[Gala] Fallout

49th of Zi'da 717

The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
User avatar
Celeste Andaris
Approved Character
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 2:06 am
Race: Human
Profession: Vixen
Renown: 138
Character Sheet
Plot Notes
Partner
Templates
Letters
Wealth Tier: Tier 1

Milestones

RP Medals

Miscellaneous

[Gala] Fallout

Image
49th Zi'da 717
Immediately following: this
She was shaking with fury and she sat down, trying to breathe out through the fury. She didn't have to turn around, at the sound of the door opening she knew who it was. It was Xander, come to tell her that she shouldn't have done that. Come to berate her, remind her that she hadn't been polite. It was Rafael Warrick all over again, she thought to herself, but it was just on a smaller scale. Rafael, the bastard child of House Warrick had stabbed her at their engagement party and rather than do anything about it, rather than act he had wanted to keep quiet, not say anything. It was just another person out there who had tried to kill her and he was still out there, and yet Xander wanted to not make a fuss.

It would be the same here, she did not doubt. He wouldn't like that she made a fuss. He wouldn't want a fuss made. Those people could be political allies, they could be helpful in the great cause, could be useful to his future. His future. If they weren't in someone else's house, she'd be throwing ornaments about now, she considered. But, of course, they were in someone else's house and more than that, she was pregnant and so she couldn't move fast enough.

Turning to look at him, she saw the disapproval in his face. He looked angry, she thought, angry and tired and frustrated. Angry with her, tired of her and frustrated by her. "You were right," she said, her voice quiet. "I shouldn't have come. I've embarrassed you in front of potential allies." What was the point in anything else? He knew how terrified she'd been at the thought of what Valeria might have been doing when she visited. Gwen, the maid who had poisoned her and then tried to suffocate her, she had glowed like that as Celeste had fought her. The fear that Celeste had experienced for herself was magnified a thousand times by her feeling of protectiveness for this life within her and she had been afraid.

"I hate being afraid, Xander. I've felt afraid since I found out I was pregnant."

Why did she make that admission? As soon as she had said it she shook her head. "That doesn't excuse it, I know. I'm sure you apologised for me," like she was a child, unable to control her emotions. Just once, she thought, just once she'd like him to put her first. Not the political alliances, not the goal he was working for, not the revolution of anything, just her. Like she had, when she married him. When she had chosen him for love, not politics. That Xander loved her Celeste did not doubt, but where that love sat in his priorities? That was something which she was more and more unsure of. He had, it seemed, out maneuvered her and that stung. But she loved him and there was nothing that either of them could do which changed that. "I'm sorry you felt you had to do that." Turning back to look at the room. "I'll wait here, if you want, and you can go and build alliances, make new friends and cement old relationships."

It was why they were here, after all.
word count: 576
User avatar
Xander Andaris
Approved Character
Posts: 726
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:16 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Single father | Duke of Andaris
Renown: 142
Character Sheet
Character Wiki
Plot Notes
Templates
Letters
Wealth Tier: Tier 6

Contribution

Milestones

RP Medals

Miscellaneous

Events

[Gala] Fallout

Image
Xander sighed rubbing his face with his hands, fingers continuing through his hair as he pushed it back on his head. This was one of those times where he didn't know whether to be honest or not. Everything she said was true, she shouldn't have acted how she did and while she was afraid it really was not a good excuse in the current situation. The truth was he was better with her by his side, he was happy she had come but he had though it a bad idea from the beginning. She was pregnant and tired and their life was all over the place that season, still she had insisted upon coming.

"Look, I am not angry with you so much as frustrated with myself." The Baron rubbed his hands together as he considered how to word it. "I knew you wouldn't be able to properly cope with tonight and yet I still let you come, I should have made you stay home because this is not where you are supposed to be right now." He leaned against the door and looked at the ceiling, thinking of what to say and what not too.

He pushed himself upright and went to sit on the table in front of her. "Duke Tristan Venora is a very important man, not that I like to admit it but he has a lot of influence, the last thing we want is to upset him." Xander shook his head gritting his teeth as he tried as hard as he could not to upset his wife. "What you did was not like you, it was like something I would have done. You are better than that Celeste and I know you see that too."

His hands moved onto his legs to straighten out the creases in his trousers as he spoke. "You were well within your rights to be scared but how we react defines how people view us and in the world we live in appearance is everything. You have taught me that and I know it has been a hard lesson to drill into me but you must follow it too." He offered her his hand, inclining his head to beckon her to take it.

"I apologised because that is what was necessary to avoid what could have been catastrophic not for the cause but for our lives in general." He gestured towards the babies in her stomach. "For all of us, not just me or you but everyone in our family." Finally he moved to sit by her, hand resting on her knee.

"So maybe it is best you remain here for now, rest and recuperate." The wolf offered a warm smile, care in his eyes. "I can take care of the politics for tonight, the frustrating and endless questions the hassle from nobles and distant relatives." He moved his hand to her shoulder. "Let me be the unfortunate one for tonight, you know how I hate these things after all."
word count: 503
Image
User avatar
Celeste Andaris
Approved Character
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 2:06 am
Race: Human
Profession: Vixen
Renown: 138
Character Sheet
Plot Notes
Partner
Templates
Letters
Wealth Tier: Tier 1

Milestones

RP Medals

Miscellaneous

[Gala] Fallout

Image
He spoke and told her that he shouldn't have let her come here, that he should have insisted she stay at home and Celeste looked at him with an expression of hurt on her face. If she had remained in Astedia, would he have been with her? Or would he have come here and left her at home, alone? If he had, what if the baby came, did he really care so little? Celeste felt her defenses rise, felt another part of herself close off from him. She said nothing, simply turned brown eyes towards him and listened to what he said.

He spoke of Tristan, of how important he was and Celeste listened. She and Tristan Venora had met, after all, and agreed a trade agreement and a political alliance. She knew how important he was and she knew that he was starting, just starting, to have doubts about Cassander. Celeste could work on those, she didn't doubt and yet, Xander spoke to her like she didn't know. That wasn't fair, she knew, because he was well aware of her strength in politics, usually, but right now? Right now she needed him to be her husband first and middle and last, but it was not what he could do. She was better than this? That left it out there, plain and simple. If she was better than this, then this was not good enough. She was not good enough.

When he held out his hand to her, she took it and she smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Xander. I am. I don't mean to, or want to, let you down." She was entirely sincere and she simply held on to that. Her hand in his squeezed slightly and she spoke another absolute truth. "I think this pregnancy has been more trying on you than me." He'd had to put up with her, after all. His own worry, his worry for the child or children she carried inside her and, of course, what concern for her he could still muster up.

Which, it transpired, was just as much as it took for him to tell her to stay here. His hand moved from her knee to her shoulder and Celeste lowered her head to it, just feeling his touch for a moment and she nodded. "I think that's probably very sensible, Xander. I am sorry, love. I am." Her hand reached for his and she wished that she'd never gone to Krome. Because if she'd never gone to Krome, she would never have met him and had she not met him then she would not now be in love with Xander Krome. "You go. I'll rest here. Be charming and polite and make friends." She smiled, but her expression gave truth to her words. "I'm tired. I'll just snooze here awhile. Will you remember to come get me, Xander?" Immortals, how she hated sounding needy.

"Go on," she said with a smile. "Go do good. You'll be wonderful." And certainly better without her.
word count: 517
User avatar
Xander Andaris
Approved Character
Posts: 726
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:16 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Single father | Duke of Andaris
Renown: 142
Character Sheet
Character Wiki
Plot Notes
Templates
Letters
Wealth Tier: Tier 6

Contribution

Milestones

RP Medals

Miscellaneous

Events

[Gala] Fallout

Image
Maybe he was blind or just plain dumb but he could not see the signs he could not read what she was really feeling and trying to tell him. In truth he had thought that their time together had lead to him understanding her, in truth he felt like he knew her no more than the day they met. It scared him that suddenly everything felt different, he felt like somewhere on the way he had lost Celeste. At some point she had closed herself off to him, the openness they had once treasured seemingly gone.

The thought would be clear in his face as he looked at her and listened, utterly unconvinced and yet unable to understand what it was that made him so. The care of his words and feelings quickly overtook his features though as he offered for her to stay here, or more suggested it. She agreed and dismissed him and so he stood, heading for the door as a man does when told to leave. Finally, however, something kicked in and he stopped with his fingers hovering around the doorknob.

He felt frustrated at his lack of empathy in this moment, she had been scared and he had simply stood by as if nothing were happening. Perhaps he should instead have tackled the glowing pair, in defence of his family. Yet if he were to turn his skin to scales due to an ability granted from his immortal would he wish that. Marriage was full of never ending puzzles, it was like trying to balance a scale when all you had was an ingot and a feather.

Xander turned his back on the door and sighed. His eyes looked to Celeste and he stepped forward, hands balled into fists as he looked for the courage and words to say the right thing. "I am sorry, Celeste." The words came from his lips in a tone she would recognise only from the moments where he had spilled his heart to her about his sister and his dreams, his truest love for her. Now though they said something different. "I am sorry that you fell in love with me, you deserve someone who's heart is not split on an ever unbalanced scale."

The wolf stepped back again and leaned himself against the door slouching and giving up the appearance of a strong and healthy man to show one who was exhausted. "I try but its so hard to distinguish and decide what to do when. I am undeniably in love with you and yet I can't fully put you first always because I love another too, Rynmere." It flowed out like a stream of consciousness, like he was not limiting his truths and instead giving Celeste ever inch of his damaged mind.

"Ever day is like a battle inside me, emotions battling each other and logic trying to intervene where it seems it can do naught." The Baron's eyes locked with Celeste's then. "Its exhausting, trying to do what is right for everyone around you and its painful when you fail. Even more so when I fail with you, its like a knife through the chest." His face was reddened and his eyes like glass but he remained in control as he placed his hand on the door knob once again. "I am sorry that I can't fix the world." The admittance was a painful one as if he was perhaps realising that he was never going to be able to fulfil what he saw in his mind.
word count: 596
Image
User avatar
Celeste Andaris
Approved Character
Posts: 477
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 2:06 am
Race: Human
Profession: Vixen
Renown: 138
Character Sheet
Plot Notes
Partner
Templates
Letters
Wealth Tier: Tier 1

Milestones

RP Medals

Miscellaneous

[Gala] Fallout

Image
He looked, for just a moment, utterly stricken like he didn't know which way to go, what to choose or where to turn. Celeste wondered if perhaps in that trill he would come back, sit with her and tell her that no, no he wasn't leaving her. He was staying with her, by her side and he didn't care about these people or what they did or said. They weren't what was important, after all, or they shouldn't be. Yet, somewhere, she and he had changed places and it had all become so much more important to him.

Was that when she'd lost him, she wondered? Was that the moment? Maybe. She simply didn't know any more and the young heiress of Andaris was tired, emotional and far, far too pregnant to be anything but those things. But either way, she kissed his hand on her shoulder and he turned and walked out, except he stopped. Celeste looked at him and frowned, wondering what was wrong. But maybe nothing was wrong, maybe he was going to turn around and come back. She felt hope swell inside her as he paused.

And then he told her he was sorry.

Sorry that she had fallen in love with him. Sorry that he could not love her the way he should. Celeste breathed in as he said that, but she didn't respond as he told her that he loved another. Did he? Was that why they had grown apart? No. No, he meant Rynmere. Yet, when first they'd met he'd been concerned with Krome. Only Krome. The people of Krome, the reputation of Krome. Now? Now he was Andaris and what had that done to him? She wanted to move to him, to take him into her arms and tell him that there was nothing they couldn't do together. She wanted, needed him to be with her. More than anything she wanted to tell him that she needed him to put her first. To think about her, now and then. But he did think, she knew that. Duties collided in Xander's mind and heart and if she made any demands on him, if she told him what she wanted and needed from him?

Honestly, she was afraid that in that moment he would not choose her.

"You don't need to be sorry, Xander. I'm sorry, too." Serious brown eyes looked at him. "I'm sorry if I ever make you feel like you fail. You've given me more than anyone ever has," and that was the simple truth. "I just... " she wanted, so badly, to tell him that she just wanted to know that he'd choose her. "I just wish I was better at that. I should't have come, but I didn't want to be alone at home, I was afraid I'd go into labour or something. That was selfish and it's led to this. I'm sorry. I let you down." She lay back and closed her eyes, unable to deal with any more emotions, lest she cry. "I'll be here when you come back for me. I.." I love you, she wanted to say. I need you and I don't want you to leave. Stay with me, just once. Choose me. All thoughts, none spoken. "I'm going to sleep here. Go do good work, husband. I'll be here when the night is done."
word count: 586
User avatar
Tristan Venora
Approved Character
Posts: 1436
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 11:47 am
Race: Human
Profession: Mad Scientist Socialite
Renown: 934
Character Sheet
Character Wiki
Plot Notes
Templates
Letters
Point Bank Thread
Wealth Tier: Tier 10

[Gala] Fallout

Image
Celeste:

Knowledge:
Discipline: Not screaming at your husband in someone else's party
Discipline: Do not show your emotions when vulnerable
Intelligence: Knowledge is power
Intelligence: Appearance is everything
Intelligence: Understand the different demands on an individual

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A
Magic XP: N/A

Points: 15

Xander:

Knowledge: N/A

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A
Magic XP: N/A

Points: N/A

- - -
Comments: This thread happened because of Valeria and me!

I remember the events that led up to it!

We aren’t supposed to talk about our own characters in the comments though, so I’ll just say that I enjoyed seeing a furious and emotional Celeste who is afraid of magic (and justifiably so!).

Xander seems to have a calming influence on her. They are so different, but it’s obvious that they care deeply about each other, even when they are having an argument.

Grammar-wise and syntax-wise there was nothing that really caught my attention. I enjoyed reading this thread. Well done!

I talked to Xander and mentioned that he had written less than 1.500 words. He decided to forego his rewards.

Please edit your review request to include the button below so that the other reviewers know that it's been taken care of!

Code: Select all

[center][img]/gallery/image.php?album_id=500&image_id=13943[/img][/center]
word count: 237
Locked Request an XP Review Claim Wealth Thread

Return to “Duchies”