid. Tesei is the only Skarrid Estriis has actually decided to help with retaining their memories, and will likely be the only one who he'd do it for. The two have a relationship similarly to siblings, thick as thieves. While at the same time they can take jabs at one another that might come off as hate-filled, but rarely are. He genuinely holds a love for the Skarrid in his old heart and still does, but at the same time he still occasionally babies her like he did a long time ago.
Though they've grown distant, Esta does remember vividly their childhood/teenage/young adulthood friendship. They were often at odds as they were polar opposites in terms of personalities and ambitions. Where Leta was raised to be an heir, Esta was just a spare at the time. Which led to her doing many things that conflicted with Leta as it didn't align with how she was raised. She forced her out on many adventures and ones that weren't all that fun in the end. It was a learning experience and it would have been grand if they had continued but after Esta's personal family tragedy occurred she was whisked away and sadly so was their friendship. Both becoming focused on their own nations prospering, while Esta does miss her painfully. she knows they're not on good terms, despite outward appearances. Esta was not there for her on several occasions and she knows it won't be forgotten. As much as she would like to extend an olive branch she feels like it would be rejected. For now they are polite as can be when seen together during court gatherings.
For all his hiding and two-sided answers, Avi'rii can't hide from a telepath, godhood notwithstanding. And he can hide even less from Tesei's determination to spend time with their celestial father, no matter how awkward it is.
The thought of A'vock roaming the earth alone, with his beloved gone and his children either dead or unaware of his presence has never sat well with the skarrid, so Tesei still does their best to pay Avi'rii the occasional visit or invite to their library, to alleviate any loneliness, or god forbid, guilt. And to let him alphabetically organize all the books, of course...
One of the earliest individuals Nephthys can remember gaining her trust, despite the perhaps particularly intimidating size and... eye count of her sibling. Something about Tesei's presence brings out the warmth in her cool and graceful, flighty demeanor. Whenever they are around, Neph can't help but want to help them loosen up and relax as well, though sometimes her ideas of relaxing are perhaps not quite in line with the other. Still though, her favorite stories and adventures seems to take place under Tesei's presence.
She's always been their 'little sister'. Granted, little was subjective in all ways besides size, but ever since reading the myth of creation and felt Virgo's pain at losing Aquarius, Tesei'd been anxious to meet the other skarrid. But it certainly didn't take them long to strike an almost oddball friendship and, between Tesei's worry, their occasional health concern and the 'opposites attract' theory, to fall back into old sibling habits.
She's also the fun sister, the wildchild that runs naked through the bush or suggests the craziest things while Tesei struggles to figure out why. Before deciding that that question doesn't always need answering, where Neph is concerned. Meanwhile they're the prim and proper bore that's not done much beyond the occasional impulsive swim and agreeing to that one weird spa cucumber thing, but also the one that checks in on her and strictly keeps documents protecting her fountain by law. Suffice to say, they're very fond of the oddball.
He was hot, large and in charge, what was she supposed to do?
Can his daughter have one normal friend? Please? Especially one that’s not making eerie passes at him?
Eydika has absolutely no idea Nora is falling for her this hard and mostly thinks she's just being really nice.
She thinks it's a little suspicious how her entire attitude seems to change whenever she rolls up on her motorcycle, but usually just waves it off as appreciation for the bike, rather than the hot biker lady on it.
Suffice to say, Nora has a bit of an obsession. She took one look at biker cop Eydika with a self-esteem Nora could only dream of, thought "want that" and a chase ensued. And though she doesnt give up easy, the avarri didn't expect a chief of police to be so irritatingly oblivious and daft to her affections. Even the officers are trying to stage an intervention. Nora's a little flirty angel around Eydis and nearly chews the heads off of whoever she gets handed over to next. Everyone's clearly getting tired of almost being blown up by the lovestruck psychopath.
Cassius claims he has no real feelings towards Tesei, despite being really grateful they offer them a place to stay and speak their mind when needed. He's kind of a loose cannon around them, likely because of the comfortable place he finds himself in, mostly just yapping about what special interest he finds himself stuck with at the moment. He has no idea about what his twin sister talks about when they visit Tesei, but feels glad when she seems to perk up at the end of it.
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Calixis is overjoyed whenever she can be around Tesei, treating them like the mother she feels they are to the both of them and speaking about what's on her mind at the time. Though usually she simply uses Tesei as someone to vent to about her twin brother as he can be quite a hand full and she's painfully aware of that fact, despite her best efforts. She loves and respects the older Skarrid as one would a mother.
For the longest time, Tesei has been fond and protective of Gemini, both as Casix and as Calixis and Cassius, but no amount of defending the twins made their fragile lives any longer in the last milleniums.
So trust that when Tesei was presented with a chance to personally raise, teach and dote on the duo, they gladly took it. And sure, their heart may have broken several times while weaning Calixis and Cassius off of expecting abuse at every corner, but eventually from under the shy, angry and terrified exterior emerged the happy go lucky troublemaker and curious sweetheart that Tesei had nurtured for so long. And loves dearly to this day.
They made sure to help with every step forward thereafter too, when they became comfortable enough to confidently come to mom for help - from mishaps with dairy, to finding an explanation to Cass' restlessness and Cal's overthinking, to their daughter's journey of discovering she was trans, they loved them the whole way through. It's been a slow and steady path to becoming a family, but they managed in the end, and Tesei couldn't be happier.
Note: Still kind of side-eyeing Leonidas, Camberis and Ezekiel, even if they kind of know a parent should be proud of their kids moving out and finding their own footing (and they are). As long as the twins are happy though, Tesei can deal with the whole empty nest syndrome.
Giovanni had been hearing voices in his head before, however, finding out that they had a name really messed with him. He doesn't appreciate Tesei finding out all of his deepest secrets and inner thoughts. So he has taken to pay more attention to what bothers them and focus more on that, purely to spite the Skarrid and hopefully get them to leave him alone.
He does, deep down, feel some sort of comfort in knowing Tesei is there to listen to him, to offer him some form of support in bettering himself, even if he feels he himself is too far gone to become a better person. But he also strongly feels that they are invading his privacy with their mind reading bullshit.
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Lately Tesei has become somewhat of an obsession to him. Wanting to know all that he can about them as he can not get them out of his mind and he HATES it. Everywhere he looks, everything he smells, it all reminds him of them. Some may claim that he fell in love with them, other may claim he is simply delusional and wants a way to take them down. But Giovanni has no idea which of these is true, all he knows is that he simply wants to.... touch them, just once, without having the prying eyes of the Hounds looking over his shoulders. He craves a place where he can just be Marcius, and strongly feels Tesei can provide that place.
Recently, between tending to council duties and mapping out action plans against the Hounds, Tesei's taken an interest in personally investigating the man that's been a thorn in their side for a while. Spying on him, to be precise. It'd been a cold and calculated affair - establishing a pathway between Giovanni's mind and their own, and listening in much like one would when intercepting a radio frequency. With the small difference that they were now privy to the mobster's innermost thoughts and vulnerabilities. Though when you hold more pity than hatred for a certain breed of people from the get-go, you don't interact with them with the intent to harm or destroy now, do you? So let's just say, Tesei was not surprised when the kingpin of the underground turned out to be not that much of a monster... Three millenia teaches you something about the psyche and rule number one goes as follows: Monsters don't exist. Angry, tired, broken men do.
P. S. They'd still curb stomp him into the ground if he ever endangered someone in their circle. Also he should smoke less and sleep more. And if he could please stop thinking about stabbing people, it's very uncouth...
For some reason most of the Amora family has come to do business with Belphegor - the saner ones, thankfully, if the tales about Nikiro's husband are anything to go by. He doesn't mind his level-headed company and creativity though.
The only reason he knows him is because he keeps apologizing about his daughter disturbing him when she should be on DUTY—
If it’s not because of that, he’s there because he secretly likes to do tiny metal work projects, and he would ask the blacksmith for help on the ones that are more complex. Maybe have a conversation or two.
Yacob was the most facinating thing she had seen or met in such a long time. His frequent visits were a blissful releafe from the stagnent life she lead as the Head of the Silk and Fang. Weather it was new fashions to try on him or more intimate moments she always look forward to each and every time....untill something happened. Divrune promised her self she would control her hidden urges, it took one night for her to break it all appart as she let down her emotional walls and her more dark side took over, and for that split second she regretted releasing the walls that kept that inner widow in. After this Divrune had decided she did not wish to harm the one other person she allowed to get so close and would no longer spend that precious time with him....only left with the memories.
Mystella loves adventure and mystery and Vistas became just that for her when she took an outing into the Barian markets disguised to get away from the constant attention of her body guards. To see such an dark looking man among the gold and red colors of the people intrigued her. She took the time to talk with him and get to know Vistas and what he was about and in a way she felt a kin to him in many a way. She was not sure she could say it was love for the man, but more like a strong affection and respect for him and his cause that had her come to the decision to help him in any way she could. And some where along the line they would produce 3 children togeather.
A distant cousin of the crown, Elion is a mystery to her. Chivalrous yet lackadaisical, he is a man many like to have around but few can tolerate for long. Leta included.
Often catching her in her ol' crimes for months, kind of like a Sly Cooper and Carmelita Montoya situation. Oddly enough, they're friends? She must've got it from her dad, considering he married a lowkey psychopath lol.
She's caught Nora in possession of drugs and sets of suspicious chemicals. And they've had more run ins during Nora's running cases. Nora's fond and a little envious of Seraphina's outgoing nature, but would just like it as far away from her as possible. She's taking the 'good cop' thing a bit too far...
It's inevitable that they're on friendly terms now after so many run-ins with each other. From wayward calls about Belphegor chasing an unfortunate burglar to adventures in gun repair, the feathered avarris has been left with another notch in his weapon upkeep belt and a heap of respect for the woman. Seraphina may be personally responsible for his change of heart about scaled avarris as a whole.
He finds the staring cute.
“He fixes my guns while I stare at his guns ;)”
...And then Melo regrets typing that.
A beloved friend and girlhood crush, Alaric is a man so very dear to her. They've grown into honorable allies and their friendship still kindles through occasional visits.
He's fond of Demeter but, one seasoned introvert to another, would like to see him come out of his shell. It's what made him approach and strike a tentative camaraderie with the shy avarris. Or perhaps he recognized something in Demeter he had only seen in those that came back from war (and the mirror) and became concerned. Either way, Belphegor now splits their time together between training with the man and being a tad overprotective of him.
He can be seen sporting a feather of Demeter's in his hair, fond of the bright colors
He’s timid around the big feathered Avarris, but thanks to him he’s slowly opening up more to people. Demeter’s known him since the military days, and he’s one of a few people that he trusts. The fact that Belphegor wears a feather in his hair makes him feel better about himself, since he sometimes thinks his feathers can be distracting and attracts too much attention at times.
Vinaron is the only one Belphegor agrees to sparr with these days, for reasons unknown to many. Some suspect hatred and it sure looks like it, but the men's interactions outside of fighting paints a different picture. Between their similar personalities, war pasts and fondness of weapons, there's much to bond over. And besides that, Vinaron is an interesting man to simply observe. Belphegor has even taken to gifting a few of his precious creations to Vin, if just to watch his appreciation for the craft, and enjoys keeping the old man on his toes with them, so much so his ego doesn't even suffer from the 1 to 3 eye ratio unfairness anymore. It stings a little to remember the terms they started on, but he doesn't question how they ended up with an unspoken but clearly valuable friendship. And an even more unspoken "something more".