lucy turner

[tfwlucy]

POINT  DIVIDER  /  MAY 17  -  JAN 14

lucy turner / total 350. 110 points for this week.

previous week points: 240

replies (10ea) x 6

starters (15ea) x 2

starter replies (15ea) x 1

edits/graphics (10ea) x 

memes (5ea) x

plotting (5ea) x 1

narratives/drabbles (20ea) x 0

past events challenge (25) x 0

masquerade dress challenge (10) x 0

ask challenge (5) x

answer challenge (10) x 

[tfwlucy]

A Quiet Reprieve || William + Lucy

The Library was her escape from life. 

She knew what to expect there-- quiet, calm. Though many of the rebellion members knew of the library, Lucy could always predict who would come, why they would come, and how long they would stay. 

This is why she was not surprised to see William Abbott appearing in the doorway.

“I hoped I might see you,” Lucy said you William with a warm smile as he approached her. She held out a small parcel wrapped in muslin, tied with a red bow.

“I was feeling quite melancholic and wishing for the days when you and Roland could spend the holidays with us,” Lucy admitted as he took her gift. Inside her an assortment of treats she had hidden away the night before. “Just a small bit of home, for old times sake.”

“And I found this...” she added, pulling a small item out of her bag. She had carefully wrapped it in one of her handkerchiefs to make sure it was undamaged. “Do you remember the Yuletide you gave these to Eleanor and I?” she asked, unwrapping the small wooden star that had clearly been carved by hand. 

“We must have been no more than maybe... six? Seven? I do remember Eleanor broke hers almost immediately and Roland said we should have expected nothing less of her,” Lucy said with a laugh. 

[tfwlucy]

tfwcecily​:

tfwlucy​:

Two of a Kind || Cecily + Lucy

“I certainly agree– I should never thing any of us destined to be only wives…” Lucy replied quietly, glancing around the party. Her eyes landed on Isabella, imagining a man suggesting to her she might give up her position with the Dragoons so they could wed. She smiled slightly at the thought of her sister’s response. 

“But I don’t believe Maria thinks any man should wish to marry independent ladies such as ourselves…” Lucy added with a sigh. Maria’s world view seemed so terribly small compared to their’s– and what Lucy could only assume was their mother’s– perceptions of the world. 

“You are exactly correct, Cecily… Contradictory is exactly the word to describe him…” she bit her lip, thinking of their most recent conversation. How could he seem both interested yet disinterested in one conversation?”

At Cecily’s question, Lucy’s eyes widened. Would that be an explanation? 

“I never thought…” she began quietly. “But he…” she paused, trying to think of how best to speak of this in public. “It if often within the same sentence he contradicts his words… emotions… ideas…” she whispered to her sister. “Almost as if there are two people attempting to control what he says. That does not necessarily sound like Roland…” she looked down at her hands.

“He has asked to escort me to Valenmouth,” Lucy informed her sister, still as quietly as if they were speaking of Roland. She had not divulged this to any of her sisters yet.  “To the library. I… I told him I would go but now I am not so sure if that was the best idea…”

Cecily smiled, “No, we aren’t. I don’t suppose Maria quite understands that.” If they were all asked whether or not they would give up their position in order to be married, Cecily knew that not one of them would ever marry. As Isabella had once said: the right man would not ask us to. If Maria truly wished to marry them all off, she really ought to be a bit more selective and know that the first thing any potential suitor must agree to, is that the girls would remain in the Brigade as long as they wished. 

Cecily listened to her sister’s account of the prince. “Within the same sentence?! Goodness!” Her eyes widened. That was odd, indeed. She’d seen Roland attempt to be Horatio and had seen him juggle just how much he might get away with. It was clear he wanted to find the best way to gain as much intelligence as he could, but also put them into a better position, if possible. He also couldn’t resist making Horatio look at least a little ridiculous, which gave some people a rather confused opinion of him, in general. But he was also careful not to go too overboard with it, so that it was not suspicious. He had certainly contradicted things that Horatio had said the day before, but never within the same moment. If Aulus had a doppelganger, it sounded as though even he didn’t know which man he was pretending to be.

 "Then perhaps not,“ Cecily said, biting her lip. She didn’t know what that meant for him, then. "I do trust your own judgement, but in that he is so changeable, you should be cautious. You never feel at all afraid or uncomfortable with him, do you?” She paused, “Does he mean to go alone with you?" 

Lucy was of the opinion that Maria had little understand of the Turner sisters at all but held her tongue. She did not wish to be too cruel in words regarding her step mother as it was Yuletide-- if there was a time to try and bond as a family, was this not it?

“I truly do not know what to make of him,” Lucy said quietly to her sister. “Perhaps he is unwell. I wonder if there is any illness that would cause someone to act in such a way... I just...” she paused, letting out. a heavy sigh.

“I do not know what he intended with his invitation if I am being honest... Perhaps he was simply being kind and did not actually mean for the outing to take place? I know little of Voraena but I cannot imagine it is customary for men and women to travel such a distance as Valenmonth unaccompanied... I suppose, regardless, the outing will not be thought of until after Yuletide...”

Lucy had been a ball of nerves leading up to drawing of escort names, though luckily Aulus’s name had been chosen by another before she herself selected. While she did not relish the thought of being escorted about by the High Inquisitor of the Fae Finders, he at least had a somewhat even temperament.

“You must tell me if you do not wish to spend time with Captain Mallerton and I shall come to your side at once,” Lucy promised her sister. It seemed like a cruel trick by the gods that the man who Cecily had rejected was to be her escort for the season. “I am sure he and the High Inquisitor would find plenty to discuss and allow us to slip away unnoticed!”

[lizzieforbes]

[tfwlucy]

tfwrebecca​:

tfwlucy​:

The End of Spring | Rebecca & Lucy

Despite the fact there was an open book in front of her, Lucy had been lost in thought and nearly jumped when she heard her sister’s voice.

“He has been quite the upheaval in our lives,” Lucy said with a sigh, moving over so that Rebecca might join her on the blanket.

“I saw him following Eleanor as she left to walk into the town today. She found an old broom in the garden and I think meant to take a swing at him. “

Though all the family was tired of what seemed to be an endless time with their lodger, no one had become as openly annoyed with it as their youngest sister. Luckily Robert seemed utterly blind to her true emotions.

“I suppose that will have him even more convinced she is in love with him… I do wonder what goes on inside Robert Persimmon’s head.”

Lucy closed the book in front of her, staring at the cover for a moment before turning to her sister.

“Would it be a terrible scandal if I were to accompany a man to the library at Valenmouth?” Lucy asked, the words sounded odd as she spoke them, however Rebecca was the closest thing she had to a mother. She would tell her if this proposed outing with Aulus was a terrible idea.

Rebecca laughed, “I’m surprised this would only be the first time. Surely Mr. Persimmons has done more than enough to warrant it.” Really, Eleanor should be congratulated: he had focused more attention on her than any of the other girls and she had yet to have her dragon make him believe that he would be eaten if he spoke to her again. Things could have been much worse for him than he realized. “I’m sure she’d have to do better than that though, to deter his affections: surely he would make up some excuse as to how this act of aggression certainly must have stemmed from all of her frustrations on not yet being offered, officially, the position of being his wife. We poor females are never in control of such overpowering emotions that we often result in such behaviors.”

She laughed again and took a seat next to her sister. She hadn’t expected the next thing for Lucy to ask her would be about visiting the Valenmouth library … with a man. 

She arched an eyebrow and couldn’t help but give her sister an amused smile that stemmed from both astonishment and curiosity. Had it been their younger sister asking such a question, Rebecca would not have been quite so surprised (or entertained!) by the prospect and would have put an end to the idea right then and there. But Lucy was different: it was hard to think of a single time Becca had had to scold her about anything since she had passed the age of six. 

It was her trust in Lucy’s ability to always try to do what was right that made her consider it, at all. “No more scandalous than your sisters gambling away with officers,” She said, teasingly. “I suppose it would very much depend on the gentleman in question.” She added, after a moment. 

Although she could certainly venture a guess as to who he might be.

“I hope he gains the sense to never actually propose to Eleanor. She might actually act upon her threats to have her dragon eat him!” Lucy said with a light laugh. 

“I do wonder how much longer he will impose upon us... it seems as if he has been here a lifetime. One would think the Admiral would realize by now that he will discover no wrongdoings happening in our home.”

The Turners were much too intelligent of a family to ever let that happen.

Lucy stared in silence at her sister, taking in each small movement of her face as she contemplated Lucy’s question. The younger immediately regretted her decision-- she shouldn’t have brought it up at all. She never should have even entertained the thought of going anywhere with Aulus Acheson at all!

“Eleanor has the uncanny ability to not scandalize anyone any longer. I think the entire town has become immune to her... improprieties when it comes to her activities.”

But Lucy? She was a different story.

“The foreign prince, Aulus Acheson,” Lucy said quietly as if her elder sister hadn’t already known exactly who she was speaking of. Everyone had seen Aulus speaking with Lucy whenever they were present. Eleanor had loudly proclaimed she’d run headlong into him lurking by the gate just two days previous. 

“I shouldn’t have even entertained the idea,” she continued quickly. “But now I am afraid I shall offend him if I do not go. Perhaps it is not considered inappropriate for unmarried men and women to travel together unchaperoned in Arkhadel?” 

[tfwlucy]

tfwroland​:

Master of Schemes || Roland + Lucy

“Your father has his reasons,” Roland said, softly - his tone far more serious than it had been moments ago. Truth be told, he had felt wounded when it became clear that he would have a more restrictive relationship with the Turners. At first he felt it odd that the Admiral would not trust his wife with this information, but then he realized that it was probably more than that: Roland’s relationship with the girls was dangerous and he was also more than old enough, now, to fend for himself. It was for his own safety, as well as their’s, that Maria did not know about them. The less everyone knew, the better. 

Still, Roland missed be part of their family gatherings, and wished he hadn’t been reduced only meeting them all in secret. 

“Well, I’m afraid it might ruin Maria’s plans,” He said, “Once word got out that the Admiral Allerdale was seen so frequently in your company, no one would consider you. Certainly, Mr. Persimmons would look to other options, for he would never compete with such a man. And we wouldn’t want all of you to lose out on such a fine catch,” He teased. “Speaking of - what does your step-mother think of him?” He asked, “I know she’s very desperate to get one of you married, but I hope that even she would not consider him for any of you?” 

He stopped short when she lamented that she would make a terrible wife, “Now that, I will not stand for. You are kind, you are brave, and you are one of the smartest people I know. If any man in Aclea does not want to have you as his wife, that is his own loss and certainly not your’s.” 

Roland laughed, “He is very clumsy. I think he trips over his own feet, half the time, and any other obstacle in his way will only ensure that he will fall. Did you, by chance, see him dancing at the masquerade? That is, if one can call it dancing. He fell over perhaps half a dozen times, and once I noticed that he even made both himself and his poor partner fall to the ground. I hope you did not have the misfortune of dancing with him?” 

Roland held out his arm for her, when she asked if he would escort her to the library, “You can always count on me for that. Although, you will have to lead the way. I cannot remember the last time I made a trip to the library.” He teased. “And on the way, we can devise more ways to divert your unfortunate houseguest.” 

“Maria utterly despises Mr. Persimmons. It seems to be the one thing she and the sisters Turner will actually agree upon,” Lucy informed Roland. “Though Eleanor has been being so contrary when it comes to our step mother lately, Maria might want to marry her off to him out of spite.”

Lucy was only partially joking.

Lucy squeezed Roland’s arm affectionately at him complements. She always  felt uncomfortable when someone complimented her in any way, but she knew Roland was nothing but the most sincere. “I know my father has his reasons, but I do think the saddest thing is Maria does not get to know you properly,” Lucy said with a sigh. 

“I had a thought,” Lucy said as they continued down the dirt path, veering off the main road towards the treeline. “For Noros... My sisters and I thought we might go early to the mausoleum... hopefully before anyone else is out... in case you wished to help decorate for Mama with us. “

[tfwlucy]

Autumn Days || Isabella + Lucy

Lucy paused, wiping her hands on her apron as she silently counted the small cakes sitting on the baking trays.

Remembrance cakes had been Lucy’s responsibility in the Turner household for years and it was one she took very seriously. Their mother and father had long ago begun the tradition of allowing the family’s household servants time off for Norostide so that they might celebrate with their own families, meaning that the Turners themselves were in charge of their own celebration preparations.

Putting one tray into the heated oven, Lucy rose to find Isabella smiling from the kitchen’s arched portal.

“None are ready yet… plus we are to save them for the breakfast tomorrow!” Lucy reminded her older sister with a grin. “Who knows what bad luck should befall us if we were to take an early bite?”

Lucy did not consider herself the most spiritual of persons, however she always found herself happy to partake in the traditions of Norostide. While she did not imagine she might ever find herself face to face with the deer headed god in the forest, she was silly happy to play along with the festivities.

“Help me with the last batch?” She asked, gesturing to the apron hanging near the door. Her final batch was always for the resistance members too concerned with being discovered to take part in the public revelry.

“Eleanor claimed she was going out to the orchard to pick apples for the cider press, however her basket seemed suspiciously heavy and sounded of glass clinking so I think she may be hiding bottles of ale out in the ruins for the festivities…” Lucy informed her sister as she added flour to her mixing bowl.

“Should we be worried?” Lucy asked, frowning slightly as the poured milk from the pitcher, picking up a spoon and slowly mixing. Eleanor was more often found at the tavern in the evenings than at home in the past few weeks. While all the sisters wanted to attribute her actions to their houseguest, Lucy was worried something else might be the cause. 

[tfwnicholas]

OOC | Nicholas & Lucy

so nick had a thing for lucy’s big sista asp, so these two may have met before now, given that?

[tfwlucy]

I bet they have! Though probably like with most people I’m sure Lucy tended to avoid conversations… And even more so now! She wouldn’t want him to accidentally uncover her secret!

[tfwlucy]

tfwaulus​:

Just Ask | Aulus, Sekhad, & Lucy

Aulus watched a familiar sight: a person of reason begin to doubt his own.  He’d learned to pick out all the signs quite early into his rather odious relationship with Sekhad: the slight crinkling of the eyes, the softest dip of the lips.  Thanks to his station in life, the doubts rarely progressed visibly or audibly beyond this half uncertain, half pained look and perhaps at times the softest sound of a sigh, yet Aulus tended to think it should have proven easier to bear had doubts been expressed more forcefully.  Then, he might have had an opportunity to deflect them.  Yet, doubtless, even that his unwanted companion would decimate in one way or another.

Biting his lip, Aulus glanced away.  It was his turn to breathe a small sigh and, despite himself, he suppressed a small laugh.  This, he thought with a flash of wry humor, was a truly ridiculous situation.

Turning his glance back towards the lady, he nodded softly as she spoke dully of the weather; somehwat more energetically of the books, though even this was constrained.  He could not particularly fault her for finding all this uncomfortable – he found it so, himself – but he hoped that this feeling was more on Sekhad’s account than on his own…a mystery, he conceded to himself, that he was unlikely to uncover so long as this arrangement persisted.

“Oh,” he admitted with a small laugh.  “I confess, I’ve a taste for every subject when it comes to the written word, to knowledge.  What are our lives but an effort to better understand them?  If we do not understand each other, understand the seas and sky and the blades of grass all around us, what have we really achieved?”  He glanced down, chuckled softly.  “But, I suppose, in this particular instance, I’ve the greatest object of better understanding Aclea.”

Sekhad laughed, quirking a brow at her.  “I perceive that my manners are seen here as…strange.  You think me strange, I daresay, Miss Turner?”  His eyes glittered with mischief.

Quickly, Aulus glanced away, grimacing.  “Not,” he added, pointedly.  “That I should consider it my right to pry into the private thoughts and feelings of any other person.”

“A strange notion, no,” added Sekhad, laughing.  “In one who may one day rule others.”

Aulus’ expression was pained.  He could hardly disagree more, but he was conscious that the appearance of disagreeing with himself would make this situation, well, worse, and thus found himself at a loss for words for a moment.

“Or so,” he supplied, at last.  “Some say.  I, myself, view rulers as servants of their people.  But I doubt as I shall ever have the opportunity, myself.  My siblings, I think, will prove far more desirable heirs to my mother’s reign.”

Sekhad’s laugh was satirical but, luckily, he said nothing more on the subject, instead turning his attention to Lucy with a look of bald curiosity.  “What subjects, Miss Turner, most occupy your studies?  You’ve the look, I think, of a hungry mind behind those eyes.  What secrets would you feign uncover?  Histories?  Magics?  Scandals?  All readers wish to know something more, don’t they?”

Hearing her concerns about the Valenmouth library, Aulus’ brows crinkled with concern.  “That, I must say, is an advantage we in Arkhadel have over you here – ladies are welcome as can be amongst the vaulting shelves.  Yet, that being so, perhaps…perhaps if your father proves busy and you should like to go, I could escort you to the library?  I doubt anyone would question us, and I’ve a love of old books and should like to further explore the place…the…people notwithstanding,” he added, attempting to assuage Sekhad’s earlier comment about them without appearing to actively contradict himself.

Thrown for a loop once again as Aulus asked her if she found him strange, Lucy answered almost without thought. 

“I have no right to think anyone strange,” she replied. “I’m one of five women in His Majesty’s Aerial Brigade. People have thought my sisters and I strange our entire lives. Even my stepmother finds us odd– spending more time with dragons than seeking husbands!”

She stopped suddenly, embarrassed by what in her opinion might be considered an outburst. Lucy had felt odd and out of place her entire life and something about being asked such a question so directly by a man who seemed to fluctuate between befriended and offending her had put her on edge.

She couldn’t read the look on the Prince’s face– perhaps he was regretting engaging her in conversation. He did not seem to be enjoying the conversation at this moment. Lucy took a deep breath before continuing.

“I suppose what I mean is that I feel some people may make judgements too quickly,” she continued. “We have only been acquainted a short time, Your Majesty… I shouldn’t think we’ve had the time to properly form an opinion on one another’s character yet.”

Lucy was happy to turn the conversation back to books. It was the one subject she felt confident speaking about.

“Much as you I find myself drawn to a variety of subjects,” Lucy replied. She did not mention her recent studies regarding alchemy—that topic was too close to magic and yet another part of Lucy’s life she had to keep hidden.

“If you wish to learn more about Aclea, I might have a few books I could suggest. I am by no means an expert…” Lucy paused. “But as a life long citizen of Aclea, I have at least some knowledge…”

Lucy knew little of Arkhadel save the terrains she had studied on the maps made by the Dragoon’s cartographers. Lucy’s position within the Brigade meant she did not travel much, plus she could not remember the last time the Dragoon had found themselves in the foreign kingdom. She had been about to ask if there were places for women to study in Arkhadel when Aulus made the suggestion they visit Valenmouth together.

“You…I… that is a very kind offer,” Lucy began slowly. She wasn’t sure how she wished to respond. She would love the opportunity to explore the grand Valenmouth library, even if it meant the possibility of additional confusing conversations with the foreign prince. However, she knew Elsbridge well enough to know that the entire town would hear immediately that Lucy Turner was traveling to the capital with the Prince. Even the thought of being the newest subject of gossip caused Lucy to immediately become anxious. 

“I just…”

“Don’t worry what they think,” Eleanor had said to her. “We’re Turners. We’re not like the rest. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of us.”

“If you have the time, I would be very happy to accompany you to Valenmouth,” Lucy found herself answering. 

Maria was going to be beside herself with glee. 

[tfwrebecca]

The End of Spring | Rebecca & Lucy

Aclea had begun to show signs of summer: the long spring days had been growing consistently warmer and Cecily’s garden was in full bloom. Rebecca had escaped the confines of the house in favor of the outdoors. She hadn’t gone too far on her walk when she saw Lucy, sitting under the shade of one of the big oak trees on a blanket surrounded by a pile of books, looking as content as ever.

“There you are! You know, it’s been harder and harder to find you, recently,” Rebecca said, half teasingly, “You’ve certainly used your tendency to be quiet to your advantage, ever since our unfortunate house guest descended upon us.”

Rebecca had noticed something different in Lucy lately, and while she had chalked it up to the discomfort all of the felt due to Robert Persimmons position as a spy in their own home, she was beginning to wonder if maybe there was something else. She was beginning to wonder if, perhaps, it had something to do with the arrival Aulus Acheson, whose attentions towards her younger sister had not gone unnoticed.

[tfwlucy]

Despite the fact there was an open book in front of her, Lucy had been lost in thought and nearly jumped when she heard her sister’s voice.

“He has been quite the upheaval in our lives,” Lucy said with a sigh, moving over so that Rebecca might join her on the blanket.

“I saw him following Eleanor as she left to walk into the town today. She found an old broom in the garden and I think meant to take a swing at him. “

Though all the family was tired of what seemed to be an endless time with their lodger, no one had become as openly annoyed with it as their youngest sister. Luckily Robert seemed utterly blind to her true emotions.

“I suppose that will have him even more convinced she is in love with him… I do wonder what goes on inside Robert Persimmon’s head.”

Lucy closed the book in front of her, staring at the cover for a moment before turning to her sister.

“Would it be a terrible scandal if I were to accompany a man to the library at Valenmouth?” Lucy asked, the words sounded odd as she spoke them, however Rebecca was the closest thing she had to a mother. She would tell her if this proposed outing with Aulus was a terrible idea.

[tfwlucy]

tfwcecily​:

Two of a Kind || Cecily + Lucy

“Do you think she believes we mean to give it up?” Cecily asked. She hadn’t considered that their step-mother would wish it, but now that Lucy had mentioned the subject, Cecily feared that she may be right. It certainly did propose a great hindrance in obtaining Maria’s seemingly only goal in life: to get all five of her step-daughters married, as quickly as possible. Cecily had been the only one who (as far as Maria knew) had had any prospects of marrying, having once been engaged, and to give up her position in the Brigade had never crossed her mind. If it had crossed Edmund’s, he had never mentioned. 

The Turners did not see eye-to-eye with everything that was asked of them as dragonriders for the King, but their position as one of them aided them in the good, and helped to prevent the bad. Each of them were invaluable, in their own ways, and Cecily had only planned to retire from it when her health prevented it. 

“Any man who wouldn’t care to marry us if we remained in the Brigade isn’t worth considering,” She said: although she wasn’t sure that that was much of an argument, in Maria’s eyes. An active member or not, even Cecily saw that there were certainly some men who would never consider any of them, at all, as their association with it either intimidated or repulsed them. 

“I’ve not spoken much with him, but he does seem a bit contradictory at times.” It was clear that he had an interest in her sister: at least some of the time. “Lucy, do you think he might be …?” She didn’t want to say the words out loud, here where they could be overheard, “Like Roland?” No one knew who Roland was in this company, outside of their family, so it was safer to bring his name up than to refer to herself and Isabella. Aulus as a doppelganger would certainly answer the questions of his seemingly dual personality and even explain as to why he seemed to change, even from moment to moment. She’d seen it with both Roland and Horatio as they tried to make two opposing personalities seem as one. 

The reality that Aulus might be possessed by a demon, did not occur to her. 

“I certainly agree-- I should never thing any of us destined to be only wives...” Lucy replied quietly, glancing around the party. Her eyes landed on Isabella, imagining a man suggesting to her she might give up her position with the Dragoons so they could wed. She smiled slightly at the thought of her sister’s response. 

“But I don’t believe Maria thinks any man should wish to marry independent ladies such as ourselves...” Lucy added with a sigh. Maria’s world view seemed so terribly small compared to their’s-- and what Lucy could only assume was their mother’s-- perceptions of the world. 

“You are exactly correct, Cecily... Contradictory is exactly the word to describe him...” she bit her lip, thinking of their most recent conversation. How could he seem both interested yet disinterested in one conversation?”

At Cecily’s question, Lucy’s eyes widened. Would that be an explanation? 

“I never thought...” she began quietly. “But he...” she paused, trying to think of how best to speak of this in public. “It if often within the same sentence he contradicts his words... emotions... ideas...” she whispered to her sister. “Almost as if there are two people attempting to control what he says. That does not necessarily sound like Roland...” she looked down at her hands.

“He has asked to escort me to Valenmouth,” Lucy informed her sister, still as quietly as if they were speaking of Roland. She had not divulged this to any of her sisters yet.  “To the library. I... I told him I would go but now I am not so sure if that was the best idea...”

[tfwlucy]

tfwaulus​:

Just Ask | Aulus, Sekhad, & Lucy

Aulus watched a familiar sight: a person of reason begin to doubt his own.  He’d learned to pick out all the signs quite early into his rather odious relationship with Sekhad: the slight crinkling of the eyes, the softest dip of the lips.  Thanks to his station in life, the doubts rarely progressed visibly or audibly beyond this half uncertain, half pained look and perhaps at times the softest sound of a sigh, yet Aulus tended to think it should have proven easier to bear had doubts been expressed more forcefully.  Then, he might have had an opportunity to deflect them.  Yet, doubtless, even that his unwanted companion would decimate in one way or another.

Biting his lip, Aulus glanced away.  It was his turn to breathe a small sigh and, despite himself, he suppressed a small laugh.  This, he thought with a flash of wry humor, was a truly ridiculous situation.

Turning his glance back towards the lady, he nodded softly as she spoke dully of the weather; somehwat more energetically of the books, though even this was constrained.  He could not particularly fault her for finding all this uncomfortable – he found it so, himself – but he hoped that this feeling was more on Sekhad’s account than on his own…a mystery, he conceded to himself, that he was unlikely to uncover so long as this arrangement persisted.

“Oh,” he admitted with a small laugh.  “I confess, I’ve a taste for every subject when it comes to the written word, to knowledge.  What are our lives but an effort to better understand them?  If we do not understand each other, understand the seas and sky and the blades of grass all around us, what have we really achieved?”  He glanced down, chuckled softly.  “But, I suppose, in this particular instance, I’ve the greatest object of better understanding Aclea.”

Sekhad laughed, quirking a brow at her.  “I perceive that my manners are seen here as…strange.  You think me strange, I daresay, Miss Turner?”  His eyes glittered with mischief.

Quickly, Aulus glanced away, grimacing.  “Not,” he added, pointedly.  “That I should consider it my right to pry into the private thoughts and feelings of any other person.”

“A strange notion, no,” added Sekhad, laughing.  “In one who may one day rule others.”

Aulus’ expression was pained.  He could hardly disagree more, but he was conscious that the appearance of disagreeing with himself would make this situation, well, worse, and thus found himself at a loss for words for a moment.

“Or so,” he supplied, at last.  “Some say.  I, myself, view rulers as servants of their people.  But I doubt as I shall ever have the opportunity, myself.  My siblings, I think, will prove far more desirable heirs to my mother’s reign.”

Sekhad’s laugh was satirical but, luckily, he said nothing more on the subject, instead turning his attention to Lucy with a look of bald curiosity.  “What subjects, Miss Turner, most occupy your studies?  You’ve the look, I think, of a hungry mind behind those eyes.  What secrets would you feign uncover?  Histories?  Magics?  Scandals?  All readers wish to know something more, don’t they?”

Hearing her concerns about the Valenmouth library, Aulus’ brows crinkled with concern.  “That, I must say, is an advantage we in Arkhadel have over you here – ladies are welcome as can be amongst the vaulting shelves.  Yet, that being so, perhaps…perhaps if your father proves busy and you should like to go, I could escort you to the library?  I doubt anyone would question us, and I’ve a love of old books and should like to further explore the place…the…people notwithstanding,” he added, attempting to assuage Sekhad’s earlier comment about them without appearing to actively contradict himself.

Thrown for a loop once again as Aulus asked her if she found him strange, Lucy answered almost without thought. 

“I have no right to think anyone strange,” she replied. “I’m one of five women in His Majesty’s Aerial Brigade. People have thought my sisters and I strange our entire lives. Even my stepmother finds us odd-- spending more time with dragons than seeking husbands!”

She stopped suddenly, embarrassed by what in her opinion might be considered an outburst. Lucy had felt odd and out of place her entire life and something about being asked such a question so directly by a man who seemed to fluctuate between befriended and offending her had put her on edge.

She couldn’t read the look on the Prince’s face-- perhaps he was regretting engaging her in conversation. He did not seem to be enjoying the conversation at this moment. Lucy took a deep breath before continuing.

“I suppose what I mean is that I feel some people may make judgements too quickly,” she continued. “We have only been acquainted a short time, Your Majesty... I shouldn’t think we’ve had the time to properly form an opinion on one another’s character yet.”

Lucy was happy to turn the conversation back to books. It was the one subject she felt confident speaking about.

“Much as you I find myself drawn to a variety of subjects,” Lucy replied. She did not mention her recent studies regarding alchemy—that topic was too close to magic and yet another part of Lucy’s life she had to keep hidden.

“If you wish to learn more about Aclea, I might have a few books I could suggest. I am by no means an expert…” Lucy paused. “But as a life long citizen of Aclea, I have at least some knowledge…”

Lucy knew little of Arkhadel save the terrains she had studied on the maps made by the Dragoon’s cartographers. Lucy’s position within the Brigade meant she did not travel much, plus she could not remember the last time the Dragoon had found themselves in the foreign kingdom. She had been about to ask if there were places for women to study in Arkhadel when Aulus made the suggestion they visit Valenmouth together.

“You…I... that is a very kind offer,” Lucy began slowly. She wasn’t sure how she wished to respond. She would love the opportunity to explore the grand Valenmouth library, even if it meant the possibility of additional confusing conversations with the foreign prince. However, she knew Elsbridge well enough to know that the entire town would hear immediately that Lucy Turner was traveling to the capital with the Prince. Even the thought of being the newest subject of gossip caused Lucy to immediately become anxious. 

“I just...”

“Don’t worry what they think,” Eleanor had said to her. “We’re Turners. We’re not like the rest. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of us.”

“If you have the time, I would be very happy to accompany you to Valenmouth,” Lucy found herself answering. 

Maria was going to be beside herself with glee. 

[listentothestories]

“But the pleasant thing is to wake early, throw open the window, and lie reading in bed.”

— Edward Fitzgerald, from a letter to W. F. Pollock, May 3, 1840

[tfwlucy]

POINT  DIVIDER  /  MAY 29  -  APRIL 17.

lucy turner / total 240. 85 points for this week.

previous week points: 155

replies (10ea) x 4

starters (15ea) x 

starter replies (15ea) x 1

edits/graphics (10ea) x 0

memes (5ea) x 

plotting (5ea) x 4

narratives/drabbles (20ea) x 0

past events challenge (25) x 0

masquerade dress challenge (10) x 0

ask challenge (5) x 

answer challenge (10) x 1

[tfwlucy]

tfwcecily​:

Two of a Kind || Cecily + Lucy

“Oh, dear,” Cecily murmored. She knew that Maria meant well - she wanted all of the girls to be happy and settled and cared for (and she was rather eager to plan a wedding, too), but all of the Turner girls were determined to find husbands of their own, if they chose to marry at all. “I hope she’s told them that none of us plan on giving up serving in the Aerial Brigade. Most of her potential suitors don’t much care for us once they learn that.” 

Cecily planned to stay clear of Maria, too, if possible. Both she and Lucy tended to be the one’s she had more success with, if only because they never cared to hurt the young man’s feelings, if possible, while the other three were a bit more direct when it came to their reluctance to let Maria place matchmaker. 

“Yes, he has made rather a … lasting impression, hasn’t he?” Cecily asked, eyeing Robert in the crowd. Lucy was right - it was hard to miss him, even amongst all of the guests in the overcrowded hall. Cecily was going to make a point to avoid him, too, if she could. 

“I would if someone were to ask me,” Cecily replied. “I shouldn’t wish to be rude - and of course, I do like to dance - only I will admit that I prefer to know my partner.” She was always more comfortable in the arms of a friend than a stranger, “I hope you would not decline an invitation to dance on my account, Lu? You know that I am just as capable of enjoying my own company as you are,” She said, teasingly. 

“I think Maria hopes we are not all so set on keeping out positions with the Brigade,” Lucy said with a sigh. The sisters has always been a bit of an anomaly as the only women in the Dragoons which she assumed Maria would see as an obstacle of finding suitable husbands. “It also removes a huge number of potential suitors as it would be a bit of a conflict should we begin courting a fellow officer...”

Lucy couldn’t understand why it was so important to marry off she and her sisters so quickly. It felt like someone told her that is what a good mother did and so she had taken it upon herself to play the part now. Lucy didn’t like it-- they had a mother and it was not Maria. They’d been perfectly successful without their mother for years and didn’t need someone showing up not and disrupting their lives. 

“I do not expect to be asked to dance tonight, so I doubt that would even be an issue,” Lucy assured her sister. She rarely danced and, when she did, it was most often at the country dances in the hall in Elsbridge where things were much less formal. Here a dance felt like a performance and she took no joy from it. 

“I plan to see what Mr. Persimmons manages to get himself into and, hopefully, avoid that Prince Maria seems to think I must speak with at every event we both attend. He is very odd-- sometimes he is quite pleasant and other times it seems as if he would rather speak to anyone but me. I’ve tried to tell her but she seems blinded by this title...”

[tfwlucy]

tfwrebecca​:

ooc | Rebecca & Lucy

Rebecca loves her sister so much!!!! I feel like Rebecca is definitely protective of all of her sisters and Lucy is no exception, even though I feel like she’s definitely been voted the least likely of the Turners to find herself in trouble & therefore the one that Rebecca worries about the least haha - although I do think that she has noticed that something seems to be up with Lucy, but I do think she also trusts her to tell them all about it when she feels like she wants to open up. However, she has NO idea that Lucy is actually a mage and that she probably needs to be worrying about Lucy, too, haha!! 

How have I not answered this yet?! so yes 100% its probably a toss up between like Lucy and Cecily who needs to be worried about less and lucy only wins because no one knows she’s a mage haha! I definitely think, kind of like with Eleanor, Rebecca has been a mother figure for most of her life AND like with all of her sisters its totally going to be eating Lucy up inside that’s she’s sort of lying to her about being a mage... 

[tfwlucy]

Nicholas: what is your character afraid of?

If one didn’t know Lucy well, they might assume she has a laundry list of fears. Despite her demeanor in public and being a non-combative member of the Dragoons, Lucy doesn’t consider herself especially fearful.  Her biggest fear comes from a part of her life where she is often most brave and that is in the resistance. Seeing what can happen if fae are caught, hearing the horror stories from the refugees they’ve assisted, and spending hours pouring over so many documents has made her most fearful of a similar fate befalling any of her friends or family. She is surrounded by loved ones who could at any moment be persecuted by the powers that be and her deepest fear is that she will not be able to help them. Even though she and the other resistance members are doing all they can for the cause, Lucy is always fearful she isn’t doing enough.