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May. 23rd, 2025 08:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dustjackets posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
lexiphanicismTechnically speaking, the Arcadian Archive is an autonomous, neutral entity. It's existed in Wellish territory since before Wellin even existed, and will continue to exist well after Wellin is gone. The Librarian, archivists, and other staff come from all over the world. Any person or organization from any nation may submit a request to access the knowledge stored within, and the power to grant or deny such requests rests solely in the hands of the Librarian.
Practically speaking, the Archive depends a lot on the Wellish government. They need homes to live in. Gardens to grow food in. Markets to purchase the things they can't grow or make themselves. Freedom to travel to and from the Archive. A treaty with an old king of Wellin ensured them all of these things.
But the Archive will exist even when Wellin is gone, and Wellin is gone now.
It's not an immediate disaster. No one can access the Archive without explicit permission from Aspen or his designated proxies, and he's already confiscated and destroyed all the seals granting the staff proxy powers. The chaos that comes with annexing a foreign government has prevented anyone from Caria from immediately descending upon the Archive. The staff has enough stockpiled supplies to last them months.
But Aspen knows it's only a matter of time. He might be all-powerful within the Arcadian Archive, but he and his staff are just people. Humans. They have homes they need to return to, loved ones they want to see, illnesses that must be tended to. Weaknesses that can be exploited. Weaknesses that will be exploited, as soon as their new 'rulers' identify them.
Aspen's status as an omega—an unmarried, unmated omega, at that—will only complicate things. He wouldn't call the treatment of omegas in Wellin perfect, but he knows it's going to get much, much worse once once the laws and cultural norms of their conquerors take root. He needs a solution, and fast.
So he seals the Archive, engaging an old spell that allows anyone to exit, but prevents them from reentering until he deactives the spell. And then he leaves. He only brings Zachariah, an old alpha that's been guarding the Archive since the days of Aspen's master, with him for protection; he's a reliable and loyal man, and the only one Aspen trusts to not try to stop him. Together, they travel to Caria's capital and to the headquarters of the only group more dangerous than Caria's government.
The man Aspen talks to, whom he assumes is one of the higher ups in this syndicate, seems suspicious and wary at first. Aspen can't really blame him. But the explanation he offers ends up being simple:
"I'd rather criminals have more influence over me than your government. Don't you feel the same way?"
He does, especially when all Aspen asks for in return is that the syndicate ensures that the Archive receives the same protections from Caria that they did from Wellin.
Offer accepted, the man starts to immediately babble on about the importance of legitimacy, and how they'll have to do things properly if they want the Carian government to buy it. Aspen tenses. He knows what that means but... he'd been ready for that. So he agrees, and he's immediately whisked away to some small apartment deeper within the synidcate home. There he's invited (or, well, ordered) to make himself comfortable and wait.
And wait he does. Zachariah is allowed to stay nearby, at least, and there's several in the apartment's small sitting room. He's brought lunch and even afternoon tea (but beta servants, he notes, who seem puzzled and even put off by how frankly he directs and thanks them). Still, it makes for a long, slow, and tense period of waiting.
Then, as the sun is starting to set, the door finally opens. Whoever it is doesn't knock like the servants or Zachariah did, which tells Aspen all he needs to know. He takes a deep breath, then climbs to his feet and turns to face whoever has come to greet him.
Practically speaking, the Archive depends a lot on the Wellish government. They need homes to live in. Gardens to grow food in. Markets to purchase the things they can't grow or make themselves. Freedom to travel to and from the Archive. A treaty with an old king of Wellin ensured them all of these things.
But the Archive will exist even when Wellin is gone, and Wellin is gone now.
It's not an immediate disaster. No one can access the Archive without explicit permission from Aspen or his designated proxies, and he's already confiscated and destroyed all the seals granting the staff proxy powers. The chaos that comes with annexing a foreign government has prevented anyone from Caria from immediately descending upon the Archive. The staff has enough stockpiled supplies to last them months.
But Aspen knows it's only a matter of time. He might be all-powerful within the Arcadian Archive, but he and his staff are just people. Humans. They have homes they need to return to, loved ones they want to see, illnesses that must be tended to. Weaknesses that can be exploited. Weaknesses that will be exploited, as soon as their new 'rulers' identify them.
Aspen's status as an omega—an unmarried, unmated omega, at that—will only complicate things. He wouldn't call the treatment of omegas in Wellin perfect, but he knows it's going to get much, much worse once once the laws and cultural norms of their conquerors take root. He needs a solution, and fast.
So he seals the Archive, engaging an old spell that allows anyone to exit, but prevents them from reentering until he deactives the spell. And then he leaves. He only brings Zachariah, an old alpha that's been guarding the Archive since the days of Aspen's master, with him for protection; he's a reliable and loyal man, and the only one Aspen trusts to not try to stop him. Together, they travel to Caria's capital and to the headquarters of the only group more dangerous than Caria's government.
The man Aspen talks to, whom he assumes is one of the higher ups in this syndicate, seems suspicious and wary at first. Aspen can't really blame him. But the explanation he offers ends up being simple:
"I'd rather criminals have more influence over me than your government. Don't you feel the same way?"
He does, especially when all Aspen asks for in return is that the syndicate ensures that the Archive receives the same protections from Caria that they did from Wellin.
Offer accepted, the man starts to immediately babble on about the importance of legitimacy, and how they'll have to do things properly if they want the Carian government to buy it. Aspen tenses. He knows what that means but... he'd been ready for that. So he agrees, and he's immediately whisked away to some small apartment deeper within the synidcate home. There he's invited (or, well, ordered) to make himself comfortable and wait.
And wait he does. Zachariah is allowed to stay nearby, at least, and there's several in the apartment's small sitting room. He's brought lunch and even afternoon tea (but beta servants, he notes, who seem puzzled and even put off by how frankly he directs and thanks them). Still, it makes for a long, slow, and tense period of waiting.
Then, as the sun is starting to set, the door finally opens. Whoever it is doesn't knock like the servants or Zachariah did, which tells Aspen all he needs to know. He takes a deep breath, then climbs to his feet and turns to face whoever has come to greet him.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-02 08:01 pm (UTC)He looks at Aspen again, and sighs, shaking his head. He's not angry, or disappointed. No longer tense, nor violent neither blatantly showing his alpha characteristics. If anything, his scent was all over the place, his fingertips shivering slightly, his gaze unfocused. Being home helped him to stabilise his nerves, he hopes it happens sooner than later. His body is craving a hot bath. "Could you... explain to me what happened?" He didn't want to mindlessly accuse him, to discipline him without reason. He wanted to understand and he wanted Aspen to understand too, they more they knew each other reasoning, the better. He wanted to tell him all the things he could do so he could protect him better, so he doesn't run into another unfortunate and uncomfortable situation.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-13 09:22 pm (UTC)"When we arrived, the guard would only allow Zachariah to enter the house. I was forced to wait outside. I'm aware that it was probably a ruse, but there was no other option immediately available to us."
He feels like waiting outside indefinitely, hoping Milo would notice, would cause the more problems in the long run.
"As soon as Zachariah was gone, the guard began to pester me. I ignored him, then avoided him, and then told him 'no'. Eventually he grabbed me, at which point I used magic to dissuade him."
With the benefit of hindsight, Aspen realizes there were many, much more subtle spells he could have used to drive off the guard. But at the time he had just been thinking that he wanted the man away from him as fast as possible.
"I can assure you, the spell did him no physical harm."
no subject
Date: 2025-06-18 07:33 pm (UTC)"The ways unmated omegas are treated here..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence, he didn't even know if he wanted to finish the sentence. "Some alphas feel entitled to them, like they are some kind of free for use property. I am so sorry you had to experience that." He sighed again, apologising profusely for the way his society worked, even if deep done, it made him feel repulsed. "After... After we're mated. I know... I know it doesn't magically fixes everything but no alpha won't pester you or touch you like that again." Because everyone will know you belong to me. He thought, but didn't say. "But... until the ceremony... I think it's safe if you... try to keep a low profile, try not to use your magic again. Omegas using magic like that.... it's-it's very unheard for here."