#shvdwscng.

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @shvdwscng's LAILAH.

jia raises her arm, waving the winter fae over to the table she had saved for them in the library.

despite how closed off she was, in the last handful of months, jia was coming to considering lailah a friend. the windfall of curiosity had brought jia to the other fae, pushing her limits of comfort. jia's rigidness in her own ways felt like a sharp tension, near its breaking point, but she was surprised to find them stretching them to leave enough space for the winter fae. lady lailah was an anomaly. she was lovely, and well-spoken, and well-settled on her wavelength.

"lady lailah, i brought the book i spoke about the other day." one of the ones jia had removed from the archives, thinking it best to keep this one for private eyes. "you mentioned being interested in seeing it?"

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @shvdwscng's DECLAN

mid-conversation, ulka locks her gaze on the gaean delegation. watching them for a moment, as like a lioness might spy a juicy morsel to compliment her meal, appraising their movements as the group walks past them. as per ced's orders to stand down against the dusk court, the general is relegated to surveillance and training their soldiers with no end goal in sight.

lowering her voice, ulka leans towards her brother — "don't you think that one of them should be on nursery duty, looking after the little king?"

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @ethercvl's ADELAIDE & @shvdwscng's ALISTAIR (not a group thread)

ulka's eyes light up — "my favourite hightower!" a title she bestowed on each of them, privately, when in conversation with the siblings. she raises an arm broadly, waving over the hightower. the general moves swiftly to meet them in the middle, across the browning grass which was the exact in between shade that served as reminder one that a winter's snowfall was due very soon.

"did you see the little king this morning?" her voice lowers conspiratorially, monitoring herself from listening ears. she giggles, as if she's simply a lady, wasting her days pettily exchanging gossip about a minor slight. "what in cauldron's name has gotten in to him?"

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @shvdwscng's SAINT.

she hadn't resented the dusken sky until she had heard of the king's search. iphigenia had always tailed after her older cousins, admiring them from a grand distance as they moved through the dawn court. from there, she had watched. she had kept her eyes focused on them until one day they had left. she'd thought that saint would be as gone to them as persephone had on the day she had first noticed him disappear. but, there he was that evening. sat for dinner. she kept a closer eye on him then, not knowing she would have been better to turn away from the window. had she, it would have spared her much grief. it was all too much. the stress of the witch hunt. the overnight shifts in the infirmary. she was unused to such had work. it was nice, though. to have something to take her mind it all.

all but crawling back into the shared dawn quarters in the early hours of the morning, iphigenia is startled to see movement in the near dark. "saint," she gasps sharply, clutching her heart and shocked it still beats beneath her palm. "light a lamp for cauldron's sake." the circles are still deep-set beneath her eyes, exhaustion the clear answer as to why she does not immediately curtsey.

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @arashway & @ethercvl & @n1ghtsongs & @shvdwscng & @feathcrcd's MENTEE(S).

the table before him is littered in woodchips, the source evidently being the daemati hunched over the table. his hands move in steady, decisive motions as he chips away at the woodblock, the most assured thing about him as of late. in spite of his focus, soft footfalls draw his attention.

"ah," che smiles, pleased with the arrival, pleasantly surprised to see them despite seemingly expecting them all the same. with as many young ones under his wing, one of them would always find him in his free-time. "my friend. sit with me and let me bask in your youth for some time."

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @shvdwscng's MUSES

alejandro often felt blessed to be able to work in the capital's palace. swiftly after his arrival, he found placement under a master healer with tenure in the castle, allowing him a fast-track into becoming a preferred healer in the city. but, as they work towards another day in dusk court captivity, the mother should excuse the lack of gratitude in this situation. all the time in the world, but he couldn't even properly test the improvements to his tonics and salves in a way that felt helpful for his patience.

"forgive the disarray of my studio," they say with a dry chuckle. the studio in question is comprised of several piles of dry herbs on a blanket in the grass. "and the smell, perhaps?"