Painted Reality | Xaden Riorson x FEM!OC

Mental Pictures

Yelling. It's always yelling in this household. Ever since Dad and Brennan died it's all anyone ever does, but let's take a step back and show you who everyone is:

Lilith Sorrengail is known in the family as 'The Mother From Hell'. We've never really seen eye to eye. Lilith Sorrengail, formally known as General Sorrengail, is shorter in stature, her golden brown hair is shaved short for battle and for a middle-aged woman, boy does she have muscle. She bonded a Brown dragon - Aimsir - and her signet is wielding the storms.

Brennan Sorrengail - my wholesome, lovely older brother. Brennan was the eldest of my siblings before he passed in the Battle of Aretia at the hands of Fen Riorson. As I said earlier I had always wanted to become a rider but after Brennan's death, it solidified it. He had the most beautiful brownish-red hair, it always smelt of honey and his eyes - oh his eyes - were the most beautiful shade of green, like the scales of Teines back. Gods I miss him, he had bonded an Orange Daggertail - Marbh - Brennans signet was an extremely rare one - mending - only very few riders obtain a mending signet. Healers are less rare but mending is practically royalty.

Mira Sorrengail my sweet - sometimes - older sister. She taught me everything I know, I had always known I wanted to be a rider, unlike my sister Violet - but we'll get to her soon. M - as Vi and I call her - is a lieutenant at the Montserrat outpost. She is more of a mother figure to us than our real mother was at the age of 26 - might I add she is still that same mother figure. My sister bonded a Green Clubtail - Teine - she can extend wards as her signet. 

Violet - my second older sister by 9 months, dont ask - is the sweetest most resilient thing to ever live, she is a beautiful young woman and it shows. Vi has always had hair that fades from the richest brown to the brightest silver, her eyes sparkle a pale blue. She has always had weak joints, bones and tendons. We were constantly visiting Nolan - our mender - for help. She was always stuck in the archives with our father training to be a scribe until about six months ago when our mother told her she was to become a rider. Both Mira and I tried in vein to get our mother to change her mind but to no avail, so I've spent the last six months trying to teach my older sister everything Mira taught me in 15. After Mira was conscripted and Brennan left for work it was really just Vi and I.

Now forget about the other shitheads and lets focus on me - I love them really. My name is Grace, I'm the youngest Sorrengail. As I've mentioned I've been training for 15 years to get across the parapet, I have always had a thing for daggers and archery - my weapons of choice. Just like Vi - and much to Mira's disgust - I keep my hair long, to about my mid back, its a deep rich brown. My eyes are a blue and when I'm mad they can go as cold as ice - or so I'm told - I am about 5'11, the same as Violet. I have more tanned skin than my middle sister - more like Mira's - and muscle tone like my mothers. I've always been told I am hot headed, but how can a sketcher be hot headed? Yep, thats right I sketch, draw, paint pretty much any form of artestry I do. It was a thing Brennan and I used to do.

Anyway back to my story

I was sitting on my window edge sketching the archives tower in a sketchpad Brennan gave me the last birthday he was here when I heard my door open. Can I not get any peace and fucking quite in the shithole? I turn to see Mira and Vi make their way in.

"A closed door means that I dont want company," I say not looking up at them again but I can picture Mira's body language, hands on her hips, cocked head and a glare shooting at my side.

"Yeah well that doesn't apply to us" she says and I hear the sound of a bag being unzipped. I sigh and put the pad down, I stand and make my way over to them

"I'll take it mum didn't change her mind," I address Vi who shakes her head looking at me for a split second before going back to protesting with Mira - who is repacking her bag "Vi I say this with all my love, please shut the fuck up"

"Here put these on," Mira hands us each a corset and boots, I run my hand over the strange material of the corset. Its fucking dragon-scale.

"Mira how did you get Tienes scales so small?" I ask 

"I have a friend who can shrink things," she smirks not looking away from Vi's pack "and make them significantly larger"

"Gross" Vi and I say at the same time. We look at each other and laugh.

"Okay, Okay," she looks up zipping up the pack "Ray go put the shit on and Vi come and let me do your hair"

I step behind the change divider and put the armour-corset under my shirt, I slip my new boots on to - they have more traction on the sole. When I come back out M has Vi's hair in a braided crown on top of her head. She motions for me to sit and for Vi to go and change. 

~<*>~

Once Mira is finished with my hair and checking over my pack she stands from the box she was sitting on "Under no circumstances will either of you take that corset off" she nails in the instruction with a stern look "try and sleep in it if you can"

Vi and I both nod and I slip my daggers into their sheaths. 4 on my ribs and 2 on my thighs, my bow and quiver over my back. I look to Vi seeing her do the same, minus the bow and quiver. I make sure I have my sketchbook and ink before I go, M smiles at us and she opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by the bells telling us we need to leave for the college

"Rather die young and pretty right?" I mutter to myself as I close the door behind the three of us and follow my two elder sisters to the parapet stairs