"we’re alone now, you could kiss me." specifically for adeline and mina, AND bennie and clarence xo
Adeline/Mina
Wilhelmina looked at the Lady before her, hoping that her reaction was the appropriate level of shock. She’d always struggled with that part of aristocracy. Being the daughter of a wealthy merchant had afforded her the best money could buy for an education, and clothes, and the like. Being the daughter of an untitled merchant had afforded her some freedom to explore her personality that she would surely lose if Mother and Father got their way and she was to be married into a title. Normally, that mix left her in a position to be entertaining to the Ladies she had to mingle with on Bond Street without seeming vulgar (the Lords never seemed to mind either way–they all saw a pretty face and money and didn’t much care what Mina herself brought with them). However, she’d never quite mastered the art of responding to surprises. Too much reaction, and she seemed cold and unrefined; too little, and she seemed crass and unrefined.
At Lady Adeline’s words, she let her jaw drop open, though the sound that came out did not seem horrified as perhaps it should have. Mina did not feel horrified as perhaps she should have. She glanced to the door, but it was closed, still. The girls who had been fitting them were all on the other side of the door, making some rush adjustment to Lady Adeline’s dress, which simply had to be finished within the hour. No one would be coming, and they were very much alone.
“You want to,” the Lady herself continued, interrupting Mina’s thoughts. Or, perhaps she was continuing them. “I’ve noticed the way you look at me. And I’ve certainly noticed you.” She punctuated the words with a dramatic sweep of Mina’s body, wearing only her corset and petticoats as her own dress was being altered after a sudden change in the theme of the Orslette Ball.
Mina sputtered a moment, looking for the right words. She didn’t much want to lie, after all, so she couldn’t deny that she’d wanted to. But saying so felt like telling too much, too fast. It didn’t allow her to hold any of her cards. “I’m hard not to notice,” she answered, avoiding any conversation of what she wanted for the moment. “I’m the only one they introduce as Miss. Every Lady’s mother is furious at the dances I get from all the unmarried gentlemen.”
“You have no interest in gentlemen,” Lady Adeline said, taking a step closer. Mina refused to step back, staring the stunningly beautiful lady eye-to-eye. “Do you?”
“None that I’ve met,” Mina answered truthfully.
Adeline took another step closer. “And the ladies?” she asked. That was more tactful than her original approach, Mina noted.
“One or two has caught my eye.”
Adeline did not step closer at that, so Mina did. “Or two?”
“Or perhaps just one.” By then, they were scant inches apart. It was hardly any movement at all, and then their lips brushed against one another’s.
Benoit/Clarence
“Quite,” Bennie answered, almost unthinkingly. Not almost. Entirely unthinkingly. Normally, Benoit Mercer was a thoughtful man, but he’d long since learned not to waste his faculties giving much thought to what Clarence said. It was rarely of import. He liked the man, sure, but he still had not changed his opionion that Clarence was no intellectual. Rather, he’d decided it didn’t matter that Clarence was no intellectual, because he had other, better qualities that did matter.
In this instance, however, it occured to him that perhaps he should have listened to the question before answering, given Clarence’s reaction. “Well,” he said in that staged, declarative sort of way he had of speaking. “Are you going to, or aren’t you?”
“Am I going to what?”
“Kiss me. I can start it, if you’d prefer.” He’d stoped walking, and turned to face Bennie squarely. Bennie turned too, but he doubted he looked as firm as Clarence did. First of all, he had a significantly smaller, slighter frame. Second, and most important of all, he was utterly stupified by the words, and had no doubt that it showed on his face.
“I beg your pardon?” He didn’t mean to sound offended or displeased with the idea, and if he did, Clarence didn’t seem to notice or mind. Belatedly, what he’d agreed to occured to him. We’re alone now; you could kiss me. Quite, indeed. To Bennie’s mild shock, the idea did not offend or displease him. He’d already learned, with his perhaps-not-so-hateful wife, that he did not mind kissing, but the idea of kissing a man was novel and generally viewed with offense. He’d never known one before, but there had been talk of boys who liked other boys at school. They were always looked down on as freaks.
Bennie didn’t much think of himself as a freak, but he also didn’t think he’d mind terribly kissing Clarence. In fact, he could see how he might like it. There were no witnesses, so no fear of propriety was stopping him. Nothing was stopping him. So, with a small tilt of his head and a quite, “Alright, then,” he did.
☾ for Sandra/Lily and whichever bits of the OT4 you're feeling lol
Send me “☾” for my muse’s reaction to finding yours still awake late at night
Sandra/Lily
When Lilliel returned from the Shadowmists, dew-covered and dworn thin, it was deep into the night in the Western Kingdom where they’d been camped out. The Priestess rarely called her back talone, but the Council had had an important issue that could not wait. Sometime creatures born in the cracks came up and though there was no danger, it did not make sense to bring Sandra. She had gone alone instead, promising the other woman she would return soon, and after unleashing the full-force of her power on the creature, draining it until it did not even have physical form left, she was more than ready to return to the warmth of a bed another person was already asleep in.
It was to her surprise, then, to find the woman in question still awake, writing in the notebook the Wise Woman had given her by the dying light of the fireplace. Lily had taught her before to replenish the fire with her own power so as not to waste firewood, but the pile had diminished nonetheless. Perhaps burning it by hand reminded her of home--Lily would have no way to tell. “You’re still up,” she said as she walked in.
Immediately, Sandra sat upright, closing the book and looking up at Lily with a peculiar look on her face. A sort of smile, warm and sunny. As if Lily’s return was the most miraculous occurance, even though she’d left all her things here with a promise to return soon, and Nonnin to fetch her if something happened. The bird called loudly from his corner. She stayed up all night waiting for you he grumbled, displeased by everything, as always.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, as though the bird had spoken aloud.
He hadn’t, but Sandra understood nonetheless. She always understood. “I couldn’t sleep without you.”
The words tugged at Lily, making her want something she could not name. “Oh,” she said softly. “I’m sorry I took so long, then.”
“It’s fine,” Sandra answered too quickly, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant...”
“I understand,” Lily filled in for her, entering the room fully and sitting at the edge of the bed. “I’ll just wash up and we can settle down for the night.”
“I’d like that,” Sandra answered, though she didn’t need to. “I’d like that a lot.”
Benoit/Clarence
It was unlike Bennie not to sleep through the night, truth be told. He was, in sleep habits as in all things, immensely practical. Sleeping through the night allowed him to be awake early, and thus to complete his tasks. Of course, he stayed up late enough for the kinds of politics required of a man of his stations which did not take place in the House of Lords, but he rarely went out cavorting, and when he arrived home, he went promptly to sleep so he could be up early the next morning. Or early by nobility’s standards. Still, some nights even he woke with a start, surprised but not upset with himself. Normally, in such a case, he went to his library for a night cap and to retrieve a book, and then returned to bed.
That was his plan, when the light from one of the many other bedrooms in the manor caught his eye. Westin had planned to stay the night--what was he doing up. Bennie grabbed a robe and padded into his room, curiosity winning out over his natural desire to leave others to their own business.
“Westin?” he called out, peering into the room to find the other man pacing about. “Westin, what the devil are you doing awake so late?”
“I just don’t understand it, Benoit,” he answered, as if they had been talking for hours. They had not, and Bennie certainly did not recall asking him to call him by his Christian name. “Not one bit.”
“Understand what?” he asked with a sigh, entering the room and closing the door. He wouldn’t be able to sleep, wondering what he was missing that was keeping another man up.
“Any of it. Just any of it.”
Benoit let out another sigh, adjusting his robe. “Would you like some brandy?” he asked, shoring up as much patience as he could.
“A drink! Capital idea!” Westin’s countenance brightened significanty at the word, and Bennie couldn’t help but quirk up one side of his lip. The man was certainly...prone to high emotions, wasn’t he?
“Let’s head to the library, then. Maybe we’ll find a text on masonry that will bore you to sleep and you can forget about whatever had kept you up.” He didn’t wait for an answer, afraid that if he got one, it might include an explanation of the problem. Instead, he turned and made his way to the library, grabbing a candle to light the way for the other man as he went.
i know i'm not logged in to my rp account but hooo boy do i have a miGHTY NEED FOR ℒ (specifically for lily/sandra but also for any of the ot4, have a blast)
Send ℒ For My Muse’s Reaction to Suddenly Realizing They’re in Love With Yours.
I did two but I might add more later
Lily/Sandra
It had happened slowly, Lily assumed. She would have noticed a monumental shift in her heart. It had belonged to another for so long. It had literally been written to be in love with Melitta from her start. Melitta. When had Lily become so comfortable thinking her name in full? After she’d seen her for the last time, it was as though the name itself was what had held the power that hurt her, and not the woman bearing it. She couldn’t even think on her without feeling the sting. But now, it was just Melitta. Just a woman she had loved, back before her whole world had changed.
She had loved her. Past tense. But she remembered that feeling, the warm comfortable weight of her presence. It was better than any luxury offered in any lordship she’d visited. She glanced at Sandra, training on the far side of the meadow, and it settled down on her shoulders like a blanket. The way light shone off her hair pulled at Lilliel, a strange wanting to touch it. To feel how soft it probably was.
She loved Sandra. She couldn’t imagine how it had snuck up on her, but she did. “I love you,” she whispered, testing the sound out.
“Huh?” Sandra asked, turning around. It was impossible for her to have heard the specific words, but the reaction was enough to leave Lily a blushing mess.
She took a moment to gather herself before she dared attempt to answer her. “You look…good. With your power. You’ve grown so much.”
More than any compliment on her appearance, Lily knew Sandra would take such a compliment to heart. She still shrunk when receiving them, but the smile on her face was so satisfying. Lily was in deep. “Thanks.”
Bennie/Adeline
It was not something he’d particularly wanted. Falling in love with one’s wife was gauche at best. The Mercer line had lost some of their shine, yes, but Benoit’s whole goal was to bring them back to their former glory, not taint their good name with something as crass as romance. Really, he ought to be ashamed of himself. Adeline would certainly find it pathetic. Adeline, with her acerbic tongue and her wit and her absolute impatience for everything he believed in. It was a wonder, truly, that they managed to speak. Let alone fall in love.
Or he’d fallen in love. Perhaps that was the worst part of it. He had had little interest in bedsport, with or before her, and unfortunately for him, she seemed to feel more or less the same. Well, not the same. She had much more interest in bedsport–it seemed that her disinterest was with him. She willingly tolerated him only as a means to her end. It should have cheapened their intimacies, but their mutual distaste for one another fueled it in a way Bennie had assumed only existed in tawdry writings.
Except that now he’d gone and ruined it. After all, how could he maintain his hatred of her, which was the basis of their only passion, if he did not, in truth, hate her? It was not that he required relations to want her–to the contrary, he probably would have preferred to leave relations to the side beyond his duty to his line–but she was so fond of them. She enjoyed them, and he enjoyed bringing her satisfaction, both in the bed and in the only seemingly fulfilling part of their relationship.
It was a disappointment, plain and simple, and he would have to get over it. After all, a measly thing such as love should not stand a chance against logic and reason and duty. He would simply overcome the feeling so that he could resume his tenuous relationship to his wife, his slowly budding friendship to Clarence, and his confusion over what exactly Lady Westin was to his Adeline.
…
Just Adeline. It was time he stopped thinking of her as “his” as well.
☃ for bennie and adeline, ✉ for clarence and mina?? (let's keep it to those two for now since that's who we're rping lol)
☃for my muses reaction to getting hit with a snowball thrown by your muse.
Winter had always been Benoit’s favorite season. It was quiet and peaceful. Snow had a way of blanketing everything, including the personality of others. It laid across everyone and everything, like a hush, and the world was serene and beautiful until the first days of spring began. He liked the warm, hearty foods the cooks preferred to make in the winter, and spending time curled up by the fire with his dogs and cats, a blanket, and a good book, maybe a glass of brandy in his hand to warm his insides. It didn’t hurt that he was able to spend the season away from Town, either.
Even his relations with his wife were improved. Her personality, like most others’, was tamed by the chill, brought from the hellish manner she usual held to a more relaxed one which he could actually manage. God help him, they’d even had a pleasant conversation the night before. They’d exchanged playful barbs, as opposed to the usual malicious ones.
He turned to check in on her, since Wil had been walking rather slowly, only to feel a sharp, cold, wet impact on his chest. He glanced down at the projectile before meeting his wife’s stare. It wasn’t the usual spiteful one he was used to. It was a smile. A grin, even. And although Bennie had always been a serious person, he had been a child once, and he knew there was only one way to respond to such an act.
He scooped up some snow himself, balling it and throwing it before she was ready for him.
✉for my muses reaction to finding a cute love note from your muse. (bonus points: tell me what the note says)
Wilhelmina sighed, glancing out the window. The land had nearly frozen over, and Adeline was nowhere to be found. Probably off with her husband, leaving Mina to fend for herself. Even Lord Westin had left her, something Mina had not realized was even possible, with the way he doted around her. In some way, his leaving actually hurt worse, for Adeline had always been her own person, whereas Westin, she expected to wait on her.
Stepping away from the window, she went to pick up her stitching. Mother had told her that she needed to practice more. It was what the nobility did, she said. It was not as though she had anything else to do. But when she lifted the basket, a small piece of paper fell out. Naturally, she had to pick it up and examine it.
My dearest, darling Wilhelmina,
I think often, this winter, of Hades and Persephone. When she went to the Underworld, to be with him, we are left with cold, but she is warm with her loved one. So it is with us. We are forced out of Town by the cold, but our warmth can keep us warm, together, for these months.
Let us spend these months as those ancient stories intended: together. I am finishing my work on the estate early. Please, come join me for a walk on this frosty day, and then warm with me in the kitchens? I will wait for you by the stables.
In love always,
Clarence
By the time she finished reading, she’d unconsciously made her way to her closet, where her warmest winter dress sat, waiting, inviting her to slide it on. Her heart beat fast, a smile on her lips.
One of...of...of criticism, surely. For it was a silly letter for him to send. He was foolish and sappy. Perhaps she should meet him, though. To, uh, to clear her head of these foolish thoughts.
super cool character headcanons meme for ALL OF THEM (or as many as you want lol)
LET’S DO IT!
Lilliel
2-4 songs that are probably on their iPod
“Lark of My Heart” by Eliza Rickman“I See Monsters” by Ryan Adams“Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift“Shooting Star” by Owl City
the one place they sometimes end up falling asleep — where they’re not supposed to
Pretty much nowhere. Lilliel is used to have to wait until they could pitch a tent and draw a circle of protection for a night so she’ll stay up through anything. However, she really struggles with booths in restaurants. They’re comfier than they ought to be!
the game they’d destroy everyone else at
Candy Crush. Honestly she’d rock it
the emoticon they’d use most often
😊
what they act like when they haven’t had enough sleep
Quiet, but mostly the same. She’s used to running on no sleep
their preferred hot beverage on really cold nights. or mornings. or whenever.
Warmed milk with a little honey in it. Though she finds hot chocolate very exciting too!
how they like to comfort/care for themselves when they’re in a slump
In the Shadowmists, she goes into a clearing and lets loose her power. Once it’s out of her system, she usually feels better. If she can’t do that, she likes to paint.
what they wanted to be when they grew up
Um, part of the High Court? It’s the only job she knew existed. Maybe mage for a kingdom but she can’t imagine taking sides between Western and Eastern Kingdoms.
their favorite kind of weather
Foggy and pleasantly cool. Like the Shadowmists!
thoughts on their singing voice (decent? terrible? soprano? alto?)
She’s a mezzo-soprano. Her voice is nice but not incredible.
how/what they like to draw or doodle
Swirls, squiggly lines, and abstract shapes that may or may not be runes accidentally
Wilhelmina
2-4 songs that are probably on their iPod
“Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul“I Will” by MoZella“Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon“I Really Like You” by Carly Rae Jepsen
the one place they sometimes end up falling asleep — where they’re not supposed to
When she’s working on her sewing. It’s so boring.
the game they’d destroy everyone else at
Gin Rummy. She’s got great luck with it.
the emoticon they’d use most often
😘 probably
what they act like when they haven’t had enough sleep
Whiny and impatient.
their preferred hot beverage on really cold nights. or mornings. or whenever.
Tea! A proper English cup of tea is good for the soul
how they like to comfort/care for themselves when they’re in a slump
She takes a long bath and combs her hair. Mina loves some old fashioned self-care. She also puts on perfume. Se thinks smelling nice is the best way to care for herself.
what they wanted to be when they grew up
If she could have a job? She would’ve liked to be a flowershop owner or something quiet and quaint like that, you know.
their favorite kind of weather
Breezy, with some cloud cover. Not too hot and not too cold.
thoughts on their singing voice (decent? terrible? soprano? alto?)
She has a soprano voice. It’s very good, actually. She has to compensate for not being titled by being very accomplished.
how/what they like to draw or doodle
Flowers or fruits. She’s done so many still-life paintings in her life, she can’t help it.
Benoit
2-4 songs that are probably on their iPod
“Merry-Go-Round of Life” from Howl’s Moving Castle“Good Grief” by Bastille“Blackbird” by the Beatles“Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
the one place they sometimes end up falling asleep — where they’re not supposed to
At dinner. He eats and gets tired and just poops out.
the game they’d destroy everyone else at
Something lame like Pong or something?
the emoticon they’d use most often
😑
what they act like when they haven’t had enough sleep
Short-tempered and even less social than normal.
their preferred hot beverage on really cold nights. or mornings. or whenever.
Coffee in the morning. Tea at night. He takes his coffee with a splash of cream and a half a spoon of sugar, and his tea black.
how they like to comfort/care for themselves when they’re in a slump
He throws himself into his work--managing his estate or whatever other business thing he needs to do
what they wanted to be when they grew up
A captain in the army. He nearly enlisted but decided not to because his family needed him to put their reputation back together more.
their favorite kind of weather
Cold and dry. Like a crisp winter day
thoughts on their singing voice (decent? terrible? soprano? alto?)
He’s a tenor with an okay voice. Not particularly good but not entirely unpleasant either.
how/what they like to draw or doodle
He embellishes his letters with fancy seraphs and calligraphy shit
Lilliel, being from a magical word and all that, has never been in a car, so when she has to ride in one for the first time, she discovers that she has serious motion sickness problems.
Wilhelmina
Mina is allergic to seafood. As the technology to diagnose this doesn’t exist yet, everyone simply believes that the seafood she ate was bad. She’s been too afraid to ever eat it again, though, since it made her tongue swell up.
Benoit
Bennie loves animals. He’s one of those people who has just always communed well with animals. He has horses and dogs at his various estates, a cat, and falcons. He likes to hunt, but does not like to kill the animals he catches. He’s not a vegetarian, but in modern day, he would be.
Me
Every year I dye my hair blue. It’s not because I’m a huge hockey fan, but the color I always wanted my hair to be happens to be the color of my team’s jersey, so every spring, I dye my hair for them and for myself.
I’m very sensitive to touch. I was always the kind of kid who has to cut tags off of my clothing because they irritated to me. Even little touches can bug me if they’re at all scratchy.
I’m the ho-iets of hos, and I love dishing about sex. I’ve done some shit, and I will talk about it at literally the first opportunity.
Lily and I are both fiercely loyal. Neither of us make friends easily, so we cling deeply to the ones we do make, and don’t tend to pick up well on when someone has left that friendship. On the other hand, Lily is very quick to forgive, no matter what was done. Suffice to say, I am not: I’m at a point in my life where I literally don’t see the point in forgiving sometimes. It’s just not worth it to me.
Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina and I are both expert guilt-trippers. We both struggle to express anger in a productive or clear way--instead, we just express sadness at the thing that made us angry until the other person feels bad about it. On the other hand, Wilhelmia is easily brought to jealousy, and I am p. much incapable of being jealous. It’s just not a thing I feel, but Mina gets jealous over the little-est things.
Benoit
Bennie and I are both dry-humored. We love telling very sarcastic jokes, or commenting flatly on situations presented to us. On the other hand, Bennie is emotionally detached. If someone doesn’t know him, or doesn’t directly involve him, he doesn’t care. I’m pretty passionate about justice, and I feel like most things relate to that >.<
"talk about us" for as many pairings as you wish :3
OK SO!
Lily/Sandra
Um literally anything???? I love them??? But specifically, now that we’ve opened the book-hopping door, I’d love to see them do one of those things where like, to test their love, they put themselves into a book with really difficult circumstances, to see if they end up together. Like the plot of Serendipity, but instead it’s with book-hopping? Idk if that even makes sense though.
Mina/Ada
Oooh gimme the girls fighting! What makes their relationship strain? What causes rifts between them? Declarations of constant, undying love are fine, but relationships aren’t real unless they have stress in them. Plus you know I love creating unnecessary sadness. But seriously, other than the boys and jealousy, what are their problems?
Mina/Clarence
I’m trash for this ship right now. Give me sap! Give me Clarence actually getting to know Mina. Fuck, give me Mina giving Clarence a goddamn shot, or finding out that he’s not JUST a human romance-novel-shitpost. I want to see them learn that the other one is a person!
Bennie/Ada
I know their whole plotline is spite and probably hatefucking but I WANT IT ANYWAY! Like, they’re both pretty subdued at the moment. I want them to get intense. Also, though, I want to know how they came to hate each other so much. Flashbacks, maybe? To how they met? So we can get to the bottom of it.
Bennie/Clarence
FRIENDSHIP! REALLY GOOD FRIENDS WITH SOMETIMES BENEFITS! FUCKBUDDIES WHO ARE MAYBE ALSO FRIENDS! I DON’T KNOW! But also like these two have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. And I feel like Bennie inspires everyone around him to be lowkey hateful because his primary self defense is being a bitter motherfucker, but I also want to see Bennie bring out the bitter in Clarence. Make him cranky. Be shade-mates.
