frosting & baubles

[thetarlygroup]

willas tyrell

There were several times Willas found himself in the capital and surrounded by the same faces. The most recent time being only a few weeks ago where he meet with a council to discuss the impediment of a few regulations and actions. Everyone seemed to think he was personable in the meetings, striving for solutions or working together for a result. Though there were a handful of times he spent his time in the capital in one month, it wasn’t the only place and he was happy to be seeing familiar faces and new ones this evening. 

Willas loved his siblings equally and would never claim to have a favorite which seemed unsensible and unjustified. But Loras was someone Willas envied, who could make friends wherever he went and had many people paying attention to him. Both his sister and Loras worked in the same field and Willas made himself available to see their shows or events if they had any. Their father was also encouraging and wanted the best for his children, but sometimes his support didn’t seem authentic and was indeed very persistent to know they had a reputation to uphold in public. This was something Willas had been reminded a few times by his father that evening. “Best of luck to you. As for me, I’ll make myself available if you need another escape plan if that moment comes.”

While the Stark family was notorious and well known, there was one in particular who Willas was thinking. He didn’t know the others well enough to draw any strong opinions, but even if they did they wouldn’t compare to how he thought of Sansa. They had met in an interview at her magazine and Willas had felt intoxicated since. He emitted an unprompted chuckle at the poised question. “Not as interesting as yours, I’m afraid. May be thinking about someone in particular lately, but I doubt it’s mutual. Have any advice?”

Though Talla would admit that these events did not bring her much joy, she supposed the fact that it was in the capital was one of the main reasons. She’d never much liked King’s Landing; its opulence had a dark side to it that she had little desire to explore. But there were positives, too, and she hoped that in the morning she’d be able to convince Jon to explore one of the few gardens King’s Landing still had left. For now she would make nice and have enjoyable conversation with the other attendees.

The laugh that left her lips was genuine and Talla shook her head. “Thank you for that. I’ll definitely keep you in mind if I find myself in need of another.” In truth, she knew she’d need to discuss things with her father at some point. Even though she was loathe to do so, she did not hate the idea entirely; perhaps that was the champagne talking, though she’d not complain.

Her brow rose as Willas asked if she had advice and Talla squeezed his forearm before taking another sip of her champagne. Personally, she found it hard to believe that Willas would ever meet a woman who was not interested in him. Even Talla’d had a crush on him when she was younger and he was the only older boy she knew that wasn’t family. But that was long over now and she counted Willas among her friends. “Plenty of it,” she told him, her lips curving into a small smile. “Though none I would so willingly give you in public. Why don’t you give me a call when you get home and settled and I’ll do my best?” Talla paused once more, her brow furrowing as she considered her next words. “But I would give you this bit now – stop assuming it isn’t mutual. You know you’re a catch, Willas.”

[end]

[thetarlygroup]

February 12 Benefit Gala, Highgarden @sweetrobinprods​

The ever-present glass of champagne in Talla Tarly’s hand was beginning to become a habit, as was her presence at events that were much more her father’s taste than her own. She had come to Loras’ gala alone, not wanting to miss an event thrown by her best friend. The fact that it was benefiting scholarship students was even more reason to attend and so Talla had borrowed a dress from one of the haute couture designers in The Reach. This one was black, fitted through the waist and her – small – hips before flaring out in a mermaid style at her knees. The jewelry she wore was her own this time and her hair had been styled, but was still loose, the ends lingering.

With lips painted a deep red and fingernails to match, Talla began walking around the room, looking for a familiar face. She had never thrived at events such as these, much as her father felt otherwise. She was about to turn back and look for a Tyrell when she saw Robert Arryn. Though she would not say she knew him exceptionally well, she had certainly seen him at family events she’d gone to with Jon. “Robert,” she said with a soft smile. “Or is Robin alright? I wasn’t sure if that was for family only.” The smile she gave him was sheepish and Talla lifted her glass back to her lips.

[thetarlygroup]

bethany blackwood

“She always seemed to remember everything.” Which was something Bethany hadn’t exactly been thrilled about as a child because it was easier to be mad about the fact that she remembered Bethany ate in her room and didn’t clean up the crumbs than to be grateful that her mom always knew where to find a missing shoe. Of course, that sentiment changed completely later. The smile on her face was fond, not for her brothers as Talla was speaking of, but for her mother who always seemed to linger on the edge of her torn heart (no matter how inconvenient the pang of grief was). “I can’t imagine what growing up with Sam was like,” she admitted, laughing. “Did you two team up against Dickon? Tell me that happened.”

Offering a small, understanding smile at Talla’s obvious annoyance, Bethany wished there was more she could do for the feeling. She was also a younger sibling that longed for that companionship, and, at least for her, it never got easier playing second fiddle to anything else. “Too bad. I always seem to enjoy these things better when he’s here.” Curious as she was, someone as intelligent as Talla’s brother was always a treat. “What’s he up to? If you don’t mind me asking.” Lowering her gaze as Talla sipped her champagne, Bethany found a sincere smile before she raised her head. “I’ll make a deal with you, then. I’ll teach you how to flip one of yours and you can give me lessons on…some weapon or another.” Raising her brows, she added, “Who knows? It might actually save our lives one day.”

Memory was not a gift that had been given to Talla. She remembered the important things, of course, and had a knack for people’s names, but she had never been able to remember everything in the way that Bethany described her mother. Talla reached her arm out and squeezed her friend’s hand, her eyes understanding as her lips curved in a smile that was meant to be much more understanding than an event like this would normally allow her to be. “I miss her, too,” she murmured, the words only for Bethany, and when she spoke next, it was to respond to her friend’s question about Sam. A laugh left her lips and Talla shook her head. “Maybe once or twice; Samwell is much kinder than I am at times, especially when it comes to our siblings.” He had never found the joy in teasing Dickon that Talla had, but then again, he had never been so annoyed either.

Bethany was not the only one who thought it was nicer when Samwell was there and Talla nodded as she agreed with the other woman. “He always has such interesting observations,” she said, straightening out her skirt once more. “Just working, mostly. I forget the exact title, but last I checked, it was something mostly in academia.” Talla shrugged one shoulder, careful to keep her strap from falling too much. “That sounds like a plan,” she agreed. “We’ll schedule something when we get back home.” Already she looked forward to returning to Riverrun, to spending time with Jon and Ghost, to being away from the inevitable drama that followed those of births like theirs.

[thetarlygroup]

bethany blackwood

Bethany was thankful she had Talla, even if she wasn’t always as vocal as she should be about the friendship. Female companionship was something she struggled with after her mom died, and after spending years avoiding anything feminine (a guttural wish that came from being jealous of brothers), she wasn’t prepared to lose what little she’d let into her life. When she moved to Riverrun, she got a bit of that back in form of a childhood friend. “Did I ever tell you my mother talked about you after we moved? I’m not sure I even thought about it until now,” she said, shaking her head. “But I think she just wanted me to have one friend that wasn’t male or a brother or convincing me to ruin my dresses for the kicks of it.”

As Talla denied her own wisdom, Bethany took the opportunity change the subject from her own brothers. “Speaking of Sam, I haven’t seen him tonight,” she said, laughing at her own insinuation. “Is he around here somewhere?” Her eyes scanned the crowd as Talla spoke again, head shaking as she let out a laugh. “They mean well, which is why it’s so easy to forgive them, I guess.” Or maybe she just hated the idea of anyone being angry with her for lengths of time, so she caved. Whichever. “I have put a few of them on their backs, though. Perks of Tytos’ boot camps as kids.”

It was nice, for Talla to spend some time with Bethany. She’d known her for long enough that she had no concerns about trust the way she often did with new people and as much as she hated to admit it, Talla found that she was often so surrounded by Starks that she enjoyed time with those who weren’t. Not that she’d ever admit that out loud to perhaps anyone but Loras. Talla’s eyes moved to Bethany and her lips curved upwards into a genuine smile. “Did she?” she asked, her tone filled with genuine delight. “Well, that doesn’t surprise me now, actually,” she shrugged, lifting her glass to her lips with a grin on her face. “Brothers are very good at running dresses, I’ve found over time. Except Samwell.”

It seemed that they both thought of Samwell at the same time and Talla’s lips thinned slightly. “No,” she said with just a touch of annoyance. “He had better things to do.” Her nose wrinkled at the thought, for she’d been looking forward to the thought of seeing her beloved elder brother. “But I’m sure he’ll FaceTime tomorrow morning when I’m hungover and wonder what happened.” The laugh that escaped her lips seemed somehow false and she took another sip from her glass to disguise it. “Well, of course. I’m a bit jealous there, I’ll admit. Yoga and running are more my forte, but I can see how attractive it might be to flip an annoying brother onto his back.” She shook her head. “In the Tarly household, we were all told to become adept at a weapon. I chose the bow.”

[thetarlygroup]

[text] I can’t take you seriously when you’re using that many emojis.

to my favorite rose: 🛑 😂 @ 👩🏻! 👀 ✂️ ur 🦱while 😴!

to my favorite rose: 🖕

[thetarlygroup]

[text] Why is there a life size cardboard cut out of Harry Styles in my bedroom?

to renly: because i thought sticking a life-size cutout of someone i actually know would be tacky.

to renly: besides, the shop at the mall was all sold out of loras tyrell cutouts.

[thetarlygroup]

[text] You’ll never guess who just texted me. 

to sans: so am i supposed to guess or…?

to sans: i know it’s not your brother; his texting game is /bad/. one time i tried to send something sexy and the response was literally ‘ok’ and a ‘like’ on my message.

to sans: too much info, right? sorry.

to sans: but my guess is that activist dude you mentioned?

[thetarlygroup]

bethany blackwood

Bethany rolled her eyes, but mostly she just didn’t want to get caught being mushy about her own brothers in the moment. Her love for them was expansive, and with good reason, she supposed. Their strength came from within, but as of late she could feel her decisions weighing on some of them as much as it did their father. Arguing with them was never easy, which was why she replied to Talla with, “Deep, deep, down, yeah. I know what you mean.” Her smile was impish, not really revealing the depths of her actual thoughts, but considering her friend had enough on her plate in the current moment, she knew piling her own on top wouldn’t be fair. 

“Well, he is overly pushy in both aspects, if I’m honest, and two minutes in I begin to feel like a ten year old rather than an adult, you know?” So much for not piling her own issues on top, Bethany thought. Sucking in and letting loose an exasperated sigh, she paused to sip from her glass. “How did I get so lucky to have such a wise friend, hmm?” Her own eyes slanted with humor. “In truth, they’re not truly awful at all. Just smothering at times. Once I ran into one of them at a coffee shop when I was just interning, and another intern, a tall, lanky boy, was unfortunate enough to be mistaken for as my date.” Looking skyward, she shook her head. “On top of his lack of faith in my taste in dates, I was so humiliated I faked sick for two days after that.”

Talla loved her elder brother more than most people in the entire world; she’d looked up to him as a child, often following Samwell around even when all he wanted to do was sit in the family library and read dusty old books about people who had long been dead. Their relationship was one that had always been close; so close, in fact, that Talla had fallen in love with his best friend without so much as realizing she’d done so. She grinned over at Bethany before taking another long sip of her champagne. “I figured,” she teased back, finding that a weight had left her shoulders while in the presence of someone she considered a friend.

In truth, Talla didn’t know. She and Samwell were close enough in age and had always been thick as thieves that she’d never felt as if he were judging her or looking down on her life choices. That said, she could recognize the sentiment Bethany mentioned, especially from her other father and Talla’s head inclined. “I can understand the feeling,” she said with a nod of her head, pausing only to exhale and then laugh. “Me? Wise? You must have me confused with another Tarly.” One side of Talla’s mouth lifted into a smile and she nodded as she continued to listen, her nose crinkling at what Bethany described. “That sounds awful.” Talla could hardly imagine. “I’d expect behavior like that from my own father, but from one of my brothers?” She shook her head, her lips still twisted into a horrified scowl. “I’d skewer Dickon for dinner if he tried that.”

[thetarlygroup]

renly baratheon

Renly froze, eyes wide, his drink half-way to his mouth. Had he done something too obvious? How had she figured him out? Damn, he knew he’d spent a bit too much time staring at Loras but he hadn’t thought it all that long. Clearly she’d caught on somehow. Had it been his conversation with Sweetrobin? He’d been on his best and most straight behavior all night, no sneaking off with attractive men or letting his hands wander during dances. Who else had she told? Cersei was too bloody good at finding things out from a whisper what if–

A moment too late he realized it had been a harmless sports joke. His laugh came out a little too startled and a little too desperate. Gods above he had thought years as an athlete would make him better at this.

“Oh no, I do enjoy kicking a ball about, don’t get me wrong. Wild fun, takes me all the best places. I’d no idea how many pull-ups it would entail. Also jumping jacks. So very many of those.”

Could he chatter his way out of this awkward moment? He’d certainly done it before but Talla was a bit more formidable than most. Sure she had nothing on Cersei but he made a point never to talk sports with his sister-in-law.

If Talla had known what her innocuous words had caused in Renly’s mind, perhaps she might have said something else to set his mind at ease. As it was, however, she merely looked at him, her eyebrow quirked in a wondering manner. It took him a moment to laugh and though Talla thought it came too late and stunned, she was too well-bred to comment upon it. In a roundabout way, she supposed Renly was family – or was likely to be – with his brother being a de facto Stark uncle.

“I’d hope so,” she said, her voice placid so as not to continue the awkwardness that this conversation had seemingly wrought. Talla had no intention of adding to Renly’s discomfort and the smile that rose on her face was designed to set him at ease, even if he didn’t quite feel like doing so. “Jumping jacks?” she inquired, her nose wrinkling. “I always complain when my trainer suggests doing that.” She ran her hand along the back of her neck.

A long exhale escaped from Talla’s mouth. “Do you have any other sports you enjoy?” she inquired curiously. “I was always very much into tennis.” Not that she’d been very good at it, though she’d tried, which was more than others could say.

[thetarlygroup]

willas tyrell

The usual conversations at parties like this were people doing their best not to interject with politics but doing so anyway. It was what felt natural to Willas, but even he couldn’t last the whole night like some of the others were. Where he wished to discuss the practicality of some regulations with council members, they wished to deter the conversation from anything but. There were also times he felt bemused by the party itself and had been confronted with political issues that felt uncustomed to be discussed promptly. 

“Sometimes he’s the lifeline and sometimes he is the boat itself,” Willas agreed diligently, chuckling softly at the lightness his brother emitted on others. The event had been a good opportunity to see his family as well as friends, but there were only certain aspects that he missed of his father. “I don’t think I was as clever as you were though, but at least you are free to get some space for a while.”

It was not a complete surprise that Randyll Tarly didn’t condone the relationship between Talla and Jon. If he were to have an opinion on the Northern family, Willas thought it wouldn’t be too optimistic. He was glad not to have the burden of his father being so detailed about the people that his children saw, though he did give his opinions openly. “The Starks are a good family though-all of them. And though I have never met him more than a few minutes, Jon seems to resemble the best qualities you could find in someone. Hopefully, your father will come around when he sees that there’s more to him than his political status.”

There was a strange undercurrent running through the party, at least that’s how it felt to Talla, who knew that monarchists, anti-monarchists, the royal family, and the Prime Minister could only remain in one room for a finite period of time. She wasn’t banking on it being particularly long either. But she said little, having long ago been influenced by Northern politics and an uncanny ability to remain silent when her voice would not help a particular situation.

Talla offered Willas a smile, genuine though small. She was very thankful for the presence of Loras in her life; there were so many others that wished for her friend’s smile to grace upon them. But to Talla, Loras was the friend she’d had for much of her life, the only other person she could trust so much as Jon. “He is the best of most of us,” she said with a shrug of one shoulder, taking a long sip of her champagne as she looked up at Willas. “There is that,” she agreed, inclining her head momentarily. “I am certain he’ll come find me again at some point.” She removed an invisible piece of lint from her skirt, her eyes watching the way the rest of the crowd mingled around them. How many of them were avoiding run-ins like she had?

She supposed she could give more information, but Talla found that thinking about her father’s disapproval of Jon merely made her that much more disappointed in him. “They are good people,” she agreed, her voice level and a genuine smile rising back on her face. “And Jon is the best of them.” Eyes sparkled as she looked over at Willas. “How has your…dating life been?” she inquired.

[thetarlygroup]

renly baratheon

“Cersei would definitely let Stannis evict me.” Renly said, pulling a face. He never had figure out how someone so retched had given birth to both Tommen and Myrcella. Joffery he could see, but her other two children didn’t quite fit the mold. It was probably the Baratheon influence, since they hadn’t gotten the looks.

“Robert and I don’t really hang out.” If he asked, would his brother say yes? What would they even say to each other, alone for all that time? “But he definitely is more of a dog person. Maybe if I also got Shireen one, Stannis wouldn’t be able to withstand the combined forces.”

He snickered, picturing Randyll Tarly on a yoga mat. It was quite the mental image. It would be good for his heart, maybe even metaphorically as well as physically. “Don’t worry I’ll keep you well informed. Shall we invite Samwell as well? It can be a yoga party.”

Holding his hands up in surrender, Renly shook his head. “Never meant to suggest others. I’m glad that you make each other happy. I will say I’ve never laughed at a funeral, but I’ve had the lucky fortune not to have been to many. Definitely laughed at inappropriate times during my first Board meeting. Might be why they keep happening when I’m out of town now.”

“Keeping up muscle mass and staying limber are only exciting when you’re allowed to choose how you do it. The travel is nice though, I’ll admit that.”

At Renly’s mention of Cersei, Talla wrinkled her nose and her lips twisted into a small scowl. She’d never been a fan of the elder woman, though she could admit she didn’t exactly know her incredibly well either. Still, she saw little reason to speak ill of Renly’s relatives, even if he were doing so on his own. One shoulder shrugged. “I’d like to speak of only pleasant things,” she drawled, her eyes filled with a mirth that she hoped Renly would recognize.

Talla nodded. “I’m not incredibly close with any of my siblings, aside from Samwell,” she said quietly. She’d never been close with Dickon or her younger sisters; it had not helped matters that she’d been Randyll’s favorite child until she’d chosen to live the rest of her life outside of the Reach with a man her father would never approve of simply because he hadn’t chosen him. A laugh escaped Talla’s lips. “Can any father withstand the pull of a daughter when they dig their heels in?” she inquired, her tone wry.

“Samwell would be very good at yoga,” she pointed out, one brow raised higher than the other. “He very much has the temperament for it, if not the flexibility the exercise usually requires.” Lips pressed together as she continued to listen to Renly, her features softening as he spoke.

“I will never understand the purpose of boards,” she mused. “I mean, I suppose it makes sense if it’s a trust or if assets are left to all children equally. But I’ve never thought the idea of strangers making decisions for my company was an attractive one.” The Tarly Group was set up as solely Tallas, though she liked to think that if she were to ever move further with Jon she’d want him to be part of it as well.

“You don’t like kicking a ball about?” Her voice was playful. “I thought all men did.”

[thetarlygroup]

bethany blackwood

As Talla laughed, Bethany felt herself stretch out a bit more. It wasn’t her body or even anything that could be seen, but rather pieces of her soul releasing the vice grip the party had put on her. She hated when two sections of her world collided, her family and work, and even worse, she hated that her family didn’t own the sense to just let a party be a party rather than the perfect setting for masked familial interventions. “Unless you’re, like, plotting to kill him, I don’t think there is such a thing as going too far,” Bethany surmised, her own laughter spilling over like the bubbles in the flutes they held. 

Tossing a few locks of hair over her shoulder, she gave a knowing smile. “Well, I’ve had years and years of practice at hiding from them, and what I’ve learned most is my attention span always lasts longer than theirs,” in these situations, at least. Sighing, she also took a drink from her glass. “So-so. One good-intention-bearing brother caught me on the dance floor for a bit, and considering all out screaming at him to mind his own business would have been frowned upon, I was his unwilling victim for about four minutes.” Shrugging, she gave a short laugh. “I’ll take any help I can get with the dodging.” Her gaze flitted around the room, subconsciously looking for Jon or Talla’s father, before turning back to the brunette. “Families can be so hard, right? The universally shared struggle of all mankind.”

Having a friendly face to speak with made Talla much more at ease at events like this. While she had always been good at them, she supposed that she’d taken on a little bit of Jon’s feelings on the matter, especially if she thought of other things she could have been doing with this time. A shake of her head accompanied a wry smile and Talla’s free hand moved up to play with the earrings that dangled from her ears. “Of course not,” she said with a laugh. “Much as he tries my patience, I do love my brother. Very deeply down.” A shoulder lifted into a nonchalant shrug as Talla tried not to think of the fact that the brother she wanted to see most was not yet here.

“Very good point,” she responded, her voice pleasant. “I wish I could say that was a men thing in general, but I think Jon has the best attention span of anyone I’ve ever met.” Lips twitched in amusement and she listened as Bethany spoke of dancing with one of her brothers, inclining her head. “Is he that awful at dancing, or is it the requisite awkward conversation that comes with it?” she inquired, her eyes crinkling around the corners. She nodded in response to Bethany’s question. “Incredibly so,” she agreed with a soft smile. “But so long as we can avoid them, I don’t think it’s that awful.” One corner of her mouth pulled up higher than the other as Talla took yet another sip from her champagne flute.

[thetarlygroup]

jon stark

jon had never been one for lavish parties — everyone knew this about him. at family parties he would be found mingling with the people who were hugging the wall. it was a little different this time in the sense that he had someone he wanted to be with and she was walking back toward him. when she mentioned the gallery he nodded and obliged, following her and taking her hand in his as they walked.

he was in a nice suit with his hair neatly pulled out of his face, but that didn’t stop a few strands from breaking past the mold. his eyes followed along the paintings as they walked until her lips were by his ear and he felt himself leaning down toward her. she pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth and his head turned toward her after that so that his eyes settled on her. a smile graced his features and his other hand went around her waist to pull her close. “and that’s all?” he questioned with a flirty grin.

jon never felt right at these sort of things, but talla always seemed to fit in with everyone else. she was always perfect no matter what. “aye, we have become that.” he said, keeping the smile on his face. “or, well, you have become that. i’ve always been the type of person to find the dog at the party.”

It occurred to Talla that she was in perhaps one of the most decorated homes in Westeros, in a small gallery that had art from centuries beforehand, and still her attention remained solely on Jon rather than on the art or the other people that attended the party. Strange, perhaps, but she had found long ago that – to her, anyway – Jon was always the most interesting person in any room.

A contented sigh escaped Talla’s lips as Jon pulled her closer and her free hand moved to push back the strands of hair that had escaped. “Well, that depends on how early we leave, darling,” she responded, her voice coy and teasing. “Because I had plans for you and that hotel room tonight, but if you’d rather sleep I can always change them.”

Her brow arched and Talla pressed another kiss to his lips. “And have you found one at this party?” she asked, her eyes amused. “It’s been all I can do most of the night to stop from looking at the cameras at home.” [ Cameras that she’d purchased with the express purpose of being able to check in on the dog, after all. ] Her lips twisted into a small frown that was still tinged in amusement. “My father cornered me for awhile. I think he regretted it immensely when I began scrolling through photos of Ghost to show him on my phone.”

[thetarlygroup]

daenerys targaryen

The surface of her palm bends to rest to the balcony’s ribbed edge, a chill promptly coursing the length of her silhouette like a pulse. The other girl’s inquiry elicits a beat of silence before an audible sigh is tugged from lungs, clouding in front of features before dissipating into the darkness,  "it’s difficult to change the minds of those who have already decided, I’m hesitant to believe that finding the true culprit will help. But I suppose it will provide the Greyjoys with some semblance of closure, which makes this stuffy lockdown worthwhile.“ She peers over at the brunette, fetching features illuminated by the moon’s glow, "do you think they’re still here? The one who did it?" 

Talla shrugged her shoulders as she listened to the princess speak. In truth, she’d been more influenced by her time in the North than most would have thought, but her support of Northern independence and the abolishment of the monarchy was not something she shared with those outside of her small circle of close friends. “People generally think they’re correct,” she agreed with an incline of her head. “Human nature, I suppose.” Talla wished she’d thought to bring another drink out here with her but instead of speaking to that, she tugged the stole tighter around her bare skin. “Probably,” she stated in answer to Daenerys’ question. “But given how targeted it seems to be, I would assume the majority of us are safe.” Talla leaned against the railing. “You know, I didn’t even want to come to this party to begin with.”

[thetarlygroup]

daenerys targaryen

The guttural screech of death had bloomed both shock and pity to aureate features, and in a manner of mere minutes death divides and rearranges to murder, and whispers begin to fester; palms had lifted to the swell of mouths to mask syllables from her view, pupils narrowed to something feline and Daenerys could see the beginning of blame starting to stitch to her throat like a noose of pearls. Ghostly, her silhouette relocates to the stretch of the balcony, and the shadows suit her fondly: she’s pearlescent, something otherworldly, snow falling and saturating light tresses. “Winter has come,” it’s tangled with a sigh, perhaps of awe– and an audible approach prompts the tilt of a chin, gaze relocating to her newfound company. “I can leave, if you were looking to be alone.” 

It was cold on the balcony, the wintry air nipping about her skin. She had not wanted to attend this party as it was but now that she’d seen what it had become, her desire to be at home – with Jon and with Ghost – had come to the forefront of her mind. As she heard another walk onto the balcony, her gaze moved to the side and she recognized the young princess before Daenerys so much as spoke. Talla shrugged her shoulders, her fingers gripping a faux fur stole she’d worn over her dress upon arrival. She thought Jon had said something about going to find his father – and his siblings – and she had gone out on the balcony for some peace and quiet, finding the whirring about of everyone so incredibly hard to take in. “It doesn’t really matter,” she admitted, her voice quiet as she played with the bangle on her wrists. “We’re all stuck here anyway.” Her shoulder shrugged. “I imagine the whispers are heavy, are they not?” she inquired.

[thetarlygroup]

bethany blackwood

Bethany’s head angled, lips stretched wide and upturned on her face at Talla’s words, for it was as if they had been plucked from the forefront of her own mind. Being privy to a plethora of her brothers’ hormones and the eventual traipsing behavior that they inspired left her with bitter assessments as well. Her eyes found the Tarly in question, and only then did Bethany laugh. “I don’t think so? I mean,” her head angled the opposite direction then, eyes narrowed briefly as if she was considering something weighed with a bit less levity. “I know I, for one, would love to see that smile wiped off his face.”

Turing back to Talla, she sighed, shoulder rising and dropping as her tongue sucked at her teeth. “But, then again, that could just be the jaded sister in me, you know?” And Bethany was aware of how possible that option was. Sighing, her face twisted as the reminder of her own annoyance with her family resurfaced. Her fingers tapped on the glass in her upheld hand in thought. “Then again, at least he’s over there giving you your space. Or perhaps that’s a testament to your ability to hide in the crowd? I’ve been dodging family members like the plague for about an hour now.”

Talla laughed, the sound echoing in the room, though it was not heard by many over the din of the other guests, speaking and congregating in the large spaces as they drank champagne and picked at mini-quiches. Her off-the-shoulder magenta dress clung to her abdomen the young woman shook her head, the diamond earrings glimmering in the light. “Perhaps we should sell tickets?” she inquired, her lips twitching as she spoke to her friend. “Or is that going too far?” It was the alcohol that fueled her comments, though Talla had never gotten along with her younger brother nearly so well as she had with her elder.

Her shoulder shrugged gracefully and Talla took another sip of her drink, enjoying the feeling of the bubbles as they washed over her tongue. “You’re certainly better at it than I am,” she responded with a wry smile. “I’ve already had a conversation with my father. I just hope he doesn’t decide to intercept Jon anytime soon.” She shook her head and looked back at the other woman. “Have you been successful?” she asked, lips twitching. “Shall we come up with excuses so you won’t be accosted any longer?” One brow lifted in amusement and Talla lifted her glass back to her painted lips.

[thetarlygroup]

&

Send “&” for a LOVING text.

to my favorite rose: thank you so much for visiting last weekend! jon and i loved having you. i feel like i don’t get to see you nearly as much as i want to but i’m so glad it’s like no time has passed when i do. to my favorite rose: you are the bestest friend in the history of best friends. to my favorite rose: basically.to my favorite rose: i love you. and ghost is whining incessantly because he can’t give you kisses!to my favorite rose: [insert photo of ghost]