#etdraconis

[dhampiravidi]

when will my life begin?

Naela Stark considered herself to be fortunate--she just felt like something was missing, sometimes. She knew that she'd been adopted when she was a baby, so that was nothing to look into. Her family (10 in all, if you counted their 2 big dogs) loved her like she was their blood & she had plenty of friends. She even did well in school (though her teachers had always scolded her when it came to her daydreaming). Naela just couldn't help thinking...wishing, for more. It made her feel bad that she did, because aside from knowing what she wanted to do after college in a year, she had everything. She even had a successful fencing career, one that might culminate in an Olympic medal. But she didn't have a boyfriend (or a girlfriend) anymore. Speaking of...she looked out the front windows of her house, over to Jaime's.

He was magnificent. His eyes sparkled when he was invested in something, he never was unkind to his students despite how skilled he was in his field & honestly, he was hot. Yeah, he was Naela's professor. Naela internally swooned on the few occasions when he'd congratulated her on giving a correct answer (which, despite her tendency to daydream, happened more than once). One of these days, she'd need real help on one of her essays for his class. It wasn't her fault he was such a good teacher.

& then there he was! Yes, she had the incredible fortune of living across from him, which meant that whenever they left for the school at the same time--

"C'mon, kiddo. Jon's finished rebrushing his hair," Robb said with a teasing grin, patting his sister on the shoulder. Naela jumped slightly, cheeks heating up--she was always careful to make sure no one knew about her crush on Jaime. Her dad would kill him, then her.

"How do you always forget that I am a whole year older than you?" she replied, following her brother out the door. She took her time walking to the car parked in the driveway, hoping Jaime looked up so she could wave good morning. She had it bad for him.

@etdraconis

[oakthcrn-aaaa]

It was only when Lark couldn't sleep, which was often that she would say her goodbyes for the night, and instead of retiring to her room, she would hang a right and go down a vacant corridor. If Lark remembered correctly, it had once belonged to Vasily and his mass amount of expensive things that served no purpose. Lark didn't blame Nikolai for not touching this place.

The one thing Vasily collected that Lark was impressive was his collection of instruments. All set up in a small music room, they were for looking at, he once told her, and never for playing. So it brought her more joy than she should've felt to defy this rule and play them.

She was drawn to the pianoforte. She settled there and gently opened the cover of the ornate, ivory piano and stared at the keys. It all came rushing back--her piano lessons as a child. Her mother, a high-ranking grisha insisted Lark be proficient in many things, dance, language, music, and history, though she couldn't quite grasp the art of acting and arithmetic. Sciences were beyond her, but she could strategize a battle, play the piano, and one skill she had forgotten: singing.

Her hands glided over the keys as a familiar melody filled the quiet ambiance of the room. Each note echoed a pleasant memory. When was the last time she had played? Months ago. How no one noticed, she couldn't say. All thoughts melted away as her fingers played diligently, and she opened her mouth to sing.

❝ Gur a mis' tha fo mhì-ghean 'S mi leam fhìn air a' chnoc Fada, fada, bho m' chàirdean Ann an àite ri port. ❞

The words fell from her lips as she sang her native Kaelish. If only she could remember the Wandering Isle instead of clinging to the remnants of a culture she only knew second-hand. She was quite lost in the melody; a melancholic song to match her sullen mood. However, the moment she heard the floorboards creak, she knew she wasn't alone. She paused and fell silent. She quickly closed the pianoforte and made her way to escape, only to nearly collide with the King of Ravka.

A surprised gasp escaped her as she did some quick footwork to avoid a collision with her king. She let out a breath as a pinkish tint stained her freckled cheeks.

❝ You're not very good at sneaking,❞ Lark said in hopes of diffusing the awkwardness she was feeling. ❝ You'd make a terrible spy. ❞

@etdraconis

[dionadaiiraa]

❝ Guid morn' Captain, yer here early. ❞ Eden hadn't really slept from the night prior to the opening of the Herald's Rest. He'd get breakfast started and let his barmaid handle the day rush while he'd take the night shift.

❝ Do ye fancy a drink before ye dive into work? ❞

@etdraconis liked for a starter.

[wickedpeachie]

@etdraconis

She'd stumbled upon his apartment a few weeks ago. How? It was beyond her. Elain still didn't completely understand the magic that bound them. All she knew was that she had been lonely, and searching for a friend. She had friends in the twins and sisters, and her life was not horrible but it was certainly lonely. Everyone in her life was settled, contented with mates, and she...she had screwed hers up to the point Elain wasn't sure if Lucien was ever going to look at her again. And she couldn't blame him! Two years had past and she...there was no easy way to suddenly proclaim her interest in knowing him. Everyone was alway watching when he came to Velaris. Even all the letters she began to write were never sent, too scared. Elain wasn't sure what would hurt more. If Lucien ignored her request all together or simply stated that she had waited too long. So she didn't do anything. Stuck in an odd limbo of not knowing how to proceed. That was why finding his apartment had been a gift.

Elain hadn't even thought it would open to her, but as her fingers traced the outline of the door the lock had clicked open. Clever magic, or by Lucien's wards she wasn't sure. Elain had peeked in, a fire igniting to life to warm the place he called home here. She hadn't meant to snoop, but desperate for any kind of information about him...Elain snooped. Peeking through his kitchen, to the living room where she scoured his library to see what books he enjoyed. And embarrassingly, she'd even peeked through his wardrobe just to pull a shirt to nose and inhale. And that was what she had done the last week, found some excuse to visit town and just...exist in his space. She lounged on the sofa some days reading, but it certainly didn't hold the same appeal as the day she ungracefully dropped atop his mattress and simply stared at his ceiling. It was the last day she'd spent on the couch, and now it felt second nature to crawl into the bed for a few hours. The only disappointing part was that his scent was fading, and her face couldn't press far enough into his pillows to bring it back. Curled in his space with a trashy romance novel she'd found among his books, Elain found a strange sort of comfort there. There wasn't anyone to ignore her there, no expectations.

For whatever reason, Elain didn't feel lonely there either. Not since the moment she found it, it was almost the opposite. It was like having a friend that was very far away. Surrounded by his things it felt the safest way to know her cauldron given mate. The easiest method to understand him just a tiny bit. Every time she'd seen him prior she lost all ability to speak, and she'd noticed that Lucien stopped coming by the house all together. Her fault, and now she didn't know how to fix it. Elain rolled to the edge of the bed, sighing. Her book left tucked under a pillow for her to return too and certainly not the place she had found it on her first visit. She didn't know how to say it, didn't know how it worked, but that golden thread, that bridge that hadn't yet been completely built between them...she wished she knew how to use it some nights. I think I miss you She thought forlornly, with no expectation he'd never know.

[historiavn]

SEEING KING TAURI’S SON on the parapet nearly gave Regina a heart attack, but in the midst of the moment, there was naught that the kingdom could do except maintain a STOIC visage and await an opportunity to approach Cam — or Aaric, as he supposedly was to be called now — in private.

      “Cam!” She exclaimed in a quiet hiss once she was certain that they were alone, her eyes darting around the small alcove to make sure that no one could overhear their conversation. “What the hell are you doing here at Basgiath?!“

╰► @etdraconis LIKED FOR A STARTER.

TAROT CARDS PULLED FOR INSPIRATION:

THE FOOL (Rx): recklessness, unwise actions.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE (Rx): resisting change, bad luck.

FIVE OF WANDS: tension, conflict, battling differences.

[blightcd]

❝With the three of us here it's a wonder these southerners allow the Inquisition to do anything.❞

Their fear of rifts, demons, and Maker knows what else must immensely overpower their fear and hatred of the north. That was the only reasoning he could think of when there were three "Vints" working on the inner circle of things.

❝Still it's rather droll, isn't it? With all the work I still somehow find time to miss Minrathous and it's streets. Maybe it's from the cold, no wonder why so much of their fashion is simply furs.❞

@etdraconis.

[dhampiravidi]

the belle of the ball & her Prince Charming

Lan’s dark eyes widened as the aged silk in her hands ripped. She cursed under her breath, then quickly went about repairing the fabric. It wasn’t her first time with a fragile sample, nor was it the first time that she had to secretly fix a mistake that she'd made. At least it doesn't look bad--

& then the bell above the front door rang, announcing the arrival of a new customer. Lan & those working in the back (her second cousin, her cousin's wife & Lan's mother) all froze, listening. If Lan's cousin greeted the customer in Mandarin, they'd go back to work. But if Lan's cousin said a quiet "Hello", too quiet to be heard from the back room, Lan was supposed to go into the main room & wait on the customer. They all knew from experience that most of their clientele were Europeans who only spoke English, plus some other Romance language. & unfortunately, some of those people looked down on immigrants. So, the Mu family brought out their English-fluent employee.

Lan didn't hear anything, so she dropped what she was holding, smoothed down her hair & rushed out to help, forgetting that she'd gone barefoot. (What was the point of wearing shoes when sitting inside?)

@etdraconis

[dhampiravidi]

girl talk

Oraia had just put some new findings in her cave. She didn't go in there often, except to say hello to the small creatures who lived there & to put what interesting things she salvaged from shipwrecks somewhere safe (since the waves tended to wash things away from the beach). She'd hardly started towards the sand when she sensed something. It was a presence, stronger than the nymphs. Most importantly, it was different. Curious, she hurried out into the sunlight. She saw a young woman, one who stood on two legs & hadn't come from a boat!

Excited, Oraia sprinted over. "Hello!" she cried, beaming. @etdraconis