Private Tales Whine, and More Wine

[Livia Quinnick]

"Thank the gods I thought of buying proper glasses for this wine."

Livia laid on her stomach, arms dangling down the end of her bed as she glumly stared at the now empty glass she held. It was supposed to be a study session, but that was only an excuse for herself and Natasha to not study and just talk. It had been too difficult trying to meet up with probably the only Initiate Livia would call an old friend, but finally fate aligned the two to have this moment.

"Is it not an exquisite design?" She asked, twirling the glass carefully so that she could marvel at the artistry. It had been quite for a moment, a usual occurrence after a heated discussion of something that had annoyed either Initiate. This time, it had been the topic of not getting enough time to spend in Vel Anir for a well needed day of shopping. It was soon to be her mother's birthday, and she knew Idella Qunnick would make her disappointment known the next time they see each other again.

"Alright... where were we? We covered the insanity that is our schedules... shopping, or lack thereof... classes... ooh!" Livia pushed herself to a sitting position, looking to Natasha now with a grin. "I think I know an excuse to give us time to visit Vel Anir."

 

[Natasha]

Natasha examined the glass, half filled with a dark red wine and chuckled. Perhaps 'proper' was a subjective term, she thought, swirling the liquid around. It was indeed a glass. Properly made of glass, but perhaps not the proper glass Natasha would have chosen for this specific wine they had scrounged for.

"Indeed, it is lovely. Where ever did you find them?" She mimicked Livia's interest, and admired the glasswork. It had not been cheaply made, no, but it was not of the quality Natasha was used to back in her home life. She had grown up in a very, very wealthy family unbeknownst to any of her classmates. And, despite her upbringing, she never made an attempt to fight Leander's accusations that she was nothing more than a poor girl who was given a better life by being taken into the academy.

It made no difference, rich or poor, anyway. Her family disowned her the moment the guards came to retrieve her and she refused to share her (former) last name with her new 'family'. Including Livia.

"Yes, we discussed what we need to prepare for. Then you opened the wine. And poured the wine. And finished the wine." She laughed again at their lack of any progress on their academics. Exams were only a week away, after all. "Oh dear, what have you got in mind? You don't plan on lying to get a ride to Vel Anir, do you?"

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia snorted, rounding her bed to pick up the glass and placing it on a bookshelf. She paused by the mirror, insoecting at her hair was still kept in her usual braid, fingers lignering at her silvered ends. "Well, my first idea for transport would be to sweet talk Silas into getting me there, but then you would be here stranded." Happy with her appearance, Quinnick turned to look at Natasha with that wicked smile.

"What harm can a little lie do? I am of a noble house, I technically have a carriage near the stables because how else am I to attend my mother's birthday? I bet the driver is bored out of his mind, Tash." Livia shrugged, fetching her coin purse and placing it into the pocket of the jacket she had worn earkier today. It was well chilly outside, and she could only assume it would be just as cold in Vel Anir.

"Well? We are in no mood to study. Otherwise we would have done so in the past couple of hours." Their books were cracked open, but the ink on their dipped quills had already run dry.

 

[Natasha]

Livia's wicked smile would be matched with Natasha's painfully innocent grin. "Have you two finally kissed or something?" She giggled. It had been far too long since they had the chance to chat boys. Although, Natasha really had nothing to contribute since Leander seemed to disappear like a ghost. How hard was it to tell someone that feelings were not reciprocated? She wondered.

Her self-pity was fortunately cut short by the jingling of coins in Livia's coin purse. "Oh!" She swung her legs over the side of the sofa she was lounging on and hopped to her feet. "You know you had me hooked after the second glass." Another giggle.

"What is it you wish to see so desperately in Vel Anir anyway? We have hardly made a dent in our studies." She grunted, shoving one arm through the furry sleeve of her coat. "Have you forgotten to get your mother a gift again?"

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia scowled in her defense. "She is not the easiest to think of, let alone for a present." Her relationship with her mother had always been strained, but there were expectations still needing to be upheld when it came to honouring the family. As her brothers often reminded her, nobility had nought to do with their dynamic as a family first, especially since Okko became the Head of the House. Liv shrugged on her coat, then next slid her feet into some boots and laced them up.

"And to answer your question about Silas... well, kissing was not all we did when I saw him last night." She whispered, afraid that someone might overhear her through her door. "He is a sweet boy, truly. I just cannot help but think... what if I do not deserve such a thing? We are to be Dreadlords, are we not? We may not see each other after they give us our posting." It was a thought that plagued her, ever since she foolishly admitted to him her true feelings for him. She had not told Natasha that moment yet, and she was unsure if she would...

"I think some shopping and perhaps a fine meal would cleanse my mind. Perhaps after, we can attempt to study again. This time, you can pick the wine." She had stolen this bottle from Thraah during one of their weekly Wednesday cake baking sessions with Houri.

 

[Natasha]

"You had a year to think." Natasha was often blunt in her speech, but there was still a playfulness about her tone and a glimmer in her eyes that made it obvious that she was giving her friend 'shit' as they said. Lacing up her boots, she continued, "I think you should get her two gifts while we are out so you don't forget again next year. I'd hate for you to fail exams because of your mother."

Her brows, masked by her thick fringe, raised curiously at the new bit of information. More than a kiss? Oh dear. She owed her loyalty to her best friend and yet she still hadn't gathered enough courage to burst her little pink bubble she seemed to fill up any time his name came up in conversation. And while he may not have been as cruel as Leander, she had picked up enough in conversation to know that Silas was perhaps not as dedicated to Livia as she were to him.

"I'm sure things will work themselves out." Was the best she could do to reassure her friend. "I think you deserve more than anyone here could ever offer you, if I'm being honest. I know you don't care though. If you're happy, I'm happy for you. As long as you're safe, that is. I'd hate for those rumors about the little blonde to apply to you as well."

She couldn't make eye contact after lying to her oblivious friend, so she threw the door open and trotted out. "Fine, fine. You know you had me sold before we even had our boots on."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

I'd hate for those rumors about the little blonde to apply to you as well.

Livia rolled her eyes.

"I heard some things too, but that was all in the past." The dance did not mean anything. She had danced with Leander and Rowley, and while nothing really permanent came from that, she doubted any of Artesto's dances did anything for anyone either. "Besides, he has met my brothers." And she did not like the alliance the three of them made in order to mortify her at that family dinner.

As they walked out the door, and Liv locked it securely behind her, she linked her arm with Natasha's and helped guide her once they got outside. There was ice on the cobbled stone, and with her magic, she was able to direct Natasha a disjointed path that did not make them slip. "Anyways..." she continued once they were clear, and letting her friend go to walk on her own. "I was on a mission, and guess who came back from the dead... well, he was gone for a while is what I am saying. Larkin." He had put up with a hungry and irritated Livia so early in the morning, but by the time she was feeling much more herself, she got to know him a little more. "He is not half bad when standing up to stupid seafaring thugs." An encounter that quickly was resolved with a threat by Quinnick.

They continued for a few minutes, reaching the stables and the carriage looking more ornate than any Academy carriage could be seen.

Livia gave Natasha a few seconds warning before putting two fingers over her tongue and emitting the loudest whistle. Horses reacted, coming to life hearing her, but it did it's job when the driver wearing a vest in the colours of House Quinnick jumped out from behind the carriage. "Miss Quinnick!"

 

[Natasha]

Mhm. I'm sure it is. A smile sat momentarily on Natasha's perpetually aloof face. She said nothing in return. As her mother once told her: Not my circus, not my monkeys. This would be a lesson Livia had to learn on her own. For Silas' sake, she hoped he could run fast.

"So you introduce a stray dog to your family before your own friend." The amusement was not lost in her voice as she pouted. "I see where your loyalties lie. You gush about how kind and handsome your brothers are, yet you refuse to introduce them to me." She tossed her hair and followed her out the door, linking arms and following along the wonky pathway.

Her brow raised when she spoke of the dead coming back to life. "Larkin...Larkin...Oh! The poor artistic fellow that one of the weather girls got too close to? He's still alive?" She had thought back to the scene when proctors were carrying his half-charred body to the infirmary. At the time, she thought they would have been better to bring him straight to the morgue. "I never imagined him to be good with conflict. You must tell me all about it. Did he pull out his little guitar and sing his way out of a pirate attack?" She chuckled at herself as the sound of hooves drew closer.

She eyed the driver and leaned in close, squeezing Livia's hand. "Tell me all about it on the ride over." She wished she had fun stories to share on their adventures, but Natasha had been sent out so rarely and never for anything more important than bringing a letter to some contact nearby like a damn glorified courier. The restraint she had over her power was unmatched by any other initiate and, even then, they could have always sent her out with Leander if they feared her destruction.

But no, letters and papers. Collecting signatures and sending pointless pieces of mail a bird would be more than capable of handling. Until they tossed her out onto some battlefield, she would live vicariously through her best friend.

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"Did he pull out his little guitar and sing his way out of a pirate attack?"

Livia turned to her friend once they were both seated comfortably inside the carriage, and the driver given the right instruction. With the sigil of House Quinnick painted on the sides, it would grant them reason to pass the gates. She knew not many Initiates could afford the luxuries she was born to, as not every one had willingly left their family or home.

"Oh, no." She grinned. "He was a great help. You see, the bastards had lied when they said they had lost my compass. My father made it, and it leads the person to me." And they had insisted on it being the payment of insurance for safe passage on a past mission. If Livia had not held up her end of the deal, they know where to find her.

"They thought by getting to me, they would gain the attention of my brothers, which I do intend on inviting you to the next family dinner they invite me to." Liv had not planned on introducing Silas to her family until... well, she was not so sure if she would have without her eldest brother seeing them both out and about.

"Speaking of dinner. Perhaps a guest to mother's birthday would not be so terrible. I do not have to suffer the terrible attitudes of my brothers if I brought a friend with me..."


Natasha

 

[Natasha]

"He was great help...?" She peeked through the window as they passed the gates, quickly shutting the curtain as they came and went past the guards post. Sure, Livia's carriage was cleared to pass. Natasha, however, had no such luxury. "Huh...I guess people can be a bit surprising here. And all this time, I thought he was all talk...err... sing, no action. He was like our own little marching band into battle." Again, she chuckled quietly at her own thoughts. "Were you able to get your compass back?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "You say you intend to invite me, but you never do!" She teased, turning her attention back to the inside of the carriage. "Are you so afraid one of your brothers will fall madly in love with me and we will be sisters until the day we die? I suppose it is fine if you wish me to die alone..." She feigned sniffling until Livia mentioned the birthday.

She looked at her friend with a big grin. "Tell me more. What should I wear?" Perhaps this little day trip would be the perfect opportunity to spend the coin she'd saved up on a new outfit.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia could only roll her eyes as Natasha spoke of her brothers. She loved them to death, but she also knew their very character. Okko and Bannon were both cut from the same cloth when it came to the ladies they had courted. Although Ko was ten years older than her and Bannon two, she could not subject her dearest friend at the Academy to the fiends they were. "Well you can wear whatever outrageous thing you want, as long as it is fit for a ball. Dinner followed with dancing, like any other societal event in Vel Anir." And how Livia loathed such practice.

"She wants to celebrate my birthday in the garden. Eighteen is a lovely age to come out to society, she says. Do me a favour, Tash, and mortally wound me so that I may be on my death bed so I do not have to attend such a celebration." Liv groaned and slouched in her seat. "Then you can be free to marry Bannon and be Lady Natasha Quinnick and name your children names that mean blue or white." The thought made her chuckle, enough to get her to sit upright again.

"If you wish to win over my mother, dressing in the House colours is the fastest way in getting into her good books. You impress my mother, Bannon will think the same." Livia quirked her brow at her friend, a devilish smirk pulling at her pink lips. "Come to think of it, it would be terrible fun if he decided to court you, Tash. He will have to behave and not be a menace at dinners."

Natasha

 

[Natasha]

"I would never hurt a hair on your pretty little head, Liv." Natasha plucked one of the half blonde hairs from Livia's head and followed it up with a quiet "Whoops!" as she let it fall to the carriage floor. "Why would you not wish to celebrate your birthday? You love gifts- clothes, rings, gems, necklaces, Kress knows you adore all things materialistic." Natasha snorted.

Had she not been disowned by her family, Natasha considered how well Livia and her would get on quite often. Each time she concluded they would have been frenemies in another life. Two beautiful rich girls with powerful families. Any man would have killed to give them an even more fancy surname and a lavish lifestyle to accompany it. And she knew they'd fight each other for the better of two men had they not been locked up at the Academy.

"Hate to say it, I'm with your mother on this one. And not just because your brother or mother will be there. It'll be good for you to be with some less..." She paused to think of how she would describe their classmates. "Peculiar people."

Her cheeks reddened as Livia spoke of Bannon. "Fine. A blue dress it is. White is too bridal for your mother's party. I'll save that for your birthday." She was embarrassed at how excited she was to meet Livia's brother, yet she felt a little tug at her heart. The way Livia spoke of her siblings never failed to bring back lost memories of her own siblings. Siblings she'd long been dead to since becoming some sort of dangerous monster.

"And jewelry, I have enough I think for something new. Sapphires, I was thinking. How does your mother feel about them? And what are you wearing? I can't upstage Miss Quinnick at her own mother's party."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"Not white, Tash, pearl. Never let my mother hear you say it like that." She chuckled.

"And myself? I will be in both colours. Actually it is a rather unfair assemble. A dark blue dress but my neck and shoulders will be adorned in pearls. A little show of skin cannot be faulted when I would be wearing rare pearls in such fashion." She smiled. "Who cares if my mother likes sapphires? I bet you would look equally unfair in blue, but to hell with the lot of them! We are young and should have our fun!"

The journey to Vel Anir was a few hours, their studies long forgotten as they steered their attentions towards a societal event. "I am glad to have you, Tash. I cannot think of inviting Silas to this sort of event when dinner was just... a little too rich for anyone that has not lived like this. I am happy you have the same love to dress up as me."

Natasha

 

[Natasha]

Livia's penchant for the details earned her a long sigh from Natasha. "Same thing." Her eyes rolled once again. "But I suppose that I will keep it in mind. Earning your mother's approval is my sole motivator in life, you know."

She took the moment to imagine the dress she described in detail and nodded. The colors would compliment her skin tone as well as her hair color...colors. "Yes, we should." Natasha agreed quickly, but couldn't help the urge to add to her statement. "But..." She didn't continue her thoughts and instead enjoyed the comfortable silence with her friend.

For a while, Natasha read a book. She said it helped with motion sickness, but really she just enjoyed the few moments of peace.

"I think inviting Silas would be a poor choice." Her voice was calm as she shut her book and returned it to her bag. It was true she did share that love of fashion and overindulgence in luxury, but she had turned quite frugal in the years she spent at the Academy. She always knew to put some aside for days like these. "He would never suit the plunging neckline and fitted bodice I'd wear to earn Bannon's favor." She laughed quietly, dryly. And he was probably too busy vibrating his way into some other poor initiate's heart.

She felt guilty for allowing Livia to live so blindly. Livia would probably be more upset if Natasha did tell her about the rumors.

She thanked the heavens when two voices grew closer as the carriage came to a halt.

"No, you!" A female voice growled outside.

"No! It's your turn." A male.

"Finch! God, what a fuckin' waste of time! This is all your fault. You got us in trouble and now we are being punished. Exiled to patrol the streets. Dumbass, you go do it!" A muffled thump was heard outside, a boot colliding with the metal shin guard of a guard outside.

The male was heard growling at his partner. "You were just as much a part of it as I was, Raven!" His steps grew closer. A fist pounded on the carriage door. "Ma'am. You can't park there."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia contemplated Natasha's input on inviting Silas, and perhaps it was time she had some plans that did not involve the boy she was utterly besotted with. "Alright, just you and I then." She smiled, looking forward to the evening even more now. The thought of presenting Natasha as a prospective interest of Bannon's was exciting, for she knew her dearest friend was a worthy candidate, and carried the poise her mother would admire in a daughter-in-law.

But if things did not work out, then there was no tragedy in allowing her friend to flirt with the heir to the Quinnick fortune and estate.

They rode well into the night, past the hours calling for morning and while no short trip for a shopping extravaganza, the two Initiates could afford to spend their weekend out in Vel Anir and be home before classes. After all, as they roused from their sleep, voices came apparent.

Livia brushed her hair, as if the brunette and silver locks were ever out of place, before cracking the door of the carriage open. "Did my driver not park in the designated area for patrons of Borros & Skell?" Her magic told her they were indeed withing the limits of parking in the stretch of street before the tailor atelier, but she made a show of spying a carefully carved wooden sign denoting such a thing. "And did you fail to ask my driver what House he works for? Because," Livia now descended out from the carriage, her driver coming to help her at the last step before holding a hand out for Natasha to take, "if you had, you would know House Quinnnick are friends of Borros, of Borros & Skell."

The Initiate looked everything a noble daughter ought to appear, and spoke like she had some sway with the guards' superiors. Even without being an Initiate, or noble, her mother was an Adelstein, with two of her brothers serving as Majors.

Natasha

 

[Jasper Finch]

"I-uh." The male, Jasper Finch, ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair and held it there momentarily while he scratched at a spot at the back of his head. The girl smacked him in the back, where his hand lingered as a signal to act more professional. He glared at Iris, the girl he'd considered to be his best friend. The woman who'd given him a job when he fled from his horrid family. The same woman who, no matter how catastrophically he fumbled any attempt to flirt with her, always remained his friend and his protector.

"I was unaware of that, my lady." He wasn't sure if he should bow. He tried to think of what others had done for him in his previous lifestyle of luxury. He bowed deeply anyway.

 

[Iris Ravenscroft]

"We apologize, Lady Quinnick." Iris refrained from copying Jasper's ridiculous bowing. "Were you requiring an escort to Borros & Skell? I must inform you that there has been an increase in thievery in the area." She stood rigidly, pulling Jasper back up to face the women. "Guards have been on high alert, but the thief or thieves have yet to be caught."

Iris studied the way Jasper looked at the two women. Not out of jealousy, more out of curiosity than anything. As if he could see something she could not. "We'd be more than glad to assist you to and from the shops." Her face, despite her words, did not portray any sort of eagerness to help the spoiled bitches.

 

[Natasha]

Natasha kept quiet for most of the interaction between the guards and Livia, though her stare lingered on the male as he struggled to choose the correct gesture to show his respect. Like he'd never had to perform such an action before. He seemed...familiar...to her. In a way she couldn't remember, and couldn't word. Like some sort of unspoken connection, he seemed to feel it too. And neither seemed to sense that this connection was a particularly pleasant one.

She shuddered first, looking away from Jasper and instead at Iris. "I think you needn't worry about us. We are well equipped to take care of ourselves." She smiled, keeping her eyes locked onto the female guard. "If we run into the thief, I will make sure we return him to you." Natasha pushed past Livia and stepped down from the carriage, grabbing her friend's hand and assisting in getting her off as well. "Shall we? Wouldn't want to miss out on the dress."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"My friend is right. We can certainly manage walking around the corner just fine. Feel free to keep watch on our carriage, if you must." Livia shrugged as she was helped out of the carriage. She linked her arm through Tash's and began to lead her friend away, but not before flashing an amused smile to the guards.

"Imagine a thief trying to threaten the likes of us." Livia mused, chuckling at the thought. If they could evade Livia's precise throwing daggers or even Natasha's own magic, then they would certainly be examples for alarm with the Dreadlords.

But their quick trip around the corner and into the tailor's shop went without incident. Borros spotted Livia quickly, crossing the room and abandoning his nobleman customer to greet the young brunette. "Miss Quinnick! Just in time! Skell is readying some choices for you, and your friend here too can pick from the selection. Please, wait for me in the second dressing room."

Livia let go of Natasha and beckoned for the dark haired beauty to follow. "Borros is a family friend, and has never disappointed me with any choices. Perhaps it is fortuitous that you are here to help me pick a final dress. You must try on some too!"

 

[Natasha]

Natasha grinned, tossing a lock of hair over her shoulder as they passed by the guards. "Right?" She giggled, "Sometimes I think they made us into the perfect weapons. Pretty and lethal." Perhaps that was why the Academy allowed them rare days off to venture out and still have some semblance of normalcy throughout their training. Though, this was not afforded to all Dreadlords, Natasha realized, and this included her.

She was a little hesitant upon stepping in the shop, knowing that with the amount of coin she had saved up she would need to be quite careful. She was splurging. There was no opportunity not to do so in the presence of Livia. But she still didn't have nearly enough money for a fraction of what she wanted to try on.

"Just a few," She followed her friend back to the dressing room. "You first, though. This is important for you."