Awful

Tsang Yunmi, House of Ticino, Family of Tessieri | Principal Chair, Violist | Queen of Switzerland

[tessieri]

                                                                            “Hey babe… How you holding up?” Val asked gently as he sat on the bed next to his wife. “You shouldn’t worry too much. I can’t have you in the hospital again. And sure there hasn’t been any changes with Remo but that can also be a good thing.” This was his attempt at making her feel better. “Besides we’ve been through worse and we’ve always made it through. We can do the same this time around.” 

@tsangyunmi

[tsangyunmi]

She turned to look at him and gave him an attempt at a small smile. “Hospitals beds, no matter how well they’re made up are never comfortable enough for me. They weren’t comfortable back them, even before I was a queen.” She didn’t want to talk about the state of their son, but she did want to talk about finding the people responsible for the invasion and what they have done. “No one has news?” She asked. “About the terrorist, I mean.”

[tsangyunmi]

mimidbg:

Mimi paused a beat, unsure what to say, or whether she should say anything at all, before she gave in - political advisory be damned - and settled beside the Queen. “No,” she admitted, “not at all. I just wanted an excuse to be up. Something to do with my hands…I tried knitting, but Norway’s not quite as cold as I’d imagined, so I’m not sure what I’d do with a dozen scarves.”

Letting her head loll back against the wall, Mimi sighed heavily, and fell silent for a long moment. It wasn’t an uncomfortable quiet - she almost felt she could reach across and take the Queen’s hand, in fact - but etiquette, damned etiquette, demanded that she break it to ask a question the Queen wouldn’t want to answer, anyway. She cleared her throat. “Your son…”

Mimi trailed off. She didn’t have to finish. The Queen must have been asked the same question a dozen times already, today. Mimi knew how that felt. Instead, she turned her head toward Yunmi, and offered, “cigarette? –Maybe a scarf?”

The Queen lightly chuckled because what else could she do during a time like this? She pocketed her phone, knowing that she probably wouldn’t receive anything of substance from the doctor. It was the phase where nothing would please her. Maybe she just needed some rest from it all. “Maybe you aren’t smoking the right thing.” Her advisors would be upset with her for that and her little shrug. 

“Not yet. He hasn’t shown any signs of waking.” Her chest felt tight so she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “Once we get over this period, we should put an appropriate end to this.” She was upset, who wouldn’t be? But she wanted them to be punished. Maybe not a whole nation, but the people responsible. 

She looked over at the young woman and couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “Both would be nice. I could probably trade you for some chocolates. My husband hasn’t stopped making them, to make up for that awful break.” 

[hshmimi-deactivated20221231]

Mimi wasn’t sure of the time, but it had to be very late –or, rather, very early. It was dark out, and Femke had said that, during Norwegian summers, that only happened a few hours in the dead of night…Mimi hadn’t noticed. Ever since she’d arrived in from Monaco, from the funeral, she’d been in a bit of a fog. 

–She was in a literal fog, now. She was smoking out the window, but the summer was close and airless, and the small room was filling with smoke. Mimi had snuck away from her minders and downstairs, in her slippers, to the gym, to the changing rooms. It was in the back of the hotel, and the only place she could look out a window without being blinded by camera flashes. They hadn’t left her alone since her brother died. When she heard someone come up behind her, she quickly stubbed her cigarette out on the windowsill, in case it was Jules…Although the smoke and the stink of cigarettes had her caught out already.

“Sorry, sorry,” she turned to them, waving smoke away, “I quit. But I’m feeling sentimental, recently…Why are you up?”

[tsangyunmi]

The attack was a lot to process. Of course people had lost others and blood had been spilled and she knew that now was a time of grieving for many, but she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that one of them had been too close to her. One of them was still a child. She squeezed the phone in her hands. The doctors told her that if something changed they would notify her as soon as possible, but nothing had. 

She wasn’t sure if it was good that nothing had changed or it was a terrible thing. It meant that her son hadn’t opened his eyes. She tried to massage the tension in her head. She should have never named her sons the way she did, who knew that life would imitate art so closely. Goodness, she needed air. The queen sighed before stopping at the door once she was addressed by another woman. 

“It doesn’t matter to me.” She answered. “I’m just a worried mother, is all... Don’t let me stop you.” Yunmi took a seat next to her. “Does it help? I’ve only just used the alternatives.” 

[latremoille]

“ the nordic summer isn’t all that bad, i personally don’t mind not sweating to death,” gaia mused as she strolled down the pier. “ and apparently oslo is a summer city. a silver lining, don’t you think ? ” she looked out to the sea and pursed her lips. “ but i wouldn’t call this weather summer. ”

[tsangyunmi]

Yunmi tapped her arm as she looked out to the sea with her. Oslo still wasn’t home and her mind was elsewhere. “Hmm, yeah.” She nodded, walking with Gaia. “Hopefully, Oslo will be better. I think the children all need some time to recover... Too much excitement, if I’m being honest.” She sighed. “What would you call it? It doesn’t feel like summer either.”

[tessieri]

                                                                         Taking advantage of the confusion Val ran through the corridors as fast as he could in a fit of rage. Throwing all the intruders he came across against the wall he started desperately looking for his family. “YUNMI!” He yelled eyes searching for his wife. “REGINA! REMO! ROMOLO!” He then yelled for his children. His fear increased every second he didn’t hear a reply. They all had to still be alive. They just had to be.

@tsangyunmi

[tsangyunmi]

Of course, she had pushed her children out as soon as she could. She wasn’t the type of woman to keep her children in danger. At first, she followed after the Russian Grand Duchess, believing that she knew what she was doing, but in the chaos she lost her and her husband. Panic set in and for longer than she would have like she was frozen in fear and distress. Her children pulled her along until they were seemingly alone in one of the complex’s many hallways. Believing that they were safe, her daughter stayed with her while the boys looked for a room, looking for safety  to hide in. Even though they had lost Valentino somewhere, the family knew that he would find them. 

The queen was nearly catatonic, but the next event happened so quickly that she was kicked out of her stupor. Gunshots rang. She couldn’t tell where they were coming from or who was shooting, since all she saw was her son falling, looking at her in horror as red started to soak his clothes. Yunmi ran and pulled her son into her arms. “Remo! God, no, please!” She collapsed with him. One hand remained behind his neck as her other grasped at his clothes. Yunmi placed herself over him, but she knew it was too late. The bullets had found their mark. She ignored the rest of the gunshots. Frantically, she pressed her hands over her son’s wounds. “Remo, my darling boy, please, please, keep your eyes open. Remo.... No, no, no, no. Don’t, don’t close your eyes.”

[tsangyunmi]

“I’m mad. Saudi Arabia played us.” Yunmi finally said after a long silent moment. She hated being wrong and it made her even more upset to know that someone like Shahir had managed to play her like a fiddle. All the movements and the troops seemed to amount to nothing. “I want to destroy them and Shahir.” It was a bold statement and she knew that they probably wouldn’t go along with it, considering the OPEC’s usefulness. The Queen sighed. “Have you talked with any of the Andorrans as of late? I’ve been busy mothering the children. No matter how civilized they are, I think they’ve gained your propensity for... excitement.”

@tessieri​

[tsangyunmi]

vntcniv:

Antonia let out a long sigh while a sour look grew on her face. “I hate to admit this but I’ve gotten used to having my father as a back up wallet. It’s so comfortable.” Not that her salary was small but it did not compare to the allowance she could always ask for from the palace. “And I don’t think I’ve charmed the others. The well will dry up and quickly.” Maybe not with Vincent. He had a bigger heart compared to the others. “No one can enjoy looking like a complete fool all the time. I just need to find something to bribe him with.” She really might have been underestimating the guy. “She seems easier to work with. More predictable,” Antonia shrugged. Women were easier to get along with anyways. “She has more friends at least.” Compared to Shahir it didn’t take much.

"I’d never admit this to anyone else, but being married to a King is nice for those reasons. It beats bending my ass over for patrons... “ Yunmi looked down. She remembered all the hours she spent trying to perfect a performance for special patrons who would sponsor her craft. Some days brought her great joys, but on really bad days, she felt like she was nothing better than an object to be bought and lead around. “Having siblings seems complicated... They’re all here now, aren’t they? Things will probably heat up now, huh?” She shrugged at Antonia. “I don’t think I can help you there, but maybe... Well, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten close to him, I mean, on my end anyways. He once sent me an invitation to his college graduation... Maybe he’s just lonely?” She hummed. “Yes, having her on your side would be infinitely better than having her as an enemy.”

[tsangyunmi]

vntcniv:

“I’m patient when I can be,” Antonia told her. The last thing she wanted was for Yunmi to think that she was rushing into something out of desperation. “I think there’ll come a time soon when everything has to be in place or I’m left with nothing. And Shahir is just another thing I have to consider when I think about the timeline. Even if I ditched him now, I’d save myself a few months at best if any.” Though it would make her look worse compared to Reha if Reha went through with her engagement before any coronation happened. “I’m thinking about spinning it as a story about the woman who managed to tame the playboy. Though it’ll only work if he learns to tone it down.” She rolled her eyes: there was a conversation she was not looking forward to. “I’m thinking about approaching his female counterpart. Maybe the Spanish will feel like helping me.” That or Antonia would have to come up with a good price. “I considered it but I think Saudi Arabia will stay away from European drama, which serves me well. And the fact that their flag might as well be pleated with gold is a big plus.”

So a sense of urgency was supposed to be felt. Yunmi leaned against her fist as she listened to Antonia. “Left with nothing? Do you really think that your siblings are capable of stripping you of everything?” Maybe the queen was underestimating the rest of the English royals. Yunmi had her moments when she was wrong, but she didn’t have them very often, in her opinion. “He’s a complicated piece of the timeline, I suppose...” She paused to laugh. “Playboy? Now you’re just describing him too kindly. I wouldn’t expect anything from him. I’ve known the man for years and toning things down just isn’t his style. Unfortunately, being wild seems to be his only goal in life.” She hummed. “Female counterpart, Isabela?” Yunmi crossed her arms. If not Francisco, who, from what she heard, was strongly against other alliances, Isabela could do if Antonia managed to keep the woman’s interest long enough. “I don’t know who’s more difficult between the two, to be honest. Shahir’s a handful, but I heard that the Spanish princess is trouble... She may be more open than her brother though, so you can try if you want, but it’s hard to predict how anyone will act in this war.”

[tsangyunmi]

“Both of you have a lot of explaining to do.” Yunmi had always been worried about being left out. Her marriage and her family kept her worries away most days, but when she had the time to piece together her friends’ lives, she couldn’t help feeling like she had missed out. She frowned at both Jewel and VIktorya. Unfortunately, today, that wasn’t the case. Her concern was greater than casual fomo. “Jewel looks miserable and you look like an even bigger bitch than usual. What the hell have you two been doing? I get busy for once and you two decide to go insane.” 

( @jaydwynn, @viktoryc)

[tsangyunmi]

vntcniv:

“Compared to them I’m flawless.” She might have been overselling herself but there was no point in modesty, not at this point, not with Yunmi.  She drummed her fingers against her arm and shook her head. “No, it’s not my family. It’s time.” She looked at the white wall in front herself and narrowed her eyes as she tried to pick the words that would make her sound even slightly rational. “The coronation needs to happen before I have to go through with my engagement. Whether I win or not, it needs to happen. I don’t know how much time there is before I have to prove that I’m not doing it for the money and public image. Proving it will be difficult because I’m currently just after the money and an improved public image so you must see my problem.”

She chuckled. Yunmi did feel that her personality suited the throne better than the rest. Antonia had qualities that they lacked that might be able to fix the mess in England. “Time? You’ve always been patient, so this is new.” As far as she could remember, Antonia had impressive composure, which hardly let up when something went wrong so even if this was a small detail, she hardly thought that it was insignificant. “Is marrying him really going to improve your public image? I don’t mean to be offensive, but I’m not even sure how you’re going to manage to make him heel.” Shahir was a complicated mess to deal with. “If it’s the money, you could easily find other bachelors or bachelorettes on this island...  But, maybe you like the challenge.”

[tsangyunmi]

vermilion-king:

Longfeng gave their cousin a knowing, understanding smile. They both had not wanted to be in this situation, but due to circumstances beyond their control, this is now where they both found themselves, and now had to roll with the punches so to speak. It took Longfeng a while to think about to do. Occasionally, they would say small snippets of thought bubbles that escaped their lips, such as “No, we shouldn’t kill them,” and “They are still technically our allies.” In the end, however, they realized that something in fact had to be done. “I’m not saying that we should do this word-for-word from the history books, but it did take a nuclear bomb to make Japan unconditionally surrender and demilitarize 70 years ago. Do you think our attack needs to be just as devastating to get our point across or could we do something more subtle?” 

"Longfeng, whatever will work. I want them to stop being crazy... not punish them for generations.” Yunmi remembered learning about the effects of those bombs. “Don’t remind me that you still have those things. The world is supposed to be free of them.” But she didn’t believe that anyone in their right mind would completely relinquish their power peacefully. That’s what weapons were essentially, so she was sure that all those capable of nuclear armament still had some stockpiled in secret. It was a grim thought. “I don’t want to kill them. I just don’t want to feel threatened by the people that we’re supposed to be working with. They’ve done nothing to show that they care about working together, with all the people involved in this damned alliance. Everything has been decided on their own for the benefit of that large family. Anyone outside of it are just exceptions to the word, ‘alliance.’  I just need them to stop dicking around.” She had learned this one from Val.

[tsangyunmi]

noemianeves:

“It’s infinitely better than being a pushover, especially considering her future role,” Noêmia agreed. “I know what you mean…mine even ask why about things they like doing. My mother says I was the same way, though, so it could just be karma.” Noêmia laughed. “Almost too precious.”

“She’s trying to push her grandmother off the pedestal and she will, but I can’t let her know that outright. Valentino is trying his rounds of tough love on her.” She smiled softly. “Curious children. I heard that if you don’t shut them down, you can make scientists out of them. Careful, you might have another Einstein.... It isn’t bad that they want to be like their mother, I don’t think, or that they share that quality. It’s actually pretty sweet.”

[tsangyunmi]

igncbility:

It worried him that she had even considered him. “Just tell him to do everything that I don’t. Why do I have to behave in front of your kids?” He was just being difficult now. Mothers, he knew, were protective of their children, but it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t push her buttons a little more. “Small, asian women are just like terriers, I swear.” He added, hoping to get a reaction out of her. “Nothing, obviously. If she hasn’t complained about me then I haven’t done anything wrong, but if she is mad, my guess is that misses her gold fish or something.” 

"Evgeni, it’s a bad sign when she doesn’t say anything about you.” Yunmi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He had to know about how much Viktorya talked about him. She was annoyed over half of the time, but Yunmi thought that it was her way of caring. “Keep this up, wise one, and I’ll really bite you. I’m just trying to be helpful.” She sighed. She was glad that she didn’t have to spend too much time with the Romanovs, since she wasn’t sure if they knew how good they were at causing headaches. 

[tsangyunmi]

viktoryc:

“A childhood trauma that I try not to relive or remember.” She wanted to leave it at that. Maybe she could keep an air of mystery, but she was talking to the Swiss Queen, so she couldn’t be sure of how long she’d be able to keep it up. She lightly bit the inside of her cheek. Yunmi wasn’t the type of person Viktorya wanted to lie to, especially if the queen was only trying to help. She sighed. “When you go on a hunting trip with your father, it should be common knowledge that thin ice exists. I was five.”

“Your father let you fall through the ice? What a dick.” She knew that there was a much more eloquent way of expressing her displeasure, but sometimes a Valentino styled delivery was much more effective. In comparison to other royal families, the Swiss were willingly exposed to uncommon dangers during their adventurous trips, but if Valentino let something like that happen to one of her kids, Yunmi would make sure that her husband wouldn’t receive anything less than a severe punishment. “You love him, sorry, but wow. My father used to baby me when I would play my fingers too raw.” The old conductor would be the first to tend to her cuts while her mother scolded her for being unable to play through the pain. 

[tsangyunmi]

vntcniv:

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” It felt like a small victory. Normally Antonia wouldn’t have trusted anything but a written promise but she knew what Yunmi valued and had faith in their relationship. “The younger ones are rich brats, and Mateo suffers from a case of male entitlement that will surely get worse by each passing year. I don’t think you’d find a competitor in any of them, don’t worry.” And Antonia wasn’t one to let people down. “I really have one tiny problem that I don’t know how to solve.”

"In short, they lack skill and can’t overcome their weaknesses. I don’t know who’s choosing the next in line, but here’s to hoping that they don’t pick one of them because of how simple they sound.” Yunmi hoped that the English trouble would die down sooner rather than later, but nothing seemed to be happening, except for Antonia’s obvious work. “With your family? All this talk of them makes me happy that I was a single child... I’m sure that you’ll figure it out. You’re good at keeping your head up.” 

[tsangyunmi]

vntcniv:

“I have your and Val’s support when I make a move for the throne, right?” Good things came to those who had patience but lately she had started to believe that the D-day might come any day now, and she wasn’t sure how well her siblings had prepared for it. She didn’t necessary like using connections but she certainly didn’t mind using them. ( @tsangyunmi )

"You’re the only one that we’d care to work with.” She knew that she wasn’t supposed to speak on her husband’s behalf, but when it came to things like this, she felt so strongly that she’d make it difficult for him to disagree. Yunmi didn’t believe that she was a difficult person. She just knew that she liked to work with the people who were prepared, and in terms of royal politics, she would hate to work with another English crown as stupid as the last. “I don’t know much about your siblings. Not even the Windsor, but if he’s anything like your father. That much would be a nightmare.”

[tsangyunmi]

tessieri:

                                                                 Val almost punched a wall, but instead balled up his fists. That fucking piece of shit Shahir was involved and he didn’t even bother to say anything to him? And instead just asking about making chocolate? Val was pissed. Pissed kind of at Shahir, but more so at himself for not realizing that of course Shahir was up to something than just asking for chocolate lessons. In his annoyance with the Saudi Arabian asshole, Val tried to say everything and anything that would get the man far away as possible as quickly as possible. “Shahir’s in on this? That literal motherfucking son of a bitch.” Val hated how insults literally described his old classmate. It’s like it lessened the offensive factor. “Yeah, okay. We’re going to do something about this shitshow. I ain’t letting Shahir just do what he fucking pleases. Next thing you know, he’s going to just waltz himself into our country, declaring himself God or some shit with how up his own ass he can be. I’m going to talk to Yo-Han. If anyone has a plan to fix this shit, he probably does.”

Yunmi didn’t have kind words about the Saudi Arabian either. When they were children, she didn’t have much of an issue with him, but after time, all the small, annoying things he did just added up. She probably snapped when he figured out a way to snap the neck of one of her violas. “I don’t know. It was a rumour, Val, but that’s the damn problem. He thrives off of them and the crazier they get, the more likely he’ll do them.” She started to pace and briefly glanced over at their kitchen. The children seemed to be arguing over ingredients, which meant that they had also lost track of the time. “I heard from Viktorya that he’s learned how to pick everyone’s locks. We should get our lock replaced with something better before he waltzes into our room, acting as if we don’t hate him.” Yunmi stopped pacing. “I hope so, but we should be careful. The UN looks like they’re on their last leg.” She then continued to walk back and forth. “We should probably make sure the kids don’t start throwing knives at each other.”