flowing water, drifting petals

royal haishe of the spring court. ( penned by kush for courtwars-rp. )

[gxldleaves]

☽ about. • headcanons. • wanted connections. • full navigation. ☾

hi, i’m kush, your local gmt+1 gremlin with a terrible sleep schedule, bringing you a spring court disaster boy, haishe! my dms are always open for plotting or just a casual chat - or if you’d prefer, i’m also hanging out on discord: catboy aesthetics™#5650 !  i’m super excited to be here and write with you all ♡

template: lolita by peripetteia ( x ) psd: minty by bumkeyz ( x )

icon: acvdemias ( x )

[wnq-writers]

I wonder what it’d be like to be called yours, and to call you mine. Would our names fit in each other’s mouth? Would our love taste sweet on my tongue? Would it burn in my throat? Would we be too much to consume? I do not digest feelings very well, but if it meant having you, I’d swallow them whole — love, sickness, passion and all.

(via wnq-writers)

[gxldleaves]

kxngdae​:

A good man would have contemplated what was said about him due to declining the invitation to the High Court ball. Kangdae, according to rumor, was far from a good man. Besides, he wasn’t one for flitting about with dull conversation and the subtle, political game that came with interacting with other nobles–other fae in general. Instead, he spent his evening lounging in his home with a few books to keep him company. He heard word through the grapevine that the ball was a masquerade, that it had gone well and many marveled over the High Court. Yet he still could not bring himself to regret missing it.

He’d been in his apothecarium tending to some herbs, deciding which were ripe for use and which were not, when he felt a tingle down his spine. His fingers twitched for a fraction of a moment before he sat his trimmers down and took a step back, almost melting into the shadows of the room. Kangdae moved quietly through his home before coming into his main living quarters, seeing a pale and delicate figure lounging on his chaise. There was a minute curl to his lips, eyes taking a softness to them as Haishe spoke in a whisper. He clucked his tongue, taking just a step forward to the light hit his own pale skin. “You’ve gotten better at sneaking in, I hardly noticed you were here until it was almost too late.”

☾

If there was anything Haishe learned pretty quickly when he first started taking lessons from Kangdae, it was to listen to his surroundings; so he did, trying to catch the sound of soft footsteps on the floors, maybe the slithering of materials against each other, only slightly disappointed that he couldn’t really focus on anything except the birds chirping outside. The experience came probably with age and practice, and he lacked quite a bit in both; but at least he wasn’t welcomed with a knife at his throat this time and that could count as a success, right?

“Shall I be a thief or an assassin, it could’ve already been too late.” He said with a small chuckle, turning towards the older fae; it was a curious thought to indulge in, the possibility of him ever sneaking in unnoticed, and he sometimes wondered what would he do at that time. For a while he thought he could use it as an opportunity to sneak around the whole residence, but he already saw the majority of it, and liked to believe that he could get a complete tour if he asked nicely; except he never dared to ask, not wanting to accidentally overstep the boundaries of the seemingly fragile freedom he could enjoy here. After all, Kangdae let him into his house and his life by his own will, and could cut him off just as swiftly, if he ever annoyed him too much...

“But why, thank you - had my time to practice sneaking off during the masquerade, trying to avoid all the political talk and the dancing.” He stifled down a grimace at the memories, turning towards the older fae. “I actually envy you that you could just turn down the invitation... If I wanted to do that, my parents would probably drag me there by my hair.” Which was probably a slight exaggeration, but he was at least right on the dragging part - after all, they always insisted to keep him close, under control as much as they could, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. As annoying as it was from time to time, probably this was the first time his complaining about it wasn’t as subtle as it should’ve been; but he trusted that Kangdae would keep this to himself.

[gxldleaves]

closed starter for @kxngdae​

Haishe felt almost relieved to be back at the Spring Court; while the High Court was a beautiful place, he quickly started feeling overwhelmed there, by both the palace and the responsibility weighing down his shoulders. Maneuvering among all that small talk without letting himself slip up was a truly exhausting task - and for a longer moment he even envied those who didn’t have to deal with the same thing on a daily basis; but this feeling left him as quickly as it came once he managed to slip away from the watchful gaze of his parents, away from the palace to a place where no one would scrutinize his behavior.

It was almost a routine by this time, sneaking in to Kangdae’s residence through the balcony door that seemed to always have been left open for him to use; he expected the older fae to be there somewhere, doing his usual thing, but he was nowhere to be found - or maybe Haishe was just too unwilling to look any further than the one room he’s been in. Instead he sat down on the chaise set by the balcony door, lounging down on it like a lazy cat in the warm sunlight of the early afternoon, allowing himself a moment of relaxing. “I know you’re there somewhere... You could as well reveal yourself.” His words but a mere whisper in the quiet room, but he was sure the other would hear nonetheless; he never managed to sneak up on him unnoticed, after all.

[gxldleaves]

seaskinnd​:

     but. suspicion immediately darkened cimber’s eyes. not suspicion of mischievous sort – the fae came across as quiet and unassuming. his assumption could be wrong, based on a brief, incomplete interaction, but it was the one had. no, his mind jumped to the thought that this fae was running, hiding. if he was, he wasn’t the first. not everyone had the constitution for small talk and silent politics. his ability to stand it had waned and waxed over the years; groomed for it from birth but influenced by his time at sea. as general, he had to tolerate it, and it wasn’t so bad for him. he knew others didn’t fare as well.

     “i am headed that way,” he said, raising his hand holding his drink and pointing in the direction he was headed. away from the ball. if the other wasn’t as lost as he claimed, he may recognize that cimber was headed to the washroom. “but i shall be back this way shortly, if you wish to reconsider accepting my help.”

As uncomfortable as he felt under the other’s gaze, he tried his best to not show it; his lips curled up in a slight smile, meant to be reassuring that he’s not hiding any vicious intentions. His chances of running away from his current place to create a ruckus and get back here unnoticed in less than ten minutes were less than zero; and while he would’ve found attempting it fun enough when he was a few decades younger, by now he just wasn’t interested in the disaster and drama. He might’ve been young, but he wasn’t a child anymore.

“I guess I can’t hide here forever...” He let out a small chuckle, the defeat echoing in his voice; by now probably everyone was too busy dancing and enjoying themselves to pay attention to him, so there was the ever so slight chance of him avoiding the political talk - and dancing was probably the lesser of the two bad things that could happen. “ So I’d appreciate if you showed me the way back.”

[gxldleaves]

i should prepare for my exams so i ended up rewriting my whole wanted connections page jdhfjkgd so my dms are once again open for some plotting ♡

[gxldleaves]

autumnalouve​:

“you’re very kind.” and young. she’d go as far to guess he wasn’t more than a few decades older than her own children. not yet hardened by the courts. “i’m afraid my description of events wouldn’t be nearly as generous.” the smile she returns is pleasant enough, patient. caustic… vexingly spineless… irritatingly vainglorious and dishonest… she had no love for the toothless intrigue rampant amongst her peers. Games played at the great expense of innocent lives. his observation draws a hum of a laugh from her throat. “i like to be well-informed.” she’d memorized most of the exits in her first day on the grounds. “and so much architecture goes on neglected the attention it deserves.“ her words wry in the moment, heavy with aged consideration.   “what is your name?”

“You’re not...?” Head tilted slightly in a question he couldn’t word properly, he made a closer indescribable gesture with his hand, referring to the whole party shebang; replacing words with a slightly awkward chuckle, he brushed a hand through his hair, trying to get at least some of the nervousness out of his system. He always found it easy to conceal the truth behind little, dismissive lies that once he could speak the truth, he found it quite hard; he definitely needed some practice on this whole communications things. “I think I might just agree with you.”

“You’re quite right... Although I can’t speak from personal experience, I haven’t yet had the chance to visit all places I’d like to see.” He let out a small sigh, straightening up slightly, shifting in his place to make space for the princess if she’d eventually like to sit down; not that he had any experience wearing heels, but they just... didn’t seem comfortable enough to stand around in them so casually and for long. 

“It’s Haishe.” He didn’t feel the need to specify any further, there being no significance to it in his opinion; he was usually preceded by his so-called reputation, so there was no reason confirming or denying it. He could safely assume the princess would also know some things for sure; after all, if there was anything he learned about people, it was that they couldn’t possess an aura of authority without the knowledge corresponding to it.

[firstsensibility]

*＊✿❀ the absolute prettiest ❀✿＊*

[gxldleaves]

seaskinnd​:

     lost. naturally. not that cimber disbelieved the other; he had a better sense of direction than many and a sharp mind that had memorized the halls and rooms the winter court delegation had been shown upon their arrival. getting lost hadn’t been a concern of his when he’d left the ballroom and he wouldn’t consider himself lost now. perhaps it was this stranger’s luck that cimber was one that found him. he probably wasn’t the only one wandering lost around here.

     cimber glanced back in the direction he’d come. candlelight flickered against the walls, casting warm light and long shadows. upon returning his gaze to the stranger, he gave him a small nod. “are you in need of directions?” he asked. his tone was measured, neither cold nor warm, and his words were sharp. the drinks he’d indulged in with his meal weren’t strong enough to slur them. “i am not an expert on this castle, but i remember the way back to the ballroom.”

“Thank you, but...” He stopped abruptly, suddenly doubting whether he should say he didn’t really want to go back there; he probably could’ve justified it in some other way than just saying there was no point in it, as his parents and older sibling were already doing the necessary rounds of political discussions and polite small talk, so he would’ve just been in the way, considering that he didn’t have much to add. Not that he had no idea about politics; he had a fairly good overview, at least in his opinion, but he just lacked the interest necessary to have an actually good conversation about it. 

Focusing his attention back on the other fae, straightening up slightly in his place; there was probably no shame in admitting defeat, but he still felt nervous under his gaze, fidgeting slightly with the edge of his sleeve. “If you’d like to head back though, don’t let me keep you up... I’m sure I’ll find my way back at some point.” 

[gxldleaves]

autumnalouve​:

“hiding from the festivities so soon?” head cocking, she takes in the sorry form of the other fae. donned all in white, his mask a slip of gossamer from what she could tell, he reminded her of spider silk or perhaps the webbing of old leaves. somehow fitting for his delicate, fragile, form. “you’ll find nothing but the servants quarters much further down this wing.”

she knew the winding halls of the high court better than most of her peers, wandering, memorizing, its vast wings and gardens, whatever she could nose her way into. more often than not, in the past few days, it’d made for much better company than the autumn court. tensions too thick to safely navigate on foreign land. “if i were attempting a subtle exit, i’d head for the gardens in the west hall instead.”

“Guilty as charged.” He looked up at the princess, offering her the faintest of smiles; he could’ve laughed at how easily she saw through him, but he assumed that it came with the life experience, which she seemed to have a lot more of. She had the same aura of authority, that usually had him feeling small and inadequate; and it was a pleasant surprise that he didn’t feel like apologizing for his existence... yet. “The crowd is pretty overwhelming inside, so I thought I could just slip away for a second...”

...and get lost; but he decided to keep this little detail to himself, to save at least a little bit of face. He accepted the suggestion with a small nod; it was a whole different question that he still had to find the west hall, but that was an obstacle he could tackle later. “You seem to know your way around well... Have you been here for a long time?” 

[gxldleaves]

nightbcvnds​:

It had started with a snarky comment, and finished with her being hastily escorted from the room after threatening the man that had spoken, the infamous temper of Electra’s bubbling to the surface. Now hidden in an alcove, her eyes were closed to the rest of the world, wishing that there was a way she could head back to her room and calm herself down her own way.

She took a breath, when she heard a sigh and tilted her body to peer around the alcove. Vaguely recognising the man before her, she found a little amusement in the defeated pose, “A little lost?”

.

“It’s that obvious?” He returned the question with a small chuckle, looking up at the princess; she looked familiar in an oddly nostalgic way, as if he saw her before already, at a different place and a different time, but he couldn’t place a name to the face, no matter how hard he tried. It must’ve been ages ago; or maybe he made a wrong assumption and didn’t know her at all? “This place is like a labyrinth...” The sigh came out heavy, a bit too defeated for his taste, but then again, she already saw through him, so what was the point in trying to hide it?

“Are you alright, though? You seem a bit... tense.” Maybe it wasn’t the entirely correct word for what he tried to say, but it was as good as any other; he could always apologize for the wrong assumption and being potentially too nosy about things that shouldn’t concern him.

[gxldleaves]

briarelodie​:

 briar  was  snooping.  she  couldn’t  help  it.  the  high  court  was  beautiful  and  she  loved  beautiful  things.  the  shinier,  the  better.  she’d  been  wandering  around  for  at  least  half  an  hour,  just  looking  at  the  art  that  decorated  the  halls,  not  bothering  to  return  to  the  ballroom  after  she’d  excused  herself  to  the  bathroom.  ❝  looking  a  bit  like  a  lost  puppy  dog  there.  ❞  she  says,  looking  the  other  up  and  down,  trying  to  sound  more  authoritative  than  she  had  reason  to  be,  considering  this  was  not  her  court,  and  she  probably  shouldn’t  have  been  wandering  around  alone  as  it  was.

“Excuse me?” He lifted his gaze from the floor to the princess, head tilted slightly in a question that he decided not to voice out loud; only the slightest twitch of a muscle on his face signaled that he wasn’t fine with being compared to a dog. He might’ve been lost, but being called a puppy felt outright derogatory. “I’m not lost, just needed a break from all the political talk.” Which was close enough to the truth, if he spared the unnecessary details; but that absolutely didn’t explain why the princess was here. “Shouldn’t you be back at the dinner, princess?”

[gxldleaves]

princess-aiyla​:

    an amused smile played on the lips of the princess at the response. it was political, but for that she didn’t blame the other. she didn’t expect much different of an answer, after all. who would insult a party when it was a high court princess asking? aiyla had no illusions that she was so hidden beneath the delicate mask or easily mistaken beneath the intricate crown she wore.

    “that it certainly is.” she replied — an understatement, she thought. the party was lavish, over the top, and everything a high court event usually was. “i’d have to agree.” the princess responded, that smile growing every so slightly as she looked at the prince. “i suppose everyone is on their best behavior. i certainly am.” if she weren’t, aiyla would have absconded with a few bottles of wine to her room already.

“I suppose you’re right.” He agreed with a small chuckle; just like the princess, Haishe was on his best behavior too - or rather his anxiety sunk in hard enough to keep him from doing anything that could make him the talk of all courts later. He was still on his first glass of wine after all, toying more with the glass than actually drinking. “I mean, imagine making a fool out of yourself in front of all the courts at the same time... That’s a shame one would carry for decades.”

He took a quick glance at the crowd, as if trying to guess who would be most likely to cause a commotion; it probably would’ve been a lot more entertaining if he recognized more of the guests - but all he could recognize were the colors of the courts, not the people wearing them. He probably shouldn’t have skipped all those social gatherings... But he shook this thought away, turning back to his companion. “Do you dance, princess?”

[gxldleaves]

princess-elaria​:

    “i’ve heard enough.” the princess began, irritated voice hard to miss as one of the crown advisors nagged away in her ear about an issue she hardly cared for. “please, leave. i’m sure this information is better suited for my father.” he was, after all, the ruling monarch. the other tried to continue, but one sharp glance from elaria and they slowly backed away, disappearing back down the halls they had come.

    she was just trying to escape, grab a moment of freedom and hopefully a breath of fresh air. elaria continued down the hall, not too sure where she was going only that it was away. when she turned down a corridor that seemed to end in well, a door, the brunette stopped, tilting her head to the side as her eyes made out the form of another. “are you alright?” asked she, wondering if maybe they, like her, just needed a break too.

There was no reason the panic - probably dozens of faeries got lost in these hallways when they walked them for the first time, right? He definitely couldn’t have been the first; and probably everyone was too preoccupied with socializing anyway to look for him and question where he ran off so suddenly, so there was no way anyone would figure out that he got lost. He could also just wander around a bit more, sooner or later finding his way to the ballroom and no one would even notice he was actually gone; after all, why would anyone pay attention to him, specifically?

“Hm?” The question came suddenly, having him jump a little in surprise; when he finally found the person who addressed him, he forced out a little smile, letting out a small sigh before answering. “I’m alright... Just needed to get away for a second. All the talking about politics got a little overwhelming.” Not that he really listened, being way too busy thinking about an excuse to leave, but this was as good as a reason as any other.

[gxldleaves]

princess-aiyla​:

location ;; high court ballroom

time ;; after the feast — during the masquerade

    a ball in the high court wasn’t unheard of — she’d attended plenty throughout the year. but with other courts in attendance? and all at once? aiyla was certainly not used to that. but she dressed herself to the nines all the same and put on her mask — both the delicate gold one she’d been given and the smile that nothing was wrong when in reality, everything was. this was her home, after all, and it was her duty to play the part of a perfect hostess. 

    a hostess that needed to mingle, so the princess turned to the person nearest her, that sweet smile on her lips. “are you enjoying your night thus far?”

Haishe was never one to enjoy big parties; crowds always made him uncomfortable and anxious, but he was far beyond the age where he could avoid official appearances without becoming the next big topic of gossip - people never lacked the creativity when they wanted to smear someone, and he couldn’t really afford the criticism right now. He nervously tapped on the side of his almost empty glass, wondering whether he should just stick to drinking himself into forgetting this whole event the next day; this idea being pushed behind in his mind when he noticed that he had company.

“It’s... an exquisite party.” He was aware that it didn’t necessarily answer the question, but it was answer as good as any other, at least in his opinion. “I’m genuinely surprised that things are going as smooth as they’re now, though.” He looked over at the princess, faint smile playing on his lips; not that he expected some major scene to play out, but it definitely felt like the silence before the storm, given the circumstances. He just hoped he wouldn’t rush head first into a very uncomfortable and nervous conversation - running off to get lost in the hallways for a second time the same night would be absolutely ridiculous. 

[gxldleaves]

seaskinnd​:

     cimber tipped back a crystalline flute, sparkling, rosey liquid sliding past his lips. his tongue tingled pleasantly, but the drink didn’t burn his throat the way he was used to. a part of him longed for something harder. something amber, something smokey, something with a fire that could warm the tundra of his home. but it wasn’t wise. getting three cups to the wind before the dancing had even begun would be poor form, not to mention foolish if a fight broke out. it could. even under the sharp gaze of the high court guards, this was first time a group of fae as large and mixed as they were had been under one roof in a hundred years. in more, probably.

     the tension had been thick enough to cut with a knife, simmering like the sauces and soups they’d been served. cimber had made polite small talk with the fae seated near him, sipping his drink in every moment of silence. when he could no longer tolerate it, lungs screaming for fresher air, he stood and excused himself for reasons best left implied, his drink still in hand. the doors shut behind him, but he wasn’t alone in the halls. turning one corner after a next, the general finally came upon the unfamiliar fae. it wasn’t surprising the someone else had left the dinner; what made him hesitate was the heavy sigh and the way the stranger buried his face in his hands.

     cimber pressed his lips together, weighing his options. the decision to speak only took a few seconds to make, and came clear and curt from his mouth. “are you unwell?”

This was a horrible mistake, he came to realize; maybe he should’ve just braced through the small talk and forced pleasantries, that would’ve definitely been a better look for him than running away as if the chair burned him. He could already imagine the lecture his parents would give on this matter, reminding him that he wasn’t allowed to be young and reckless like that; and it was a thought just as annoying as getting lost, if not even more.

The sound of footsteps echoing in the hallways thankfully allowed him to refocus his attention on the present; he slowly lifted his gaze to the stranger in front of him, lips curling up in a small smile as he shook his head, as to dismiss the question. “As shameful as it is to admit, I just got lost... This place is like a labyrinth.” He brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear with a small, anxious chuckle; he suddenly wished to have something to occupy his hands with, anything to take off his mind off of how helpless he suddenly felt at that moment. Terrible way to make a first impression...

[gxldleaves]

a delicate crown of thorns

masquerade attire.