–– ❛ ☠ never cruel

“Then you are blind. By choice or coincidence,” she shrugged. Illyria swished around the remaining tea in her cup, sipping the rest so she could see what images the dregs would give her. Thalia was always better at reading tea leaves than she was. “Suitable, I suppose. Since you’re marrying him. So much...fake,” she sighed with another shrug.

she didn’t know if she liked that smile. caring was understandable. she, too, cared for someone. but this was different, or she liked to convince herself it was. illyria frowned. “he’s cut out his heart. he cannot love.”

“Interesting and true. His heart is...” she tried to think of a word, “fake.” She remembered how the story of Snow White went, and it seemed fitting. “So you are saying that your Otto White is not aware of his cruelty?”

she could see everything happening in matilda’s face; she was telling the truth, the truth of her heart, and it was so real that it scared illyria to think about it. “...but does he love you?”

“Everyone is cruel. We are all cruel in ways unique to each of us, we just choose when we are. I, from the Isle, can be cruel, though I choose not to right now. You can be cruel. Same goes for your pig-hearted husband-to-be,” she shrugged, her gaze unwavering on Charity as she sipped from her teacup. “Though, with him, he shows his cruelty more often than not. Blessed are you if you have never seen it,” she said with a secret smile.

“how else am i supposed to make friends?”

love. the word made her stop completely. she moved all the stones and bones to one side, forgoing her scrying entirely. “and how do you love valentine?”

“Then you should be fine. Do you feel like you’re in any danger?” she asked, not even hiding her amusement.

“ hmm... ” she looked at the cat in her arms, and the cat meowed at her, blinking innocently. illyria looked to ronan with an amused smile. “ well, i certainly have an effect on cats. makes me feel very special. and here i thought only crabs and fish liked me. ” she kissed the cat between its eyes. just as she did, she noticed her and ronan’s knees touching. she knew something could happen now, something that would make her heart race again, but another force was telling her to stop. illyria hugged the cat closer to her, lowering her head as she did so she could hide her face. she didn’t want to see ronan closing her eyes, needing those two seconds to think. then she made her decision. illyria shuffled backwards, just enough so she was no longer touching ronan. “ perhaps it’s time...they should get back to your dorm. ” 

“ ah, so this happens a lot, does it ?? ” she asked, amused as she looked from ronan to the cats. still trying to figure her thoughts out, illyria decided to focus on the cats more, talking to them separately. “ how many doors have you come to, hmm ?? waiting for him to let you in ?? ” she whispered. one hand cradled the cat sleeping against her chest, and another picked one up so she could kiss it. “ i’m no cat-whisperer, ronan morgenstern...i just listen. ” her heart was slowing now, comforted some what by the extra number of souls in the room. it was always strange and warm when it was just her and ronan. she noticed him inch closer to her and her heart beat fast again.

“Beatrix Lux? I may have heard of her father,” she shrugged. “Are you aware that you have a demon on your tails?”

he’s my vally and i’m his tilly. illyria just frowned at the stones and bones, changing one or two things after she spoke. “are you saying you own him somehow?” she asked, giving away nothing in her tone.

"I swear to you, I will never find you interesting enough to stalk you.” Illyria made a lazy cross gesture over her heart. “Who would you find your ass that appealing, Pirate Jones?”

“Hardly. Stalking insinuates I follow you around or something. I have better things to do with my time.”

illyria just shook her head once, giving him a knowing look. the cats would not be okay. as he stood up to let them in, illyria gathered the pillow to her chest, hoping to dull the sound of her heart, worrying he could hear it. but as soon as the cat came bounding towards her, she dropped the pillow altogether and her face split into a wide grin. “ hello, darling... ” she whispered, cooing at it as she let it jump on her, burrowing against her chest. illyria just chuckled at ronan’s pout. she beckoned more cats to come to her. would ronan try to kiss her again ?? would she let him ?? “ how did they find you ?? ”