( * --- candor. )

“ it isn’t their way, ” anya replies evenly enough, though she agrees. anneli’s ambivalence towards the marriage seems particularly obvious, at least lyosha’s she can explain due to the guest list. behind her back, anya’s fingers twitch in nadya’s palm, the urge to curl them quelled. she’ll be able to leave soon enough, as soon as irinka’s hawkish gaze was sufficiently distracted. “ i’m surprised they both managed to make it through the entire ceremony. ” it had been so long. [ @ncdyc​ ]

the light squeeze to anya’s hand, hidden in the sheaf of material between both their dresses is automatic.   ❛   it’s probably a pride thing.  ❜   both the bride and groom have that in spades in different forms, each form tone-deaf in the other’s world.    ❛   otherwise they would have left by now.  ❜  the turnout from the nordics is decent and anneli is already feeling friendless, given what she is heading into, she will appease the ones she does have and lyosha ?  the attention and the performative nature of all this might be uncomfortable, but she’d wager at least a small part of him is proud to have anneli next to him, and for anneli to be seen doing it, without excuses, without reasons to hide. his stubbornness and relentlessness has borne fruit, it is natural to want to relish it.  ❛   the jewelry looks nice on you vitya,  ❜  sly amusement flashes in the sideways gaze she throws the woman,  ❛   it’s not everyday we see you all cleaned up and shiny.  ❜   /.  @vitvliyv​

❛   she thinks i am an easy target… or she thinks i’m interesting, whichever reason you like better.   ❜    she doesn’t flinch at the name, even though it grates at her. her nail taps against the surface of the table. vitya is posing things she has already considered.  ❛  because i cannot give it to her. the honey she wants is agreement. that is the trap. i do not agree. in a school debate, or a court room, you do not convince the judges by agreeing with the other side first, not even for a hypothetical reason. the minute you do, you lose. if i tell her, yes, the belarusian throne is ill-gotten, lenya should back off, it pokes holes in our house. even if i cared to pretend, i refuse to entertain even the possibility of yurivič going free as a result.❜  fanni had not settled for a simple listening ear. and nadya simply could not trust that the things she could say would not be used. and because fanni is unstable. taking advantage of it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. the grip on her arm still makes her elbow twitch at the memory. even the most overbearing of her friends and acquaintances; uriah and meixu had never violated her personal space so blatantly, and out in the open.  ❛   unless we are ready to think of alternatives. have them turn roman over to us and have lenya give up that throne. it would be convincing.  ❜

what does she mean by undermining him…  is fanni telling the person levente needed to convince of his competency to become an informant of his moves and missteps a detail vitya needs to have ?  is this level of callousness deserved ?   then again, the loss of one old woman’s favourable impression won’t cost fanni much.   ❛   she thought i’d be inclined to inform her of her brother’s moves.  ❜  nadya’s hands fly upwards, at vitya’s suggestion, eyes widening. gee, if only that were easy to do !  ❛   morals. apparently. we’re evil and unfair.  she will do and say anything, lie, embellish, exaggerate, underplay, downplay, to come out well in any conversation.  ❜   the topic did not matter. fanni would mine for information, any personal nugget, but nadya had learned as much if not more.  ❛  and to suit that cause, she is gifted at reframing anything to fit whatever she wants to say.  ❜   there is an anchoring pause before she goes on.  ❛  she craves respect and approval that much. i don’t think it matters where it comes from, she is isolated.❜

eyes reach the ceiling briefly before vitya receives that signature deadpan stare.  ❛   tekla would have believed fanni if he hadn’t. and we needed to ensure they would handle the soletskys and we couldn’t have the glücksburgs going their way.  ❜   they had failed. it is an extremely vexing outcome.  ❛   i don’t intend to set a meeting unless there is a vital need to. or if levente asks for one. she just needs to stop getting involved. whether we establish that or levente does, to her. but she seems find ways to undermine him. it was going to be a problem either way. i wanted your perspective.  ❜  and she needed vitaliya’s will. the iron will of somebody who cared about keeping milena’s acquisition out of foreign hands more than nadya did to make a clearer stand in that room.   ❛  i can’t spot an angle to turn her against them. can you ? katya obviously didn’t work.  ❜

❛  i’m not one for cruel assumptions. let’s just say i managed to confirm suspicion.  ❜   the cards had simply fallen into place. fortuitous of kostya and her each to have learned what they had at the time that they had.  ❛   it isn’t influence i need.  ❜   what nadya needs is something else. the familiarity would be a reminder. vitya’s presence alone would be useful, but finding a single word to encapsulate it is difficult.   ❛  levente did not inform her of roman’s attempt at regicide, and tekla did not either. i am sure they thought they were keeping our mutual interests, but in the bigger picture it simply made her play france’s tune and i don’t know how much she has run her mouth, ukraine’s refusal to withdraw could be evident of that. ❜   at least one other person, fanni had said. that suggests that she had tried this with more than one person. ❛   it might be too late for her to stop now that she knows the gravity of it, would spoil her… perfect image. do you think it should be left alone ?  ❜

❛  i couldn’t reduce you to wrinkles if i tried.  ❜  no, it is that subtle pout of hers that reminds nadya so very much of an adorable little duck that her eyes notice first, then it is the posture. she has never seen the woman slouch. not one time. not even when she and kostya had made the cushion in her seat magically disappear as kids when no one was looking.  ❛  kostya won some information from tekla glücksburg… she did not go into specifics, but she implied that the french might have influenced someone close to negotiations. i’ve found the leak. if i have to meet with them again, i’d like you to attend. ❜

❛  you don’t believe that i missed seeing you up close ?❜  one cheeky comment. just one !  with a lick of her lips, the expression sobers — her legs uncross under the table in order to lean forward, pouring out the tea into the woman’s cup for her.   ❛   i’d like to speak to you about the croÿs. ❜

If it had been possible to delegate the task of informing Vitya of his wishes, he would have done it. Unfortunately, he was about to insult her — and no one else deserved to deal with the  reaction. No one else would have gotten her to agree either. “A bit too long. Sorry about that.” He had made sure to serve lemon. He adjusted the tray between them. “I’m traveling to Saint Petersburg next week.” Nothing out of the ordinary… “With Anneli.” Perfectly expected… “I would appreciate your presence at the court for the duration of the visit. Your opinion on her matters quite a bit.”

｡      “Funny how we don’t care for either in the med,” spoken mostly as an aside and in reference to the Sammarinese’s direction. He lets his hand wave an inch too close in Ennio’s periphery. “At least in the northern part of the med it isn’t a choice we’d consider.” ( @oh-hxfiz· + table 2 ) 

“There’s something about tinned fish of the north that doesn’t bode well I hear canned sardines are all the rage..I don’t see the appeal.” Hafiz mulled the fish around in her plate. She glanced over at Gio and then at Mimi. “.. but it’s a wonderful piece of herring, you’re right.” 

[ table 2 | @hshmimi· @aromancva @dvisckc· @sylvianes @krstoffcrs· @vitvliyv· @ennioeste· @giorxcci· ]

the language of bodies was never to be ignored: the brush of shoulders and brushing of blonde strands behind the ear. had they always made things so glaringly obvious ?! gio’s sour response made the corners of her lips drop. “ milan is FAR from the baltics. i think we’d like to hear from the north. ” she gave a grin to gio as she repeated, as if ennio’s question needed clarification. [ table 2 ]

“I ordered the vegetarian option, instead,” Mimi said as her salad was set in front of her. Not that she’d eat it, anyway; even if she weren’t wearing two layers of too-tight shapewear, her stomach was tied up in knots from the seating situation. “But I hear sardines are good for the skin…” She didn’t know a thing about fish, but boring small talk was preferable to silence or, worse, an argument. “..When ingested, I mean,” she clarified, rambling a little. “Not…Applied topically. –Though I’d be willing to try anything to look a few years younger.” @nataliademarquis· @vitvliyv @sylvianes @krstoffcrs @giorxcci @oh-hxfiz @aromancva @dvisckc