inbox — pixie led

[lementeur]

Verso

un: verso

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COURT

DARK

DORM

302

"Changing your life also counts."

©

Comments

text | un: maelle

[maellum]

[Sometime after Renoir's first post to the network, and likely at some ungodly hour of the night--]

Hi.

[lementeur]

Hi.

[ Obviously he wasn't sleeping, but any ping from her would have gotten him up, regardless. ]

Suppose it would be foolish to ask how you're doing.

I'll ask anyway. Are you okay?

[maellum]

I was going to ask if you're okay.

[lementeur]

You don't need to worry about me. I can handle Renoir.

[ Even if knowing what he knows now makes that somehow more difficult than it was before. ]

[maellum]

I saw your face when we defeated him. When we defeated the Paintress. It hurt you.

[lementeur]

spoilers!

[ She was quick to pick up on Alicia, of course she'd pick up on the Paintress.

It's some kind of karma, for her to remember something about him that even he can't, isn't it? To grieve deaths that he can't recall? It's like a future he's still waiting to meet. An ending he was never actually granted. ]

She needs
Needed to go. They both did.

At least, that seemed like the right answer at the time. I'm sorry that it didn't work out the way we had planned.

[ Given the Gommage, Maelle must think they killed his parents for no good reason, now, unless vengeance counts. He really should...correct that. ]

—text, @nevron

[dessendre]

You agreed to dinner?

[ Because, after this, that's the easiest point to lead with. ]

[lementeur]

One dinner. I agreed to one.

I'm not interested in feeding his delusions, but if it buys me time to figure out how to keep him away from the others, then it's worth one night of dinner conversation.

Besides, you must miss my cooking.

[dessendre]

[ Smart. Clea isn't saying that, though. ]

Then we need to do this soon. He's traded something with our court leader in exchange for an atelier. I don't know what, but it's already having an affect on him. [ All of this is far too reminiscent of Aline's decline. She isn't letting herself think about it. ]

Maybe you can actually manage to poison us. That would be a blessing.

[lementeur]

Unfortunately, even poison won't solve our problems. Speaking from experience, trust me.

[ Verso will never actually be down with his sister dying despite him dooming them all anyway, but gallows humor at their own expense is always on the table. ]

What do you mean, he traded something? What would he have to trade? He'd never hand over the powers that she gave him.

[dessendre]

Neither is dismemberment, yet you seem keen on it.

[ She's actually amused, so. They're both extremely screwed up. ]

I've been told memories are highly valuable currency here. And he has more than enough to offer.

[lementeur]

[ Too bad all joking's out the window once she reads him what's on the tin. ]

He wouldn't. Not after
He was only just
He was the one going on and on about the importance of our memories together. About how they must mean something. About how I can't just sacrifice them with the rest of our family.

[ This is ALARMING. He can't be the only one upset by this. ]

For an atelier? I don't believe it.

They did something. Tricked him.

text

[maellum]

You don't particularly care for the castle itself, do you?

[lementeur]

Can you blame me? It's falling apart.

[ And no-one can see his 'I told you so' face. ]

Are you okay?

[maellum]

Yeah. Gustave suggested camping.

You're okay?

[lementeur]

Did he?

Not a terrible suggestion.

[ Whether or not Gustave made the suggestion based on Verso's advice, he's just glad that she will be getting away from the castle for a bit. Gustave can keep her from the tension brewing in the castle, while Verso keeps her from the Dessendre family drama.

Trying to keep her from that burden for as long as necessary includes silencing those depressing details. She deserves to enjoy her time with Gustave, away from the consequences of Renoir's actions. ]

I'm okay. Not always avoiding the castle. In fact, I've been remembering some old recipes.

I have a few extra madeleines left over if you want to sneak along some treats.

[ "Left over" meaning he specifically set aside several just for Maelle. ]

[maellum]

We're not keen and seeing what happens to the castle in the coming days.

You made madeleines? From scratch? What don't you do, Verso?

[lementeur]

They're one of Clea's favorites. It's been a long time. The first few batches were
hm
regrettable.

But these are, I'd say passable.

[ They're great because he didn't stop until he made at least close to the perfect batch. S-tier or why bother. ]

Do you have a favorite dessert?

—text, @nevron

[dessendre]

[ A little while after The Dinner. ]

There's wine left. [ A beat. ] Are you going to make me finish it alone?

[lementeur]

Oh, I don't know. Some of my best drinking has been done when alone.

I'd hate to deny you the catharsis.

[ He's really in no state to be charming or social right now. ]

[dessendre]

[ Which is precisely why she's pushing. She can only imagine the state he's in, and she's feeling more protective than ever.

Not that she's at all good with ... comfort. Trying here. ]

You brood enough for the both of us. Come drink and share moodily into the middle distance.

[lementeur]

[ This is about more than the alcohol, but he'll still take the bait. He's already well into a bottle of his own, except that one more blessing—and curse—of his state is that he's no lightweight. A little extra really couldn't hurt. ]

Where?

[dessendre]

The woods.

[ She's drawn a crude map with her finger. It's surprisingly detailed despite the medium. ]

Follow the lamps.

[lementeur]

You can always just come to my camp, you know.

[ He'll go, anyway. With a few people already knowing where his bedroll is tucked away, it may not be as secluded as it ought to be. Besides, he can appreciate his sister's hidden flare for drama at being left an illuminated path.

While the haunting lights may trigger a sense of unease or even fear in any Expeditioner who's crossed paths with certain Nevrons, the lamps have always felt like an invitation to Verso. Perhaps it's just his own innate connection to the morbid, following a light that could guide him to an end. Perhaps something in him never stopped looking for Clea, still drawn by each flickering of an ominously placed lamp. ]

[text] un: obscured

[monochromous]

[On Alicia's end, the young woman agonizes over this message. Not because the words don't come easily to her, but because this is the very first time she'll be able to communicate with anyone in such a way, and there's just the slightest fear that her expectations are just a touch too high. What if everything goes wrong? Or worse, what if everything goes right and then Alicia loses this way to talk too?

Which is maybe why she decides to only send a picture to Verso first, just to be certain her text even goes through, a photo of the setting sun peeking out from behind a beautiful tree that's older than any of them.]