diluculum

Kavitha exhaled a soft laugh as she ventured further into Nari's apartments, taking a seat on one of the less ornate pieces of furniture. "Under normal circumstances, I might invoke the rules of courtly decorum." Which she tried to maintain, though it lapsed more often in Lady Nari's presence, a reflection of her genuine trust and affection for the woman sitting opposite her. "Presently, however, that is too attractive an offer to pass up." Her voice dropped slightly, lighthearted and conspiratorial in a way she rarely was, with anyone else. "At dinner last night, somebody from one of the seasonal courts made a pass at me." She wrinkled her nose at the memory, which she had not had a moment to truly reflect on until now. "After spending an inordinate amount of time sniffing and swirling his wine, which – to put it lightly, the order in which he did those things did not work his favor."

His lips twitched in amusement, a tacit acknowledgment of the implication. "I'm afraid not. My mother drank for taste, a trait I unfortunately inherited." Considering the circumstances of his birth, and the number of nights he'd spent immersed in the middle and laboring classes of society, it was a bit humorous that Valentine had developed a taste for the finer things. He supposed that one benefit of their current confinement was relatively unmitigated access to these comforts, even if they were a little smoky for his liking. "Somewhat. I've acclimated to the low light, the dragons, the food, and the mistrustful locals. The accompanying political upheaval, however, poses its own challenges."

Valentine could argue; could remind Calix that he couldn't will away their shared history, that some pulse of understanding would always exist between them, whether or not they were inclined to acknowledge it. But pushing back in this moment seemed unkind. He had spent fifty or so years carefully studying the slant of Calix's brow, the shifting lines around his mouth. One look at him, paired with the thread of woe in his voice, was enough to make Valentine back off.

Kael’s heart skipped a beat as she waved away his suggestion to leave, telling him to stay. He nodded, trying to keep his expression calm, but inside he felt a mix of relief and nervousness. She had always seemed so comfortable around him, but it still caught him off guard, especially now, as she kicked off her shoes and settled in across from him. It was moments like these that reminded him why he liked her so much.

"I couldn't possibly," Kavitha insisted, nudging the plate closer to Kael once more. She reached for one of the pieces of bread she'd obtained, tearing off a piece to dip into the soup. "If I tried, I'd be at immediate risk for falling asleep right here and missing the thousand and one meetings I have scheduled for early tomorrow morning." Meetings she actually wanted to attend, in spite of her relative exhaustion. She had had to adjust to a lot since leaving her ancestral family home, but the recent changes to the dusk court made it feel a bit like she was starting anew all over again.

closed for @dcybreak ( kavitha ), continued from here

Kavitha felt a pang of sympathy for Cerys. As a scholar and a member of the inner circle, it must've been difficult to peruse the dusk court's annals and feel a bit like an awkward guest in someone else's home. Part of her loathed that they had to be strategic about what information they shared -- that it couldn't just come forth at the first notion of rigorous, sustained curiosity. "Outside of our court's history, do you have any particular scholarly interests?" she asked, measured, but kind. "I could try to dig something up for you. Our collection is, in reality, much more vast than it appears at first glance."

“a field trip could be very enriching,” iggy agrees (perhaps too quickly). “sorry,” she retreats sheepishly, lowering her quill. she had clearly missed the mark of the lesson completely. “you’re being very helpful and i am being useless.” she appreciated valentine’s wisdom very much despite her poor focus. he nailed the problem on the head, though. she was a kinaesthetic sort of learner, best on her feet — it was no wonder she struggled with the readings and the lecture. “i do agree, though. i think it would help to get my hands on some of them.”

He shook his head with a smile, there was no apology necessary. In truth, she'd hardly be the first he'd lulled into a stupor with excessive herb-related facts. "Obviously, we have to be careful, with the dusk court's.... ambassadors, flying overhead," he sighed, sparing a reticent glance out the window. However, it hardly deterred him, and he proceeded to rise to his feet, gesturing for Iphigenia to do the same. "But I see no reason why we can't take a turn about the compound's gardens, at the very least. It's one of the few places around here you don't get the evil eye for just existing in."

PERHAPS that had been a reason - their isolation. They knew themselves & their nature all the better without external influences. Perhaps they could be deemed the true fae. She hummed at his words, nodding lightly. "Perhaps that is exactly why they can, to an extent, control us. They seem wiser, though it could also be said more cunning. I respect them for the sheer audacity of it, for being so gentle with their guests, yet unawering in their restictions."

Vivian's amusement had a wry smile tilting his lips, even if it was at his own expense. Hubris was right, probably. Though, how any of them could've predicted this series of events, he had no idea.

Kavitha nodded. Initially, the idea unsettled her; though she had had positive interactions scholars from the other courts, she still found it difficult to presume their competence at most scholarly endeavors. However, an invitation to collaborate from Yijun would be a a powerful symbol of diplomacy. And a time when she could feel restless rising within the compound, maybe it was the olive branch they needed to maintain the peace. "I think that's a good idea. I know that members of the other courts have sensed a certain... hostility, from the inner circle. And some of the family." She rubbed at a knot that had started to develop at the base of her neck. "Wherever it's possible to build bridges, we probably should. I'm willing to work with them."

OMINOUS, or perhaps smart. The Dusk court had been smart- the dragons' presence had been... subtle, but present enough that the drakes circling the sky could be seen as either a looming threat, or a display of security. Should any fae step a toe out of line, the dragons would know & report back to their rulers & the fae would be in trouble.

"Mm," Valentine agreed. It was further interesting that there existed civilian riders. Presumably, it would be treasonous for them to defy the instruction of their high lord, and yet... It was a lot of power, in the hands of the citizenry. It was a marked shift in the type of courtly dynamics he'd come to expect. "Much more than I would expect, from a court that has had no contact with the rest of us."

Kael was struggling to find his own footing as of late. Well in his opinion he was. He was struggling with ensuring that any privilege he received, any praise that he received was legitimate and not because of who his father was. He knew this would be a struggle for him when he joined, but he wanted that approval so desperately he decided to join anyway. So while most everyone else was eating together down in the hall, he had made his way to the observatory to take a break from the constant need to be on.

In truth, she was relieved that it was Kael. She didn't have to put up any sort of pretense around him -- in fact, she felt perfectly comfortable stepping out of her shoes, which had been pinching her feet all day, and sitting with her legs folded in the space opposite to him. She waved a dismissive hand at his request to leave. "No, stay," she said firmly, setting her plate down in the space between them. She paused to take a long sip from her goblet, which she maybe shouldn't be doing on an empty stomach, but it had been a very long week. "Are you hungry? I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I didn't want to have to risk going back for a second helping."

focused on the walking as both a form of meditation and the way to get somewhere the slowest, the heels of her boots sounded forcefully against the wooden floors of the hallway, but this was to be interrupted. " valentine, " she greeted back, approaching the other and dipping her chin, and even though hierarchy had been strictly taught to her when she was in her warrior training, there was a small amount of fae with enough intelligence to take any note of rank or had any respect for her. celeste did not take it personally. his question derailed her. " to consume at dawn would point to problems for someone who starts a day being intoxicated, but no one blinks an eye if you're keeping company with wine at dusk. " it would have to be the closest to a joke that she's ever made. " to be serious, i cannot find a difference. does it matter ? "

"I will certainly listen, my lady, but if I endeavor to transcribe another thing today, I run the risk of my hand falling off." For Kavitha to admit to weariness, it had to be quite extreme. She didn't think she'd ever written so much in her life, including the days when she was compiling detailed lesson plans for the schooling of her eight siblings. At Nari's admission, she nodded in quiet agreement. Though she put up a cordial front, the arrival of the fae from other courts had triggered some deep, pervasive distrust in her, likely put there by her father. "Mm. It does feel like the rules of our known world are changing in some significant, undefinable way. I find myself caught between existential dread, and irritation that they eat all the good bread before I make it to breakfast in the mornings."

her quill grows still in a curled palm, as iggy watches valentine’s lips move in rapid conversation with himself. the fae had a growing interest in getting better at physical medicines (as urged by sera’s advice), but it hardly meant that her attention span had expanded in any way since her youth. she knew valentine as a talented herbalist, prompting her to reach for his help. despite a strong discipline in etiquette, she had always been somewhat of a poor student. startling out of her reverie, iphigenia has the decency to attempt at covering her tracks. “oh. no. i think i got most of it.” jade hues look downward at the blank parchment before her — a crude drawing of a bell-shaped plant in the margins. her nose scrunches, caught now. the healer sheepishly meets his eyes. “the interesting thing about seaweed?”

Valentine doubted very much that she got most of it, but he wasn't really bothered by it. Iphigenia might not have been the most diligent student, but she was sweet, and he was always cognizant of her position within the court, the power differential it created. "Nothing, to be honest. There is nothing interesting about seaweed," he admitted. "Maybe it would be easier if we had some of these plants in front of us." He glanced out the window, still quietly struck by the dissonance he felt with the environment. Still, plants were plants, whatever dirt they happened to take root in. "It's entirely possible some of them are grown around the grounds. Or in the adjacent woods... A field trip could be quite enriching."

Though it was with entirely unearned confidence, Valentine didn't doubt his knowledge of Calix for even a second. If he was doing his job, he would back off, diffuse, avoid confrontation for the same reasons he left all those years ago. But there was a part of him that couldn't bear to concede. Eyes dropping over the familiar planes of Calix's face, he asked, "Can you honestly tell me I don't?"