OH! PISH / POSH

         "𝚆𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚎𝚜! 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚒'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚜* 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐." - 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 | 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚒𝚕𝚕

       Suddenly, she found him really loquacious. Well, she always perceived him as a braggart who liked to spread his knowledge every which way. Teasing her, testing her, challenging her for being a scholar woman among the old men around here, in order to know if she was legit of her own title. She hated being seen as Mrs Coulter - Edward’s wife per se, but he had been the one giving her more credibility to her researches unfortunately. Just a name, when it was all of her work. Such a man’s world. 

“Are you complimenting me ? That would be a first… unless you’re asking a favor ?”    Brows rose with a light smile, but she wouldn’t give in so easily. She couldn’t tell if he was flirting or if he kept pushing her.      “Well, since no wife is doing it, I guess someone has to call you out for your manners.”      She noticed the way he stood, unconsciously or consciously fighting the urge to lean towards her. Marisa smiled a bit, her own blue eyes met his for a second, and God, she felt herself flushing, exhaling quite heavily.    “My husband ?”    She faked a surprise,      “First of all, I am not his daemon, nor his shadow. Thankfully I can go where I please to go. Second, I would deny every rumour, wouldn’t you ? Unless, you love a good scandal.”   She teased back with a quick move of her jawline, piercing eyes drowned in his, her monkey raising on his back legs with confidence while facing the snow leopard. 

    𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙰 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙻𝚃𝙴𝚁: 𝙹𝙲𝚈𝙵𝚄𝙻𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂: 

                               it looked to be a pained smile, perhaps not one for giving them so often, yet all he seemed to do was smile at the woman like a lustful fool; he was treading on egg shells and the delicate balance between acquaintance and something far more illicit burned between them, fierce and bright. 

     “a compliment? perhaps, but I have no need for favours.” certainly his ego had cost him  many valuable  perspectives but it was different with Marisa, she didn’t seem to care - more so she looked as if she was enjoying it. 

This time, Asriel laughed at her obvious offence, the buzz in his throat reverberating past plump lips while Stelmaria’s own purr matched in volume, though it was not unkind, nor cruel and he nodded his head in understanding. 

“Well, that was meant with no offence and I don’t know whether I would deny it as such, i’d be inclined to let them think what they wanted to, though one’s reputation may be even more resolute wouldn’t you agree?” His gaze was playful as he beckoned her to come closer. 

whpsiedaisies​.          𝐿𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝒜𝓈𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓁

        Weeks of playing cat and mouse with no idea how dangerous this would lead them both at some point. It was stronger than Marisa. She knew she shouldn’t just even think about him, but… look at him ! He was everything a woman desired and yet, he was never married. It was something for Mrs Coulter who was very young still and married to someone very quickly in her age. An adult, barely. 

Eyes drifted in his direction, a hint of smile when he answered her with as much playfulness as she did. A light poshy scoff escaped her lips though. Marisa may not look the part, but she was definitely someone who was more than her clothes and manners. She was a brain, a scholar. Hand slid slowly along the banister as they climbed up the stairs side by side though she felt his eyes trailing on her or her own primate. 

“The thing is Mr Bellacqua, that I do barely know you.”    Her tongue slid on the name as they reached the top. No more words until they stopped together under the glass dome. He shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting for… what exactly ? She was confused, he read it from the frowning on her face. Her monkey didn’t approach but he was staring at the feline from his spot on the edge of the desk.     “You have such a big and terrible ego Sir. I’m actually certain no one dares to tell you that because you’re one of the majors investors in here.”     A tilt of her head as she slowly began to slide off her gloves one finger after another.    “You know… if people came in and saw us together, rumors would be running already in all Oxford.” 

𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙰 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙻𝚃𝙴𝚁: 𝙹𝙲𝚈𝙵𝚄𝙻𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂: 

      “ The scandal! But of course, it would be good for my ‘big ego’  wouldn’t you say ? “ he mocked lightly, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in admonishment. “Except you, you dare to tell me.” A slight grin. “I can’t help but wonder the same for you, Mrs Coulter, or perhaps rather than ego, it is your TEMPER that is terrible.” Asriel regarded her with a tilt of his head and continued.  “If I am wrong, then I apologise, but of course, there is nothing to be ashamed of, better a temper than to allow people to get away with stupidity.”  

                       “𝚂𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚝, 𝚒'𝚖 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐." (𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎 / 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚍)

                                            @voiceofengineering​

“​Touchy.” He lilted, fingertips skimming over the crystal rim of the glass, half full with amber coloured liquid. “And here I was, going to offer you some time off for a job well done - what was it you requested? Ah yes, you wanted to go off on your jollies with Audrey.” Honeymoon, holiday - same difference in his opinion, she wouldn’t be there all the same. “You should be grateful that I even considered such a request, you had so much time off for the wedding  - and it was a lovely one or so I was told.” 

Joseph was bitter, especially given the fact that he had provided everything Melanie could have possibly wanted and more and he hadn’t even been asked to give her away. He was more than her father could have ever been, the reason for refusing to make an appearance at her request. 

                       “𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙸'𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎."                                                                         (𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛 / 𝚊𝚜𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚕) @jcyfulmess

 “Ah, well - it’s a good thing you do know me then, but I could say that you were following me.” Indicating that despite their many professional conversations, he knew very little about her. He kept now, in step with Marisa, their long paced strides matching one another. A half smile made his blue eyes 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙺𝙻𝙴, but he didn’t look at her in fear of forgetting where he was going.  Stelmaria walked beside him, shoulders hunched as her grey eyes looked towards the golden monkey and then up at Asriel. If she had any humanistic features, her brow would have been arched while she regarded him with a look of amusement. 

  “I thought I would have been the only one still awake - I was clearly mistaken.” and as they continued, it was clear that both had the same intention of location and Asriel opened the door, he gestured with his hand for her to go through. The spiralled staircase went over four floors, though as tall as a lighthouse {it was certainly an observatory}  there wasn’t much room and upon reaching the highest level, they could observe the shimmering coloured sky of the Aurora with the glass roof that had thankfully been protected from snowfall.