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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2020 21:57:40 GMT -5
The scent had been on the winds for days, that chill bite in the air that smelled of both water and mist and frozen earth. Wafting in through drafty windows, it reminded Gabriel of home. While nearly all within the castle had retired for the evening, he found himself drawn out of the guest quarters down to the lower gardens in search of that familiar scent. Even in winter the garden was a lush paradise to the northern man. The dried husks of plants and flowers, thorns threatening in the absence of their beautiful plumage, were unfamiliar and exotic. Standing by the far wall, a low stone divider on whose other side the ground fell away into a deep valley forested in pines, those gray eyes stared over the moonlit terrain before Gabriel cast his face skyward. He stood for a long time, considering the weeks that had passed since his arrival, his breath misting in the air as he waited in patient, peaceful silence. What time he had been granted with the king had been brief and little had been accomplished by way of discussing the terms of the alliance. Also, since the night of the ball, he had not seen the lovely, feisty princess who was to be his future queen except from a distance. She was avoiding him, obviously. She despised him. It was common knowledge to be sure; the talk of the kingdom gossip-mongers. But he was not here to make her like him... A snowflake drifted out of the darkness, brushing against his unshaven cheek. A small, ghost of that rare smile pulled the corners of his mouth now devoid of the usual cold sarcasm as he reached out a gloved hand, absentmindedly catching the next few flakes in his palm and watching them melt on the leather.
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on Apr 24, 2020 22:23:27 GMT -5
Silence. It was always such a blessing. What made this scene even more breathtaking and tranquil was the soft snowfall that fell to blanket the lands, covering the hibernating floral that awaited spring.
Drawing her thick, crimson cloak about her frame, Cera wandered the castle gardens in search of nothing in particular, simply enjoying the quiet away from her bickering maids and their gossip as well as the constant prying eyes of her father with his endless questions. All she could hear were the soft crunching of snow as she took each slow step upon the frozen earth; fingers- as she removed one of her gloves- brushed against the icy brush as she passed.
She cared not for the chilled air, because out here, she at least felt close to freedom. Once she had to step back into the warmth within the castle walls, she was once again aware of the tie that bound her to a faceless man, a king she had yet to meet but would forever have to live her life with. Sighing, she lifted her chin up, turning that blue gaze upwards to the black sky.
Rumors spread far too easily and quickly within court and thus across the lands of Teronna than the princess would like. And because of that one night, where the arrogant bastard had the gall to try and humiliate her in front of honored guests, she had done her best to avoid him. It would be through the words of Jezebel that she kept tabs upon the man, this Lord Rohan, coming to realize his stay here was fairly useless and thus unwarranted. But it was by the wish of her father that he lurked within the halls of her home, a predator in search of its next target, and nothing she could say would change it. Even if she begged, this engagement would not be broken.
Jaws clenched with her wandering thoughts as they grew wild, tightening her hand about a frozen branch...only to draw back with a gasp when she felt something sharp pierce the skin of her index finger. A thorn, the last remnant of the roses that previously bloomed had drawn blood and she hissed with gentle pain. Glancing down to the crimson spot upon a porcelain digit, it was only when she drew her gaze upward did she spot the dark man, standing there in his quiet reverie a short distance away.
She was as frozen as the earth beneath her feet.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2020 23:25:00 GMT -5
Standing there in the falling snow, feeling the chill all around him that could not quite perfectly recall the air of his homeland to mind, Gabriel allowed his thoughts to wander freely. First, it drifted back to the desk in the guest quarters that he had abandoned, littered with paper and quill shavings. Even now, a verse drifted to mind. Not one of his own, but something very old and very well known back home. The familiar rhythm of the poem and it's playful wit drew a smile to his lips as he mouthed the words silently to the falling snow. 'Blow, blow, o' winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As man’s ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude." Rude. This brought Gabriel's thoughts back over the last weeks and all that he had learned in his silent watchfulness. Many within the castle liked to speak of him as though he were not present while others, though mindful of his whereabouts, seemed to quite forget how word could travel. Everyone was curious as to the length of his stay, of his seeming uselessness in light of the Allarick's fascination with his mistress, and of the dance he had shared with the princess. What had possessed him to rile her so? Gabriel could not fathom and, should he find the answer, would never have admitted it anyway. Now everyone was talking as though he planned to have the princess for himself. It was this thought that brought a real smile to his lips albeit a wolfish one; a wide baring of teeth that held little humor and gave way to the cruel calculation in those eyes. If they knew... A sound broke him out of his musings, pulling him out of his thoughts with an abrupt turn that had those silver blue eyes fastening upon the princess herself, half hidden behind a rose bush, still defiantly trying to hold on in the oncoming winter. He blinked and that lingering look in his eyes vanished behind a calm veneer. "Your highness." he moved to dip into a bow and noticed the way she held her hand, his brows furrowing. "You are hurt." Stepping towards her, he pulls apart his jacket front and retrieves a small, simple linen handkerchief, holding it out to her with a quiet, "I thought you had retired for the evening." It was not exactly a question nor was it a simple statement. Truthfully, he had figured himself quite alone for the evening and was now attempting to assemble his thoughts accordingly to this new turn with little success.
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on Apr 25, 2020 17:04:11 GMT -5
Cera was hoping to duck away, rush down that snow covered path and back into the warmth of the castle before the man could notice her. But she knew better- those keen, silvery eyes were forever watchful, and unfortunately, he had a sense of when she was about. He was truly keeping his promise to his dear, absent king.
With his acknowledgment, the princess bowed her head in response, murmuring his name under her breath, easily heard upon the silent air, "My lord Rohan..." The displeasure on her features were quick to change, however; confusion painting itself over her face as his concern, whether false or true, came into fruition and he handed her that handkerchief.
Slowly, her other hand reached out for it and brought it to that bleeding finger, daring to turn bright blues up to his face. "Thank you. It was just a sting from a thorn..." she spoke again before attention drifted behind her and back down that path with thought. "I...couldn't sleep." She was having those dreams again, those haunting visions that came to her whenever she rested her eyes...images she could not explain, and yet, felt so familiar with its blur of shadowy figures and fires. Cera shivered at the remembrance before ever so slowly looking back to the man...without an idea as to what to say.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2020 17:28:39 GMT -5
That usual inscrutable mask he wore was nowhere to be seen as she took the handkerchief and dab at her bloodied finger. His features shifted as though searching for it though never fully coalesced into a set expression until her eyes met his to thank him, his face becoming rigid and remote again, those steel blue grays ever watchful. Here in the garden, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the palace, she seemed at once less disdainful and more nervous than ever in his presence. "Nor I." he murmured softly, turning and looking up at the sky once more. For as long as he could remember, back when his mother was still alive, he had stayed out to witness the first snow of the season, no matter what time of day it came. It had been a tradition shared by them alone with her coming to wake him, the both of them holding back laughter as they raced down the hall to a terrace or even to the grounds where they would spin under the whirling flakes until their fingers and toes were frozen. They never shared the first snow with his father. After she had been discovered, branded, and then executed, Gabriel had still somehow found himself honoring the little ritual every year without ever really meaning to. Perhaps it was his way of remembering the woman whose name he was forbidden to speak. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, as soft as snow, resonant with the memories. "I thought you did not like the cold."
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on Apr 26, 2020 8:06:49 GMT -5
To have such traditions, it would have been a wonderful thing. Being the daughter of a king and motherless from birth, one did not know of such loving joy. Not that her father never cared about her, never lifted her up into his arms and laughed and smiled with her...but it all had ended too quickly. And the eyes in which he looked upon her with now were not of the man she had once known. That was what frightened her the most. Sometimes, she often wondered if she reminded him of her- her mother. There had been no images made of the woman that was once queen, and thus, that small emptiness in her heart, of yearning to know of whom she truly was, could never be filled.
Cera studied him as his gaze averted to the sky, the stoic mask that quickly took hold once more just when she felt he was seconds away from expressing true emotion. Then, she looked down to that bleeding finger and the handkerchief wrapped around it. "I usually do not. But in the silence and the cold, I feel more at ease...nothing is fake out here. Everything is...simple," she admitted without question, glancing to the red and orange glows emitting from the castle windows of candles burning and roaring fires in their hearths.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:17:08 GMT -5
He could feel the keen scrutiny of her stare as though it were a physical touch. It pulled at the edges of his facade to get at what lie beneath. He was almost relieved when he felt that penetrating gaze shift away from him. Her words surprised him, however, tugging his brows low in puzzlement. It was perhaps the most honest thing she had ever said to him. It was certainly the least hostile. It surprised a smile out of him, one of those rare lopsided smirks that made it's way into those cold iron eyes of his. "I know what you mean." he murmured.
They were the only ones out here and yet they both spoke in hushed tones, as though to raise ones voice above a whisper would break some sort of spell cast by the first snowfall. "I have always felt the same. It does not have to be green and full of color to be beautiful. Everything looks...pure when it's blanketed in snow. Almost new..." He followed her gaze to the flickering lights behind the many castle windows behind which the inhabitants nestled warmly in their chambers, unaware of this meeting in the snowy garden below. He had duties beyond those windows, back inside the castle but, for now, out there in the garden filling up with fresh, downy snow, he felt strangely free of the responsibilities that had brought him to Teronna. Suddenly, Gabriel surprised himself by saying, "Would that it could turn everything new again..." The timbre of his voice was quiet, almost dampened by the silent flakes drifting down on the two of them.
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on Apr 26, 2020 20:14:08 GMT -5
It was quite astonishing, really...how different he seemed out here. It was as if the snow changed him, invigorated him, made him forget the task in which he was set to do. Cera found herself not loathing this Lord Rohan but was well aware that it could not last because such simplicity never did for her. Yet, a part of her wondered, maybe even hoped, that he wasn't only here to find the bad, to report the worse of her and her kingdom to the king of Arcisea. Perhaps, he was willing to share the good, mostly of her, to give Julian an idea of his future wife...
Did he even care? Did she? She was being forced to marry a man she knew nothing of, only from what she could make from portraits and crude rumors spread of him. Her stomach churned every time she thought about.
Eyes were drawn from the castle, seemingly looking upon him in a new light. He seemed so unlike himself at this moment that his own grin brought on one of her own, as faint as it was. Hers simply appeared more amused over his soft musings. "I didn't realize you were such a poet," she spoke in light mocking, but for once it wasn't meant to be cruel. It had just surprised her, is all.
Cera began to stroll again, turning a little in mid-stride to speak in case he did not decide to follow. With eyes lifting back towards the darkened sky, she questioned him, "Is this what your home is like?" Or her future home, as it would seem.
Expression hardened at the idea for just a moment; an odd sense of nostalgia already washing over her.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 20:35:26 GMT -5
Several thoughts seemed to flicker behind those blues depths as he watched. She stared back at Gabriel like he was a riddle she was not yet certain she wished to solve. His gaze fell to the faint smile that formed on her lips in answer to his own. It was the first time she had smiled in his presence. Gabriel found that the chill beauty he had thus far seen was merely brightened by the expression. Her sudden observation, and perhaps also the impish jest in her voice, made him tip his head back in surprised laugh. How neatly she had labeled him, how keen her words without her even truly knowing how right she was. When he looked back at her, the lopsided smile now held a trace of true delight as well as a gleam of mischief in his eyes. "I dare to say there is much we have yet to learn about one another..." he murmurs in a hushed and - dare it be said - playful manner.
When she began to move along the path again, Gabriel first moved to follow behind and to the side of her deferentially. But something made him lengthen his stride to fall into at her side, hands comfortably tucked at the small of his back. Her question brought his attention, like hers, to the darkened sky and then to the surrounding hills already covered in a layer of snow. "Yes..." he admitted softly. his voice thoughtful, distant even as he once again thought of his mother. She had been crossing his mind often of late and Gabriel, after so many years of resenting her for what she had done to their family, could not fathom why. "...and no." He added this after a long pause, pulling his thoughts back to the present. Casting the princess a sidelong glance, he caught that hard expression on her face, sensing the emotion behind it. Everything reminded her of something she had no choice in...Gabriel's presence chief among them as she must see him as nothing more than his King's watchdog.
Perhaps it was this hardness that made the next words come before he could stop them. "Everything is... bigger. Wilder? Yes, there is a wildness to the land. As if you exist there by it's mercy. The trees stand twice the height of your tallest here. And the mountains are...almost savagely protective. They loom over the landscape like ancient, colossal sentinels." He found himself using his hands as he attempted to describe these intangible things, sweeping them out before him, sketching the shape of the mountains from his memory. "And, perhaps something about the shape of the land makes the wind sound like howling...or singing, depending on the season..." he had just turned to her with this, another smile on his lips, this one almost boyish, when he suddenly stopped. Looking down at her, puzzlement etched itself across his brow as he wondered what had possessed him to reveal all that to her. There was hesitation too; her soon-to-be husband should be the one to tell her these things, to share with her the beauty their home had to offer. Perhaps it was something to do with the first snow and the strange, mischievous spells it wove.
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on Apr 26, 2020 21:05:30 GMT -5
Cera thought this man was many things...but none of them seemed to come to mind while he walked beside her outside in this cold, desolate garden. It was strange, and it should make her nervous, but for the moment it didn't seem to bother her. Perhaps she was too tired to argue for once?
It would be a long moment before she looked back to him, contemplating on returning inside to the warmth of the castle fires, to the restraint of those castle walls that felt as though they were closing in on her with each passing day. Yet, as he spoke so lovingly of his homeland, the place she dreaded with such an unexplained passion, made her change her mind on leaving. The images he wove in her mind made her feel a little more at ease, even if the realization of this all, of this marriage, started to come spiraling down for the first time. It let her know it was real, that it would really happen.
Still, that worry melted from her face as she studied his features- the difference in expression, how his face seemed to warm up at his memories, the softness in his deep voice and a rather intriguing, boyish grin. In this very moment, he was a completely different man from the one she had first met, and it was curious. The way he so lovingly spoke of Arcisea made a part of her actually wish to see it.
Pausing in step as he froze, hands poised there before him as something suddenly came to his attention, she turned to face him with a small cant of her head. "What is it?" she questioned lightly, brow furrowing in curiosity. Indeed, this should be Julian explaining his kingdom, the beauties and wonders of it...but why did Cera believe that such happiness and expression wouldn't befall the king's face like it did with Rohan's?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 21:54:42 GMT -5
It was as though he'd momentarily forgotten to whom he was speaking. She was to be his future queen. Also, she loathed him. Yet, here, in the gardens, speaking with her under the first snow of the season, Gabriel felt strangely removed from everything back in Arcisea even though, on a night such as this, his mind was filled with memories. Both good and bad. It was impossible not to have that sense of connection to home only to realize, with suddenly stunning clarity, that aside from his duty to Julian, there was very little there for him. Though there would certainly be feasts aplenty inside the warm halls with bawdy songs and women, spiced ale and sweet meats... he would have felt much as he did now, as though he were separate from such things. That he neither belonged nor cared. In all likelihood, he would probably be exactly where he was now, outside, in the cold, under the snow where all things were rendered new. Except, here, he wasn't alone.
Looking down at the princess's curious gaze as the silence stretched after her innocently curious question, Gabriel had a fleeting wonder at how his home would appear to her when she became part of it, when she became his Queen. "It's nothing," he murmured softly still looking at her, a smile hinting at the corner of his mouth. "I suppose we all see the best in our home and overlook the flaws, the faults. Perhaps my view of my home would not be yours." Though he would like it to be.
Where had that come from? That thought, that wish... he should not think such things. None of this was what he was here for. This was folly. Clearing his throat, Gabriel tore his gaze away from hers, returning it to the castle windows lest she see right into him with those bottomless blues. "It is cold. I should escort you back inside before you catch a chill." And with this, Gabriel held out his arm to her without a single trace of that tell tale smirk on his face. There was, however, a shadow behind those grey eyes.
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on May 3, 2020 9:42:20 GMT -5
There were days that she thoroughly enjoyed the parties at the castle when there was good company and song. Yet, more than half the time, the princess would excuse herself early, would either go to her room or wander about outside to simply get away from it all. It was especially bad these days with her father's hand falling heavier upon this war with magic...and being completely occupied with that whore. She didn't want to be anywhere near either of them. She didn't want to be a part of this.
Cera wanted to believe that Allarick spoke truth about the Mystics, but something tugged at her heart anytime she thought about it. Was all magic evil? Why did this sudden thought make her shiver and feel her stomach twisting into tight knots?
Still, strangely enough, Lord Rohan managed to draw her from these worries, leaving her curious if nothing else. And she had never been curious about him before. Not in this sense. It had just been this look that washed over him, changing those usually scowling or mocking features into something- dare she say- softer. Human. Handsome. Cera had stopped breathing for a short moment.
"I suppose..." she answered quietly. The princess wanted to hate Arcisea, if only for this betrothal, and yet, the man before her managed to make it sound like some winter wonderland; a cold, maybe dark but beautiful place so that in that very moment, she wanted to see it. Or maybe his words had painted such a vivid picture that she could already imagine it.
The spell was broken when he drifted his gaze from hers, leaving her standing there in quiet contemplation, blinking those bright eyes to try and focus on the present. Cera was almost reluctant to take his offered arm, if only because she wasn't sure she was entirely ready to go back inside. After a moment, she found herself speaking, her voice quiet, "So, is it wrong, then, if one is unable to look passed the flaws of their home?" Perhaps she shouldn't be saying these things.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2020 9:12:35 GMT -5
How strange that they should be so alike without knowing or, in her case, caring or even liking. Perhaps that was why they clashed so. Why did he see this now? Perhaps it was the first snow, its magic not only casting the world anew but the two of them as well. The usual walls that she had kept between them since his arrival seemed breached and there was something reaching out from behind her eyes, a hand beckoning him within… or pleading for rescue? Yet her soft reply was as shuttered and enigmatic as ever, giving him no hint as to her real thoughts.
When, instead of taking his proffered arm, she turned to him with that question, Gabriel blinked in surprise. Given their past encounters, he had thought she would want to escape him as quickly as possible. Yet she seemed as reluctant to go back inside as he was. Dropping his arm, Gabriel regarded her with curious eyes.
"No..." he replied smoothly, "That's what makes it home; loving it in spite of its flaws, and feeling safe even when it brings you sorrow." The memory of his mother, so pure and innocent through the eyes of his child self, burning in the courtyard came before him. His gaze grew distant even as it looked upon her. "And pain." So long ago and yet the image still so fresh in his mind. With it, came the old pain. For the first time, Gabriel felt his surety in his home waver, the memories clashing with his words and leaving him uncertain if he spoke truth.
It was this uncertainty that made his gaze sharpen upon her once more as he spoke, his voice as soft as the falling snowflakes. "What do you love about your home, Your Highness?"
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Lunari
25
Apparently betrothed...
Princess of Teronna
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Cera Le'Orin on May 27, 2020 10:26:19 GMT -5
There were many reasons why Cera had immediately distrusted King Julian's advisor from the moment he set foot in Teronnian court. And it wasn't just because of that grin that was somehow appealing and yet very unsettling all at the same time. It was the fact that he was a foreigner, that he was here because of her supposed fiance's wishes, and to spy on her and her home no less. The sad thing was, she couldn't fault the king for doing it, but the mere fact that he sent an envoy to do his bidding bothered her in some fashion. Maybe that was where they differed. Maybe this was why Father didn't believe she was fit to rule the kingdom on her own.
But she stood there now, asking the one man who would be truly with honest with her...even if it was brutally honest.
Cera feared this war with magic, and a part of her worried about magic itself. Her concern for it didn't run parallel with her father's, but she didn't understand it. And yet, maybe she wanted to, and that was the scary part. But how could you fear something you didn't understand? How did you know it was truly evil?
Did she love Teronna despite these horrendous laws that may or may not be reasonable? She supposed nothing was ever truly reasonable, though.
The princess noticed how he seemed to be mentally in another place for a moment, how he was seeing something entirely different behind those eyes. Lips pursed to speak, but she almost didn't wish to interrupt him or break him from it. 'And pain.' Cera hadn't realized that her breath was caught within her throat, leaving her momentarily speechless. When he asked his question, she actually panicked. "I don't know..." she found herself saying before she could stop herself.
Turning from him, she paced forth a few steps before she stopped. Her head turned to face him, but bright eyes could not lift to his face. Instead, they remained downcast. "That is...I do not know because I have yet to see most of it." Rohan might have caught a glimpse of shame on her features before she was looking away again. Maybe it was not strange for a princess to say such things, to forever be locked away behind castle walls. The little she knew was the forest outside the city when she was able to escape with Rosemary. She only knew the fields or the mountains, or the cliffs from paintings alone and glimpses from childhood when she had traveled a little with her father.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2020 10:50:57 GMT -5
The surprised honesty of her answer equally surprised him. He could tell it was the truth because of the trace of guilt on her features and that she could not look at him as she spoke. Remaining where she had left him, Gabriel stared at her, confounded. From the moment he had met her, for all her youthful defiance, her rash naivete, Gabriel had known she was a force to be reckoned with because even though she was afraid, she stared down her fear and didn't back away. So, for someone so forceful, so headstrong, to have so little knowledge of her own self, of her own mind? Gabriel found he could not abide this. Keeping his hands tucked at the small of his back, Gabriel tilted his head to the side, regarding her profile with evident disbelief. "Nothing?" A pause, a further tilt, an urging for her to look at him. As easily as he could read her features, Gabriel preferred to see it in her eyes. "Are you telling me, that you, Princess, have not once looked out the gilded windows of your palace and seen something to instill even the slightest admiration? No memory that brings you joy in troubled times?" The upward tilt at the end of his sentence, a faint, gentle shadow of his earlier mockery. "I am a stranger to Teronna and even I can admit that it has its virtues." And its flaws of course. With the past so close in his memory, Gabriel could not deny that, like his home, Teronna showed similar cruelty and intolerance. Instead of chasing down the sting of his question, Gabriel instead kept the tenor of his words casual. "In some things, of course. I will admit that your scenery, while soft and quaint, has a delicate beauty. And your wines are sweet." Though he was not much of a drinker. His father's drunken decent into bitter obscurity and his violent rages followed by his forgettable death had seen to that. Yes... certainly not one of his more favorable memories of home. With slow steps, he closed the distance between them to draw level with her on the path though he let his gaze drift to the snow dusted gardens around them. "Everything here is sweet." Now he cast a sidelong glance at her, one corner of his mouth tilting in that trademark smirk except, this time, it seemed to be drawing her into the mirth rather than directing it at her. "Well... almost everything." Now a grin, this one more than hinting that they both knew about what- or rather whom he now spoke. She was not sweet. She was like one of the winter storms of his home, beautiful and terrible, one moment a delicate snowfall, the next a crushing gale, icy and relentless. If only she could believe it herself.
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