Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Well, my new friend." He skipped in place. "My job, and the king. He's good to me, he is. Raised me, you know."

[Channelknight Fadran]

“So those are all good things! See, there’s stuff worth living for.”

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Ah, you doesn't have to worry about me offin' me-self, miss. I doesn't have a happy afterlife awaiting me an' I'm too much of a coward to actually go through with it besides."

[Channelknight Fadran]

Wendy sighed. “Nico… you can’t just throw your life away.”

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"I won't, I won't. Promise, to ya."

[Channelknight Fadran]

“Okay.” Wendy nodded and stood. “I should probably go now… see if I can find Reyna.”

Edited June 22, 2021 by Channelknight Fadran

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Alright..." He sighed. "I... I'm try, miss. Try tuh say no."

[Channelknight Fadran]

“That’s good.” Wendy hugged him. “Good luck.” She pulled away, waved, and left.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Nicolae sighed shakily. “Depressing….” He muttered. “I ain’t depressin’ none. I’s happy Nicolae, I am.”

[Channelknight Fadran]

“Next step is to improve the city’s state.” Ivian muttered. “We just need some workers… and something for them to work on.”

”Like?” The mayor asked, a portly man with a respectably-sized mustache.

“Well that’s why I called you.” Ivian replied. “What needs fixing up around the city?”

“Well all the lamp posts could use some replacements, and the people have been wanting to build a fountain in the square…”

“Find your workers,” Ivian said, sticking out his hand, “and I’ll get it done.”

The mayor blinked, then shook Ivian’s hand. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

The journal just... ended. 

Riva flipped through the rest of the pages - sipping a smoothie and shoveling grapes into her mouth - but there was nothing else in the rest of the book. Nothing but a great deal of dried blood. Since the writing ended mid-sentence before the blood began, Riva could only surmise that Acalia had been killed while she was writing. That poor woman. From everything she'd read, Caden's older sister had been a good person. More than good, a practical saint. By the Stars, she'd had the patience to teach Caden how to paint! Supposedly, at least; Riva could hardly imagine that hyper-masculine ball of testosterone ever sitting down to paint anything. Granted, the Caden that Acalia described had been quiet and gentle-hearted. Perhaps that Caden could have painted.

When Riva had started the journal, she had predicted that Acalia had been killed by Caden, but now that theory seemed ridiculous. Acalia had loved her little brother more than anything and from what she'd written about him, it seemed he had loved her too. Perhaps it was her absence that made him so grumpy all the Stars-cursed time. Not for the first time since she'd started reading the journal, Riva felt deep pity for her new husband. All her life, her job had been to break people, but the clay she worked with now was already cracked quite badly. Grumpy or not, he didn't deserve a wife who was as callous as she had been thus far. It was true what she'd told him the night previous; she really didn't want to have a poor relationship with him. And not just because he could kill her, no. It was because she'd been lonely for long enough. She was not under any illusion that the two of them could ever fall in love, but even just to have a friend. A real friend, not a creep like Daku. Someone who saw Riva instead of the Raveness. That would be enough for her. 

After reading the journal - and getting to know her husband really quite intimately - she found that she really, truly cared for Caden. She wanted him to be alright. No, she wanted to help him be alright. She'd spent too long hiding away from the world beside bodies and blood, she was tired of being feared and hated. Maybe instead of crushing Caden under her heel, she could help smooth out the cracks that loss and time had worn into him.

And she would start by having dinner with him.

[Channelknight Fadran]

When Wendy returned to the waitresses' quarters, she had absolutely no idea what to say to Reyna.

"Hey, hold this for me..." Reyna handed Wendy the bulk of her serving dress so she could fix up the thinner clothing underneath. "Can't have myself smell bad tonight, can I?"

"I--" Wendy swallowed. "Actually, Reyna, I was... wondering if maybe you... wanted to... go on a girls' night out?"

"That sounds fun!" Reyna replied, smiling. "But could we do it tomorrow or sometime else? I'm kinda busy tonight."

Busy. Sure. "O--okay." She handed the dress back as Reyna reached for it. "But can I at least come with you down the hallways?"

"What, you want in on it?" Reyna winked, then turned her head. "Nah. You're gonna have to ask Allivia for that."

I'm going to have to ask Allivia a lot of things. "No, no, it's not that. There's just this drunk creep stalking around the castle. I heard he tried to grab Monica; she only barely got away." Wendy wasn't lying, though she was also pretty sure that said drunk nobleman was on the clear opposite side of the place. "So it just might be safer to travel in twos."

"Hm. Fair enough." Reyna slid into her dress. "How do I look?"

"Like a waitress."

Reyna chuckled. "Alright. Come on!"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva dug through a box of jewelry that Daku had brought over for her. "Diamonds," she muttered, "where are my- ah ha!" Towards the bottom of the tub, under bracelets and earrings and glasses of perfume, was a diamond choker necklace and a pair of matching earrings. She didn't often wear them at balls because of how expensive they were. Raveness or not, she was still worried that someone just brave enough might slit her throat to have the set of shimmering accessories. 

She also didn't wear them because she didn't like to be reminded of the person who gave them to her. But for tonight, she figured she might as well clip them on.

After pulling her hair back, Riva sat down at the mirror and went to work on her makeup. In a few seconds, several jars of powders and creams had been opened, most of which were her own concoctions. Makeup had always been a large part of her life, ever since she was young. She recalled getting into her mother's makeup set as a child, trying to find a way to make herself look pretty, since Mother always said she was quite homely. As a young teenager, she'd taken lots of time off to cure her pimples and had succeeded quite fabulously. (Diluted, cheaper versions of the cream she'd used to achieve the feat were now on the market and, in the long years since she'd had the idea to sell it, had made her a small fortune that the king knew nothing about.) Only a few decades ago, she'd managed to find a way to get rid of the freckles she'd hated her whole life by bleaching them from her skin. And her most recent endeavor to make herself more beautiful was a product that got rid of wrinkles on her face. Using the needles to apply it was a pain and it left her muscles feeling tense, but it was well worth the effort. 

It took almost an hour of careful work for her to get the look she wanted; Beautiful, but not childish, dark, but not intimidating, mature, but not overbearing. Her hair took another hour of work to get perfect. Several of the braids had to be redone and she would not rest until every hair was set just right atop her head. Tightening her corset was also a must (despite her already-seventeen-inch-waist) along with adding some padding to make her bony hips more round. Yes, Caden should appreciate her look indeed. She found herself smiling, excited for the dinner date. Tonight would go perfectly. 

Because she had a trick up her poofy sleeves. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Zephrun's Imperium

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Hey! Nicolae!" Reyna flagged him down from across the hallway. Behind her, Wendy slowly fell behind, trying to come up with a backup plan in case Nico couldn't shake her.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Nico paled. "Oh. 'Lo, miss Reyna."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"So, uhh..." She walked over to him and hooked her arm around his waist. "You available tonight?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Nico took a deep breath in. Don't touch me, don't touch me. 

"Mm... Well, yes. I's 'avalible', miss. But I..." His mouth worked. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Well so am I."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Nico wriggled out of her arm and shook his head. "Reyna, I can't."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"You can't?" Reyna frowned. "What do you mean?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Can't... can't..." Nico shuffled awkwardly, hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. "C-can't.." He sighed and looked back up, smiling. "Do a handstand yet!"

[Channelknight Fadran]

Wendy rolled her eyes, then spun her hands in a circle. Just say no, dummy!

"Can't do a... what, really? That seems like something you'd actually be able to do."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

He blushed, running a hand through his hair. "No... I been workin' on it though." He glanced up at Wendy and cringed. Stars curse it, I hate me-self...

[Channelknight Fadran]

"So let's go to your room, then?" Reyna wrapped her arm around him again.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Well... do we have to do it tonight?"