๐๐๐๐๐๐.
The corners of Giseleโs mouth curl faintly upwards, yet it doesnโt seem quite like a smile. The expression drifts somewhere between wry amusement and an oblique, deadened wistfulness. โIs that so? Ah well, I suppose obvious scowls have their uses. We canโt all be blessed with smiles like yours.โ Itโs true, Gisele traffics primarily in the consuming compulsion of dread, in danger implied and overt, in all things both vague and cutting. Her mask certainly was meant to amplify that, the silvery gleam reflecting the light that happens to strike it as a pale lustour, ghostly under the pitch of her veil. โCoercion and charm are both just persuasion.โ Persuasion, influence, seduction even, all one in the same, all relying on promises, those of violence or of adoration, it mattered little. Coercion and charm: One might even call them sisters.
Finally, the indefinite mirth of expression clears, her face splitting into a wide grin. Gisele laughs her approval, with a short, fond shake of her head. โMm, yes, dreaming of the perfect patricide, the very mark of an idealist,โ she shoots back, adopting a teasing smile and a tone to match.
She waves a hand dismissively, returning to the bottle once more for good measure. โIโm afraid the obstacle here is physiological, not sensory,โ she explains, and though her words are imparted with a certain gravity, it seems to be at least partially self-mocking, โIf anything, I find the idea of an ale of the sort youโre describing a great deal more revolting. Call me jaded, but I find the honesty of hard liquorโs burn to be the most charming thing about it. If at all possible, something should advertise itself plainly, without pretense.โ Not that she herself doesnโt often do exactly that, but she doesnโt make the rules of the game, she simply abides by them. Compliance and approval were hardly synonymous.ย
โEven more than usual? The mildness of the claim makes it seem all the more drastic. โ Gisele raises a skeptical brow, fixes her friend with a discerning look, but almost immediately relents with a brief, one-shouldered shrug. โI can claim no such eventfulness on my end. There areโฆ negotiations, I suppose, but theyโre halting at best, de trop at worst.โ Her tone carries no attachment, no feeling. There is only an admission of fact here: as if she is explaining a bad business decision made years ago. In a way, thatโs exactly what sheโs doing. โI can never understand why everything at Court should not be so simple as trade negotiations or drafting contracts. Itโs a dreadful thing, the capriciousness of favour. Iโd venture so far as to say Celestineโs lost more good people to the turn of trend than to any natural cause.โ
ย ย ย ย ย ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ in Gisele's steely visage. It was reminder enough to ground them back in their original cause, the plight to their companion's enjoyment becoming more tangible than everโ if only through the phantom of the emotion they'd just bore witness.ย โWas that a compliment I just heard, or am I mistaken?โย Violaine inquires with a teasing expression.
ย ย ย ย ย ย โCoercion and charmโs differences are located in their performance. People introduce difference based on how the performance is received, but they carry the same purpose in mind.โย It was one of the common practices of the nobility, grounding the conditions of their approval in pride and vanity, and that made charm the most effortless school of persuasion. Though she hadnโt objected to other methods, they were better left to someone more versed in their workings. There is a mutuality attested by only the two of them, and Violaine relished in this knowing, as if it were the most piquant of gossip she alone was privileged in understanding.ย
ย ย ย ย ย โI had you all wrong, Gisele. Whiskey was a more appropriate drink for the occasion,โย Violaine notes thoughtfully, cataloging the newly acquired information for future purposes.ย โNext time. Violetta trades exactly the sort of biting drink you speak of. Iโve grown to enjoy its richness.โย There was no specificity in her next time, for she never knew when and where she would encounter Gisele next, but they invited the possibility of such happenings.ย
ย ย ย ย ย The looming plausibility of scandal governed her in more ways than she let on, and Violaine sips the bottle grinning wistfully beneath the flowing wine. It was better Gisele was not plagued with the details of Violaineโs dalliances, and her pride precluded her from announcing matters that were presently eluding her control.ย โIโll let you experience the news organically with the rest of the nobility, if and when that time comes.โย Perhaps the moment would arrive that all her indiscretions bubbled to the surfaceโ in the meantime, they hadn't fit the conversation or occasion.ย
ย ย ย ย ย โIf only we could divvy up the social and the professional and divide in amongst ourselves. The very negotiations you speak of are ones I've always found to be readily complex of all the dealings of the nobility.โย A wistful sigh escapes their lips as they realize just how much time has past, knowing that the immediacy of duty would separate them from their friend once more. They would be back at the center of the action in several moments, their coy smiles and vivacious laughter a currency in the exchange of courtly knowledgeโ knowledge that would bring them closer to the solution and clarity they needed.ย
ย ย ย ย ย They allowed a few moments for any last sips needed to be taken, before disposing the near empty bottle in the nearest waste bin.ย โBest of luck in your negotiations, mon anime,โย they announce amidst securing the clasps of their mask. โMay they be without pretense, nor sullied by the capriciousness of favor.โย A glimmer of mischief is visible in their smile as they bid farewell to their friend.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
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