MY DEAR EVE

who: fenrar orlavull @ofsolaces​ when & where : after the party disaster at orlavull’s quarters. 

who: eryx ashford @sclstvce when & where : after the meridian party / attack !

finally, there was a moment for maliya to breath. the whole night had been a wonder in her mind in the best and worst of ways. she thought the dancing and the conversations of the beginning of the party would be what she remembered, she thought the dinner and games would be the thing that plagued her mind about this night. yet, instead, she found that the only thing she could think about was the bruise on her arm that had already begun to darken, a bruise left by her father who pulled her away from him. she wondered if her father could see what maliya so evidently felt or if he was only plagued with worry of his daughter being away from his grasp when the chaos ensued. maliya had only been able to muster a small ‘hi’ as she had seemingly gotten lost in his eyes before everything happened, and even then as she was being pulled away by her father, she couldn’t help but look back at some point to see if she could spot the man. 

her mind had many questions and so little answers, hypotheticals that stirred her mind. one thing was certain, he was not of the spring court or else she would have recognized him. maliya had to dismiss herself, both to tend to nemea and also to change seeing as her gown had gotten ripped during the chaos. she cared little to remember what happened, as all she could recall was the cold breeze of a blade that slashed her dress. fortunately, her corset had only received a minor scratch and left her complete unharmed. also thankfully, her cousin had come to her aid and took care of her assailant before they could do any damage. now, she found herself taking a walk around the castle they had to call home temporarily, and she stopped short of the dining hall, as she peered in to see if anyone still remained. she wondered, briefly, if she would ever see that man again. the man with the eyes of lapis lazuli that differed so much from her own grey stormy gaze.

A  WELCOME   REPRIEVE   ;   no   need   to   keep   the   facade   of   indifference   ,  not   around   arais   .   few    would   ever    be   worthy   of   his   endearment   ;   his   wife   ,   however  ,    was   the   one   person   who   held   his   affection   in  a   way   no   one   ever   had   .    he’d   seen  in   her   something   he   often   saw   in   himself   and    knew   that   together   ,   they    could   be   something   even   greater —  theirs   would   be   a   song   of   graceful   brutality   ,   their   natures   destined   to   compliment   one   another   .   he   could   think   of   no   better   high   lady   for   the   winter   court    .   

❝   you   know   how   i   feel   about   prophecies   ,   ❞   troian   answered   ,   eyes   instinctively   shutting   as   her   hands   brushed   against   his   shoulders   .   he   wondered   if   she   truly   believed   their   fate   could   be   any   different   if   the   blights   returned   —   he   had   yet   to   decide   if   he  believed   the   same   .    ❝    though   i   would   like   to   believe   that   this   time   things   will   be   different   ,   for   now   i’ll   worry   about   getting   through   these   blighted   diplomatic   sessions   .    ❞     eyes   re-opened   ,   lips   now   donning   a   half   grin   at   her   jest   .   that   would   be   a   sight   to   behold   indeed   .   ❝   do   you   mean    to   imply   that   i   cannot   be   civil   ??    and   here   i   thought   i   was   doing   exceedingly   well   at   entertaining   these   prattling   idiots   ,   ❞    he   quipped  ,   an   arm   reaching   out   to   bring   her   forward   once   more   .   ❝   you   ,   i’m   sure   ,   have   faired   much   better   than   i   .    though   if   you   do   tire   of   it   ,   i’ll   be   more   than   happy   to   take   our   leave   .   ❞  

brutality was never quite in arais’ nature. she always loved to slowly watch one descend into a state of deep, incomparable sorrow and helplessness under her hand. though, it seemed that arais’ husband found a way to swim and even indulge in the darkness she thrived and adored so, instead of drowning as all had done before her. perhaps it was why she believed his promises had some weight to them, why she found the idea of achieving her greatest desires with him so thrilling. was this how others felt, or was it simply the two of them? it was confusing but fortunately for him, she so liked exploring this thing was. it would at least never stop her marriage from being as boring as others, that was for certain. 

            Nyx  looked  around  the  room  once  over,  she  had  that  awful  impulsive  tendency  to  make  appearances  when  she  was  worried  about  someone,  not  thinking  of  what  or  who  could  be  on  the  other  side.  she  had  been  humbled  down  before,  reminded  she  was  not  untouchable  or  above  death.  dangerous,  but  not  immortal,  not  in  that  sense  anyways.  “i  was  worried,”  she  shrugs,  although  a  part  of  her  was  thankful  that  coldhearted  man  she  had  married  was  no  where  no  be  seen,  there  was  something  about  him  that  always  made  her  wary,  perhaps  that  was  how  people  felt  about  her.  “you  seem…  well.”  she  sizes  her  up.  “all  things  considered,  that  is.  how  are  you  feeling?”  she  worries  most  about  that,  being  under  that  kind  of  pressure  and  impression  could  not  be  easy.

while many fae seemed to forget that they were mortal, it was never lost on arais. perhaps it was made even more evident, with the amount of death she had seen in her life, the amount of people she had lost. the funeral preparations she had made, they were all so similar. in the end, she was commemorating the dead, ensuring and promising them that their death would go unwasted. that was the beginning of her profound desire for control, for power, for something tangible to offer up to her dead. in the century and a half that she has lived, that initial well-meaning intention had only become far more twisted by the poisonings of the night court and their hidden disgusting brutality. she of all people should know, only the strongest survived and she intended to be that. 

for: samiris lavere @wretchdsouls​ when: arrival day at meridian​

WHERE NEMEA WAS VENOM maliya was antidote. it had always been in that manner ever since they’d met exchanging niceties at a dinner party for the nobles. since that day she’d taken her hand she hadn’t looked back. she had a way of seeing the best in nemea, even when it was probably undeserved, a kind of slow patience and understanding nobody else; even amongst her own family could seem to muster. she swept through the room settling in the chair opposite of maliya with such warm familiarity. her finger traced along the fissure that born the malady of nemea herself, when she maudlin on summer wine had fallen into the table and grown vines through the offending object in her rage. “it’s been quite the scandal.” she gave a dainty little sigh. “apparently some distant cousin of mine has been screwing his housemaid. well of course his wife found out and threw a knife at his head, set the whole house on fire. i suppose the spring court shall never tire of it’s own internal theatre.” pausing she reached across to take maliya’s hand into her own. “but what troubles you? you seem far-away today.”

maliya’s entire family had been a rumbunctious batch of individuals, all of them possessing a darkness that maliya herself could never understand. yet, the young veleilles was always willing to stand by them and attempt to understand, to compare to the things she was familiar with. if she couldn’t, she would simply accept it as it was and allow them to stir whatever they desired. she was only a simple bystander, ensuring she always offered an open arm and ear for them whenever they needed it. it was what she had similar done to nemea, but instead of being avoided like her family did, nemea had also wanted to partake in the wonders that filled the young fae’s mind. she was grateful, so endlessly grateful as she now had a friend to partake the world with. the world that surrounded her felt less lonelier, it was easier for maliya to see the light that she designed with nemea by her side. so it was no wonder that maliya offered a smile, even though she didn’t agree with the actions. “of course it had to be the married cousin.” she remarked, a soft chuckle leaving her lips. “but god, that poor house. they are the true victim in this situation.” she usually was far more invested in such manners, she would be gossiping along and trying to find out with the wife left to find a man who truly loved her, to see if the cousin went with his housemaid. nemea knew, and so it shouldn’t be to any surprise when nemea question maliya. yet, the spring fae’s eyes widened slightly at the words, taking a moment to consider before a sigh escaped her lips. she grabbed her chair to bring them closer to nemea, worry slowly forming on her face.