onyx nights

"We could find somewhere quieter." The words came out before he'd fully thought them through, and he felt his wings twitch. It was a nervous tell he'd never been able to shake, one that betrayed him every time his heart started beating faster than it should. He wondered if she noticed. She probably had, she seemed to notice everything.

she recognises the way his wings twitch, her own shifting as she rolls her shoulders at the discomfort of the crowds near them. her own nervous habit that she knows he’d be familiar with after knowing each other so long. “quieter sounds nice.” she replies, grateful for the offer. she frowns when he trails off, stretching her neck a little with her own nerves, watching him as he rubs his neck. her wings flutter slightly when she shifts again, glancing around again, at the other fae, at the flowers around them, down at the cake she’d forgotten about, back to him. always back to him. she’d been looking all day, every time they’d been separated. she twists the end of her braid around her fingers, biting her lip. she’s out of place. she had dressed according to what she expected of the events, rather than wearing her usual armour and leathers. although would anyone have questioned it had she shown up in her leathers? armour? she never really knows. she draws herself out of her thoughts and feels her cheeks heat when she realises he’s still watching her. “fewer people.” somewhere to remove them from the crowds. and she finds, in the moment, she doesn’t care about the rumours so much. time alone with rivian is worth others talking. anyone who matters will hear their version, not some made up story the busybodies of mistvale come up with. “it would be.” she tilts her head, stopping herself from reaching out to touch him when his wings twitch again, and she nods. her shoulders roll again, “lead the way?” it would be nice to get away, to see parts of the court without the rest of the courtiers around them, with him beside her.

𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: dawn court, the garden party

" you must try the rosé, " aurelia mused as she walked up to them at the refreshment table, " it's a dawn court wine, with grapes that get the most rays from dawn every single morning. it's said to make them the sweetest. " she smiled as she took a glass for herself, " though i must admit, i find it rather tart, i'd sooner have a berry wine. " yet still, the high priestess took a drink from the glass.

“oh, i probably will prefer the berry wines if you find the rosé tart.” she tilts her head. she glances over the glasses, deciding she’ll give it a chance and reaches for a glass of rosé. if she doesn’t like it, she can always switch to something else. but while it’s a little more tart than she’d prefer, she doesn’t dislike it too much. “i always did have a sweet tooth.” maybe from not getting sweets as a child and then discovering her love for them later.

to: @flrestorms location: the garden party, dawn court gardens

she loves to be in nature. but… she prefers to be in nature alone or only with those she actually trusts. she’d left out her wings for this — mostly because she had wanted the comfort of not hiding for the first event, even if she may glamour them for later events. it’s a bonus that others seem so much more intimidated by them, that it’s saved her from having to socialise with anyone she doesn’t want to socialise with. but she knows what the high fae think of her, of the other half-illyrians present. they’re wrong. they don’t fit. but she never had. not with the illyrians she’d been raised beside, and not with the high fae her mother had come from.  there may be political reasons for the commanders to attend… but she’d rather remain hidden away with her army, or with omar and penélope. with rivian. she’d taken a bit too many cakes than were likely meant to be her share. she likes cake, though. always has. she wonders if she can convince the night court to cater from her bakery come their turn to host… if only for her ego her cake is amazing though. her attention turns to him from staring at the cake in her hands, and she perks up a little more. “hi.” her smile is genuine — not the false things she’d feigned for the rest of the crowd. “definitely too many people around.” she nods, rolling her shoulders slightly, wings fluttering with the movement. “i do not mind the flowers.” she glances around. “better if it were quieter. less happening. would’ve liked to see this then.” she tilts her head.

she wonders if anyone will really notice if she does disappear into the shadows… other than rivian. he always knows. dawn is lovely, but she’d like to enjoy it without the court obligations, without the politics, the necessity of the social season. it makes her uncomfortable. she’s never known how to read social cues, never done well with the banter, the conversation. she wants to drag her friends into the gardens and hide. instead she’d collected a handful of desserts and slipped over to another observer, “is anyone truly better company than cake?” she replies. “i have always found dessert to be more palatable than most fae.”