No podés quedar bien con el Diablo y Dios.

she leans into penélope, sighing. she’d been pulled aside by rivian before she’d been able to lose it over the overstimulation of it all, and she’d also known her court would always take care of yiren, though she’d gone looking for her to make sure after parting with rivian. “do you know anything about the asteri?” she asks. “that is the worst part, i think. that we do not know anything. everything else… we can deal with an earthquake.” she feels naked without her shadows, but she can still fight… at least her training involved more than just illyrian training. she pushes their way into the kitchens, making her way over to where she knows the desserts are kept. she’d helped with some of the chefs as well, after everything, so the fae here didn’t seem to mind her stopping in for snacks. “i do not know what to make of this…”

Penélope knowing anything? About anything? Definitely not. She had no idea what was going on or what she was doing or she was meant to do. She just followed orders just like she was trained to do. "No, I had never heard of— it? Them? Before this." She wasn't even sure what they were, just that she was terrified and pissed she couldn't fight them face to face. It was getting old, the messages, the tricks. She needed to stab someone.

at the woman's complete adamant response to highlights, mari's shoulders drop, pouting playfully at her and trying not to crack a small smile. okay, so maybe she added that bit in just for a reaction, sue her. "well ya can't blame a girl for tryin', can you? honestly, I feel like just adding some contrasting color to the pieces at the front and maybe in the back for a peek-a-boo affect might do you better anyway, if you ask me--" she's this close to touching the other woman's hair to emphasize her point but quickly puts them back, eyes lighting up at what penelope says next. "wait, really?" she's beaming, squealing a little and hugging the other without a second thought before trying to straighten herself up once pulling away again. "wait, okay, okay! yay! would you like just one braid or two? on the bright side if you go for the single...your hair is already up!"

When Mari goes on about contrasting colors and peek-a-boos wand what not, Penélope's face contorts into all kinds of gestures of confusion until she finally stops and agrees to just braid her hair, so the Valkyrie relaxes and lets out a soft breath. "Um— actually.." She's a bit embarrassed to ask. She had seen it in other Valkyries who do their hair in the most intricate and beautiful ways but she had never done anything like that on herself because she simply doesn't have the patience or skills. "So, can you do—" Penélope brings a hand up to her roots and makes a couple of lines over the top of her head. "a few braids on top here that go down the hair?" She asked, feeling a little like a child but pushed through her own embarassment.

Jia was relieved by Penélope's answer. They had expected many questions eventually, but Jia was not sure if she was in the right emotional state to handle the questions about Starlight that would come her way.

A night away from everything that was going on sounded nice. Penélope had been nervous about going back to the palace and spending the night with Talia after a ver confusing episode that left the Valkyrie thinking about nothing else. But she eventually had to go back and fulfill her duties as a newly appointed guard. "I can't spend the night but chocolate and wine sound good to me." She said, downing the last of her drink and putting it down before standing up from the table.

Jia wiped her face of sweat. Why didn't they ever tell Penélope? Because the High Lady of Starlight would be very angry with her admiral. More angry than Jia would probably ever see her. "I wanted to save my own hide just in case" Jia admitted. "It was such a long kept secret for our own safety"

It was understandable and Penélope didn't want to pry more. Jia didn't owe her anything and she actually didn't care much. She was mostly curious though and wanted to go home. But perhaps she would ask later. "I get it. I am going to ask you some questions though but not now." Now she wanted to drink and forget all about any curses and threats before she had to go back to the palace.

his hands are still behind his back as he nods quickly at her question, his back maybe a bit too straight and stiff, and it felt ridiculous. he felt ridiculous. "mhm. autumn. commander." his eyes widen a bit as he nods, silently impressed at the new position she had been given, knowing that each high fae could definitely do with some sort of assigned protector at their side...he supposed that's what he now was himself as well. "that's good to hear, I feel most high fae should take suit while in this new...strange court. my own high lady appointed me as her right hand once she was given the title. it is a duty I don't take lightly." he was starting to fiddle with the hilt of the sword at his side, eyes down on them and then suddenly looking back up again in a bit of surprise when she asks about the training room. "oh...yeah, yes. i've been searching around but I can't...find it. do you...maybe want to help me look?"

It wasn't much of an upgrade for Penélope or at least it didn't feel like that. Of course she took the responsibility very seriously even when Talia basically took it as a fun sleep over situation, she had been trying to remain professional and level headed. She needed to be sharp for it. "I agree. All high lieges should take on a guard, I hear Dawn's lady was forced to take one as well." She heard Jamie talk about it at some point. "Ooohh, right hand huh? You're a top dog over there?" Penélope winked at him and elbowed his side— perhaps not as gently as she meant. "My commander had us memorize every nook and corner of this place." She looks around and back at Omar. "So I know where everything is. I can show you if you promise me a good spar?" Her eyebrow quirks in a challenge.

she’s struggling with the lack of powers. the lack of flight, the lack of her shadows. she can still fight, if only because of her valkyrie training. but she wants to go home, sleep in her own bed, and then spend an uninterrupted indefinite amount of time just hidden away with rivian somewhere. she had checked on yiren, but once it was clear she was okay, malvina had disappeared off in search of her friends. again.  cake won’t solve much of anything, but at least it will taste good. if it doesn’t, malvina will just… set the whole palace on fire and hide. with the way that things keep getting thrown at them so quickly, it’s hard to feel like there’s any time to breathe, and she just needs a moment to exist. “i don’t think so. did anyone from day get hurt?” she knows she should have checked better, but she doesn’t have the proper skillset for healing, so what use would she be, when she tends to scare others.

As they walked towards the kitchens, Penélope wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders, careful of her wings and pulled her a little closer. "Thank mother. No, not us. I grabbed Talia and covered her and the others protected themselves." She recounted the events of the reckoning. "It was fucking terrifying Mal. I had— never seen anything like that. And I've been through some shit but this? That actually scared me."

malvina grumbles to herself as she makes her way towards the day section of stellaria, reaching out to grab @penelopexluna when she spots her. “kitchens, now, i need cake.” is all she says before she’s dragging the other valkyrie towards the kitchens without further explanation. “because maybe sweets will help to wrap our heads around any of this.” especially since she still has no powers. she misses her shadows, misses flying, is raging over it all.  but even cake is not going to make this all make sense. she’s not sure anything will. “and at the very least, we will have nice snacks.”

Penélope has been a bundle of nerves for the past month. Between her personal anxieties and everything that was going on, the Valkyrie is all out of sorts. It's just gotten old to say how much she wants this to be over to finally go home but it's all she can think of. Malvina snaps her out of it when she grabs her and Penélope goes easily (not without checking on Talia first but nowadays, Jamie is her shadow, her Jiminy Cricket and her personal nightmare, all combined in one nervous wreck of a sibling)

"oh you have no idea, do you? hair like yours is so thick and gorgeous and you either have it up in a simple pony or just falling down your shoulders...if I got to get my hands in there we could add a little body, let those waves breath a little...layering...highlights!...but for tonight at least just let me braid them? the curls you'll get tomorrow if you sleep with them will practically speak for themselves! and! if not, we can say we tried and i'll leave it alone...for now anyway." she was joking with that last bit, mostly." seeing the slight blush that found her friend's cheeks as she teased marisol couldn't help herself as she coos softly, but playful. "ooo, am I convincing you, maybe? now I know what the big guns are." she grins at the other's acceptance, excitedly sitting up as she starts to pour over the drink for the other "Eso es. so, el chisme. I heard from one of the servants from night that one of them is pregnant and the baby daddy payed her not to come up and rat him out for it because this wouldn't be the first kid he's had with another woman. he's not even partnered up, apparently, just sticking it in there for whoever will let 'em and then running from the consequences! isn't that just like a man?"

"Highlights!?" Penélope screeched, sitting up a little and pulling away from Mari. "What do you mean highlights!? Mari, no." Her hand went up to run through her long black hair and pulled her ponytail back behind her. But then curls kind of peaked her interest. Maybe it could be nice. She was never one to be feminine, she didn't have a mother to look up to and in the Valkyrie training camps, everything was about practicality. She sometimes dressed nicely for celebrations and balls but it was mostly whatever she felt like, not giving it too much thought. "Okay fine. But just braids, alright?"

☆ﾟ*·ﾟFOR MOST OF their lives, Penélope was Talia's safe person, so she'd go to her with anything, but now the one thing she wanted to talk to her about was difficult. How could she express her feelings if she wasn't fully sure how to explain it. Her mother wouldn't be happy with them, but the thing was, Talia was the high ruler, and she could decide anything she wanted. There was no need for her mother to barge in any decision she made in her life. As they both stood in the room, she looked around for a moment, but she wasn't looking at the room and instead kept glancing back at Penélope.

Talia was right and Penélope knew she was being weird but she was a bit tense. Between everything that was happening around them, the winnowing, the fallen commander, the chaos among the Vanderbilt family, she was carrying the weight of that night back in Winter and Talia's drunken words and her own feelings. "No, I know but I have a little more responsibility now and—" Penélope swallowed the lump in her throat and her voice came out a little small for such a big fae, strong fae. "If anything were to happen to you Talia, I—" She sighed, looking away for a moment. She needed to focus.

she knows some, mostly from snooping around the other courts with her shadows. but she also understands that things are difficult and she may make things worse if someone does realise that night’s commander of armies knows more than she should. but she had overheard dawn’s lady talking about working with others, the same way she and yiren had discussed it, and perhaps that will work out after all. at least she knows that penélope can take care of herself, and has day to look out for her. maybe she can talk to their commander about things. strategies for keeping their courts safe. “i don’t trust them, but i don’t trust anyone i am not close to. i think we need their side of the story before we decide.” she says. as much as she tends to go straight into a fight, she knows better than to skip getting all the information available first. “i think it’s not smart to not have every perspective, even if i would like to try to punch our way out.”

Penélope nodded, hearing Malva. She knew more about these things than she did. The Valkyrie was not trained to think or plan, just to punch and kick and stab. "I wonder—If they're behind all of this, then why wait to strike. No?" She asked herself and Malvina. Penélope had been feeling so inadequate lately but at least there was one thing she could do well and that to guard and protect Talia. She just wished she didn't have to use her magic for it.

☆ﾟ*·ﾟTRUTHFULLY, TALIA WAS drunk. She was entirely drunk on faerie wine and as a result of it, all she wanted was to be with Penélope. Her thoughts were consumed with the beauty that radiated out of the Valkyrie, the beauty of their friendship, of everything. And here, the High Lady of the Day Court was ruining everything. But she didn't care. She didn't mind. Because she'd always felt safe in Penélope's arms, no matter where they were, no matter what happened. "Maybe a little, is that bad?" she asked, her words soft and slightly slurred. Because even though she was drunk, Talia still knew exactly what she wanted.

Penélope shook her head quickly, making sure Talia didn't feel look down on or judged by her. She would never. "No of course not. If anything, it's understandable. I wanted to get drunk off my tits but I'm glad I didn't and instead came to find you." A soft smile formed on her face as she pulled back some hair off of Talia's face. She looked so small and like someone who shouldn't have to be carrying all this responsibility on her shoulders alone. Her small giggles just warming Penélope's heart all the way to the Day's quarters and Talia's chambers. She could identify it instantly because it smelled distinctly like her.

☆ﾟ*·ﾟTALIA KNEW THAT having a member of her court to guard her was important, especially considering none of them knew the intentions of the Starlight court. She was appreciative that her inner circle was this worried about her. While she understood, Talia also wanted to make sure that she could at least take care of herself in some aspect. But this was something that she needed to learn as she grew as a high ruler. Considering there was no information about how the Starlight Court had hidden themselves for so long, every fae and every court was nervous. She appreciated that there was someone guarding her, and was rather thankful that Penélope had offered herself.

She gave Talia a nod, walking back to the door to stand by it, hands still behind her back and posture straight and tense. After what happened at the Winter ball, those words that Talia mumbled a little drunk at her, it kept Penélope up at night so she was nervous about this. It would be such an embarrassment if Penélope got the wrong idea or if Talia didn't mean any of it and she was just drunk of faery wine and didn't know what she was doing so she was trying hard to put does images out of her mind, the need in her eyes and urgency in her tone. Penélope wasn't worthy of any of those and besides, Talia was going to marry someone important one day. What was the use of dueling on such things that were impossible? "Of course, we can talk about anything you want." She tried to relax her face and give her High Lady and friend a smile.

it was always easier to avoid talking or thinking about feelings. and yet she’d been completely distracted by her own lately. but it’s easy for her mind to continue wandering. even though she’s supposed to be focusing on solutions for this whole problem going on. she looks around as they exit the gate, trying to focus on taking note of anything that looked interesting. or too dull. “yes, starlight’s high lady and second in command — the creepy seraphim — found her. she had been doing research with their second before.” but she believed the seraphim when she said she didn’t know who did it, that they parted ways before. “i am sorry.” she says softly as they walk. “yes, that sounds like a good plan.” malva nods. “maybe we can get a drink, too.”

Penélope wasn't aware of what happened to the other courts the night before, just hers so she took a mental note of Malvina's words to tell Talia later. Other than spending time with her friend, her mind was also on everything that has been going on because she just wants this all to be over and go home.