on your head* | sjm & kin
picture this
flesh-toned organza clinging to ivory skin whilst a mélange of intricately embroidered white-tail doves and flowers conceal her femininity. take a gander at the way the diaphanous fabric constricts around her curves, lilac waterfalls of tassel adorning her shoulders and hips. they shimmer and shift ethereally as the brunette navigates her way through passageways, her clandestine reconnaissance foiled by the din her heels make as they meet the marbled floor in musical succession.
and what an occasion to be chasing apparitions around the whiteface palace?
away from the whirl and eddy of bodies celebrating the anniversary of the late queen’s demise, inna finds repose in purpose. hers being an acquisition of a rare foreign wine she’s sure is waiting for her in the palace kitchens. why, she fails to fathom, should she toast with the same wine they continuously offer up on lesser occasions. queen areum, she dares to ponder, is most deserving of something full-bodied and with an otherworldly finish.
so, where did they hide it?
the conundrum only becomes closer to being solved the deeper she falls down alice’s rabbit hole. soon, the scent of freshly prepared food permeates the space that surrounds her and as if a spectral finger beckons her forward, she adheres, advancing forward into the unknown.
would she be reprimanded for trespassing? would they escort her promptly back up to the ball, thrust her into some lord’s arms where he’ll whisk her round and round and round until she no longer could process a thing? and would he taste the fermented grapes on her wine-stained lips after he leans in for a kiss?
these are the thoughts that taunt inna, picking apart her conviction, though, they soon fade into the backdrop of cacophony and chaos that envelops the kitchens as she approaches it. one by one, red-blooded and wary, they set their eyes on her as they hustle and bustle about. but no one dares to let their gaze linger, for she is a silver, after all. all questions remain mute, lost in glances brimming with mystification at her presence but she is no stranger to a searching eye. she welcomes them to look, challenges them to speak out on her appearance. the amount of lethal weapons at her disposal were not far few between and oh, how easy it would be to pluck out each and every one of their eyes with simple kitchen paraphernalia.
would you like to find out the dangers of a spoon?
towards a far corner, she glimpses upon a set of stairs that lead downwards. striding past the red kind, she makes her way down into what is dark and damp. inna did not entertain the tales of ghouls that season the stories from her childhood, she did not fear ghosts, her milk did not curdle at the mention of a Hell. so, it is no wonder why her eyes only sparkle in the semi-darkness that engulfs her as she finds what she has been looking for. barrels upon barrels line the walls, the scent of alcohol mingling that with the baked goods from the upper level.
she almost pats herself on the back in sheer triumph but her feat is far from over. inna nears a barrel, running her fingertips along the aged wood then the cool metal of the band. any of these barrels could be host to finest wine on this earth, but how was she to know? for now, she opts to denote the quality over names that did not hit home with her. perhaps, once she has gotten to drinking one, the quality would cease to matter.
@sbjaemin













