On a River of Dreams

[Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov]

    The Impressionist. He’d named the boat The Impressionist. It had been named after Talia. He’d named it for Talia, really. Nikolai had watched the champagne overflow against the hull, bubbles sparkling in the light of the setting sun. Nikolai crossed the gangplank first, as was customary, then planted himself in the middle of the deck. He had filled his glass and made the toast, and right at sundown, the guests had all boarded. They were ready to depart and Talia remained to be seen. Maybe she’d changed her mind? Maybe she’d found something better to occupy her time with? Maybe she was afraid of boats? It was a big one, after all, the kind only a rich man like his father could afford to buy for his son’s collection. Fully staffed and fully furnished, his father had spent so much money on it. For what? Because he loved his son? Nikolai doubted it. Either way, he’d hate to have to leave without her.

    Nikolai greeted them as they milled about, dropping compliments and the like, knowing the only reason they were here was to get into his father’s good graces. Jokes on them though, not even Nikolai had succeeded in doing that. He studied his surroundings, watching guests mingle, watching them ooh and ah at the golden fairy lights, the sparkling flutes of champagne. All this opulence, wasted on those who couldn’t and wouldn’t appreciate it. They took it for granted, just like Nikolai had done once. His guests were here and happy, but he couldn't care less about them. He only really cared about Talia. He’d wanted to impress her and she wasn’t even here. There was still some hope that he just hadn’t seen her, but there was also a sinking dread that she had stood him up. He walked the length of the boat, looking, eyes roving over every person he came across until he found one that threw him off completely.

    Princess Jin-hwa Mei. A solitary figure, standing by the bow alone. He saw her watching, waiting. That girl was almost predatory in her nature, but what woman from The Undersea wasn’t? Nikolai had been planning this party for so long he’d forgotten half of the guests he’d invited, including her. He turned on his heel and walked back the way he came, barely noticing that they had begun to drift along the river. He kept looking for Talia, though now his mind was more preoccupied with trying to keep Jin-hwa away from her. How in the world was he going to explain that away? He downed the rest of his champagne and set the flute on a nearby table, trying to think. Talia reminded him of a little foal, easy to spook, and difficult to gain her trust. If she had an interaction with Jin-hwa it would ruin everything. Nikolai cursed himself for being so foolish. It wasn’t that he felt anything for Jin-hwa that was more than physical, but Talia wouldn’t appreciate that, nor would she care. In her eyes, it was another girl, and she would see it as Nikolai two-timing her, basically. He tried to remain calm. There were two options in this situation, ignore Jin-hwa and hope she did nothing (which he knew was a foolish thing to hope for), confront Jin-hwa, or find Talia and try his best to explain.

    He passed by the pilothouse, no sign of Talia. Nikolai was making his way back down to the stern when he saw her. It was darker back there, but he would know that figure anywhere. Her glossy hair, the way she stood leaning over the railing. How wouldn’t he, when it had haunted him for months? Quickening his pace, he made it over to her. Nikolai cleared his throat to signal his presence. What was he supposed to say? 'Hey, just so you know my girlfriend who’s really not my girlfriend but technically is but I don’t care about her but we aren’t officially broken up even though we aren’t officially dating is here, I hope you don’t mind!' He leaned over the railing next to her and sighed. He was making a mistake, not bringing it up. But he really didn’t know how to explain the situation in a way that wouldn’t totally eliminate Talia’s trust in him. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked, his voice breathy and awkward and not at all charming. This couldn’t be that bad of an idea, right?

TAGS: Talia Avedon , Gemini Enigma , Jin-Hwa Mei , Quinn Allegra Stone
Notes: N/A

★fai

You may be on my mind. Everyday baby, say you're mine.

[Quinn Allegra Stone]

Quinn wasn't a fan of parties, it just meant that her family would use them as a way to parade her around. They would use Quinn as a pawn, use her to talk to others. Quinn was likeable and her job was to establish business and partnerships between others and her family. Not only that she was to keep the conversations entertaining so that people would come back and want to talk to them. Her sister would be there to keep an eye, to make sure she wasn't messing up. Quinn could barely focus. her mind was wandering and she wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else.

She was dressed up, her mother planned her outfits because she had to look absolutely perfect at all times. She looked around. Maybe she would get to see him. She was supposed to see him there at the party. Albert Court.

Albert Alder Coult (mentioned)

[Talia Avedon]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Lost"]

[break]

Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

364 Words

Music

gilding the lily is a kinda niche turn of phrase sorry

[break][break]

what must it be like [break]



to grow up that beautiful

[break][break]









Talia stared out at the water, the water lilies anchored to the shore. She loved water lilies. The painting of them, but also the real things. They were so vibrant. So bright. So real. They made the perfect watercolors. [break][break]

She loved watercolors, and she hated them. Nothing was clear. Nothing was real. And while it was wonderful, a world of possibility until the paint set, it was also dangerous. Any little thing could ruin the whole painting. [break][break]

She was standing on a boat called The Impressionist. Did he know that Monet was her favorite painter? Did he know that she wanted to go back to the mortal world, simply to see the paintings in person? She had only every seen copies, and they were even breathtaking. She wanted to make something that lovely someday. [break][break]

Nikolai made her think about gilding the lilies. Gilding these lilies in front of her in possibility and wet paint. Gilding the lily that was him with all the ridiculous things he said. Making everything better than it ought to. Making it seem too good to be true. [break][break]

There was a good chance he was too good to be true. She had been here an hour and he hadn't spoken to her. She poured wine and watched it flow faster than the people drifting past her. She studied the lighting and the angles and thought about golden hour. It was supposed to be in the evening, but they had met in the morning and it still felt like her golden hour had come and gone. Gilded lilies and gilded words. She was no longer golden. She had lost her luster. [break][break]

He hadn't. Knowing everything she knew, he was still too beautiful. She watched him, framed by the sun, come towards her. She tried to pretend she wasn't watching. She tried to pretend she wasn't waiting. [break][break]

"I haven't seen you." she said. It didn't answer his question, and yet it did.

Her acting didn't work. She looked at him like he was made of gold, like he was a treasure she could keep just from looking. She was an impressionist, not an actress . Always capturing moments, never leaving memories. [break][break]



[break][break]

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[Jin-Hwa Mei]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Lost"]

[break]

Gemini Enigma , Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

377 words

Music

Outfit

[break][break]

Fine [break]



Make me your villian

[break]



Maybe Jin-Hwa should have felt more comforted by being so close to the sea, but she just felt rivaled by the wind. [break][break]

This was no real storm. It was just the promise of one, the clouds thick with menace and implied threats. She wasn't afraid of any storm. She was a siren. She had the blood of those who drowned sailors. It was ironic, then, that she was the one on the ship.
[break][break]
This ship could tip over, and everyone on it drown, and she would just laugh as the waters turned crimson. There was something exhilarating about that rush of power. But then, wasn't that how it was for the Enigma boy on the land? [break][break]

She didn't know what to call him. To call him by his surname was to acknowledge his birthright-- and the late High King hadn't even properly done that. To call him by his first was to acknowledge a closeness she never wanted. He was just a force, like gravity, like the storm before her, and she couldn't help but be fascinated by it. They were both forces of nature. [break][break]

Nikolai was here, now, but he spilled kisses as easily as he spilled wine, and so did she. There was nothing exclusive about them, and she would not seek him out. Not when something changed in him, when he didn't look at her like a prince but like a boy lost and left searching. Whatever he wanted, it wasn't her. But she was a dangerous person to bore. [break][break]

Her dress clung tightly to her hips. Dripping gold, like she was the sun itself, like she had stepped down from the night sky to grace them with her presence. "What do you make of the stars?" Maybe that was meant to be a threat, a reminder of their positions, but it gave away too much to be a threat. It wasn't a threat at all. It was it's own sort of vow, and the fae never broke promises. She knew he would be here tonight. Forces of nature found each other again. Legends couldn't help but fall to fate. And if she had all the glitter of a crytsal ball, well then she was just reminding him that nothing was certain, not yet. [break][break]

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[Gemini Enigma]

on a river of dreams

[attr="class","box1"] Gemini could tell himself that he hadn't considered nor cared if Jin-hwa would be at this party. He simply wouldn't be able to say it out loud. There was no way around the facts, at least not for someone as rational as Gemini considered himself to be: she fascinated him. Mostly because he couldn't figure out how to break her, and he could never resist a puzzle—even one, in this case, of disassembly.  Even though he knew that no finery would be reflective enough to hide his reputation with its glare, he hadn't been able to resist the temptation to dress for the occasion. Half-mortal half-prince he may have been, forced to watch his brother lay hands on everything he deserved, but intrigue was an excellent antidote to disgrace. He used his beauty as he used any of his other talents: as a tool, a resource, leverage to get what he wanted. It was another segment of his potential, something else that had to be used or else it would drive him mad in its waste.  The fae were not, as a rule, particularly fond of buttons, so Gemini had chosen to pretend that the ones on his silver shirt (mostly transparency and lace) did not exist. Beneath it, he wore a lattice of chain and pearl, like a corset without any of the form or restriction. Gemini by no means had what would be called a strong build—he was formed with more of the elegance that the fae favored—but he couldn't help but feel that he looked slightly more solid than the rest of him. Well, they all knew what he was. And he wasn't the only one who could be vulnerable to curiosity.  He surveyed the group as was his habit, picking out potential targets, pawns, informants, allies. Threats. This last came, as he'd suspected, in the form of Jin-hwa Mei, a tasseled glass of champagne. Reflective though her dress may have been, she had a way of generating her own light that infuriated him. She made it seem so easy. No one was hiding her away, forcing her to dim that luminance. She was allowed to burn even if she left a trail of ashes behind. Meanwhile, Gemini was being smothered, and it would only be worse once Ambrose was crowned and even the land turned against him.  He forced his attention away from her. He would allow the princess to approach this time. Why not play by the rules, this time? That would allow him to fault her when she inevitably broke them. Besides, there was a North Court girl standing alone on the fringes of the crowd, and that simply wouldn't do. Gemini was bored, as if he wasn't always. If Ambrose insisted on stifling him, then he'd have to find smaller ways to amuse himself. He started crossing the ship's deck towards her.  Mentioned: Jin-Hwa Mei , Quinn Allegra Stone [newclass=.box1]margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:425px; background: transparent; overflow:auto; padding:8px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #091c3d;[/newclass]

Music Word count: 482 Notes:

credit to Laura of Adox

[Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov]

    Nikolai’s heart dropped a bit when she responded. Talia sounded disappointed. But was she disappointed that she hadn’t seen him or was she just disappointed in him? The latter though was quite unnerving. He turned to face her, one elbow casually leaning on the railing. It was a pose he’d mastered years before, done mainly for those who might be watching the Crown Prince and the girl he was talking to. “I haven’t seen you either,” he responded, his voice gravelly and low. “Did you come straight here once you’d boarded?” He looked out over the water again, noticing how calm and still the waters were, even as their vessel sliced through the tide like a knife. He tried to not think about a certain Undersea princess, who was on this very boat. He tried not to think about how dangerous it was, to have invited her onto her own territory, especially at a time when it didn’t seem like he was in her good graces.

    He’d grown careless, he realized. He should’ve looked over the guest list again. He should’ve only invited certain people onto the boat. He should have done more to protect the life he valued above his own. A careless king was a dangerous king, both to himself and his people. It couldn’t happen again. It would not happen again. It was getting darker, Nikolai realized. The golden light that lit the deck was shifting from being that of the sun to that of the floating golden lights that had been interspersed through the crowd. The darkness had never been a time that scared Nikolai, for glitter was best seen shining through the dark. But now that night was falling, turning the water from radiant blue to deep black, it was harder for him to curb his nerves.

    He might as well tell Talia, warn her at least. It already felt like he’d disappointed her, why not give her a warning before she was disappointed some more? He cleared his throat, looking back at her radiant face. “There’s something I have to tell you.” he started, glancing over his shoulder quickly. “I’ve had people planning this party for weeks. I could’ve been more involved if I wanted to, but that’s beside the point. The guest list was the first thing I was shown. I approved it, obviously. Anybody who needed to be here was on that list and so I signed off on it.” Nikolai tried to tell what she was thinking and failed. The blue tulle from her dress blew around in the wind, brushing past him. Another gust blew through, displacing some strands of hair from her face. “Then I invited you, and I was given the list again. I should’ve checked it, but I was careless.” He felt a knot form in his throat, closing his voice off. He cleared his voice again and continued. “I know you’re familiar with my… reputation.” Nikolai paused again. “The Princess of The Undersea and I used to be in a relationship of sorts. It was more like a fling that we kept coming back to though, neither of us ever desired our relationship to be labeled ‘exclusive’.” Now that he’d started telling her the whole truth, it just kept coming out. “But that isn’t to say that we ever explicitly ended the relationship either. We just got too busy to see each other.”

    Was this the moment when everything would end? How could something end before it had even begun? He was prepared to beg her to trust him, to know that he had never wanted to hurt her. It was the truth, after all. “She’s here now. Jin-hwa. And I don’t trust her not to target you simply because she’s bored.” He placed a tentative hand on her arm. He wanted the touch to be gentle and reassuring, wanted Talia to know that he would do his best to keep her safe. “You have to believe that I never meant for this to happen.” Nikolai had never been the best at wards, but he could try if it was necessary. His hand slid down to hold hers, warm and supple in his grasp. It was comforting, to him, at least. Even though he expected her to yank it back out. “I would hate for you to be punished for my mistakes. If you want to leave, tell me.” He met her eyes. “I will turn this boat around right now if you so wish.”

TAGS: Talia Avedon , Jin-Hwa Mei
Notes: N/A

★fai

You may be on my mind. Everyday baby, say you're mine.

[Talia Avedon]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Lost"]

[break]

Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

406 Words

Music

gilding the lily is a kinda niche turn of phrase sorry

[break][break]

what must it be like [break]



to grow up that beautiful

[break][break]









Talia blinked at him. "I wanted to see the waterlilies." she said. It was the first thing she said and the first thing she thought of when she saw him. He was a watercolor- opulent, brilliant, ever-shifting. He was a whole world of potential

It was the waterlilies before her and the linseed oil in her hair. It was the flowers that she crushed under her mortar and the stains under her nails. It was the colors she picked out in every sunrise and the books full of sketches that lined her bookshelves. Her whole world was art-- dissecting and creating it. Finding it and searching for it. She was so desperately hungry for it. [break][break]

And now he was here, watercolor eyes and golden hair, close enough to touch. She wanted to move away. He was too close, too much, and it was exactly what she had wanted for so long, and she was overwhelmed. What could she even say? [break][break]

"The subject of Monet's finest paintings," she continued, watching him too carefully, memorizing every movement. "I envy him for finding so simple a muse. I prefer portraits, but living creatures are always more fickle." [break][break]

Living creatures. Fae. Humans. She would like to paint a nymph. She didn't trust herself to face the world hand's on, so she kept it an arm's length away. Not an arm's length. A paintbrush's.  [break][break]


It was how she viewed the world. It was her means for interpretation. But she could go home, and she could paint out exactly what he was telling her, and she could rotate or redo it, and it would be the same. Nikolai was not so different from what she thought, and he would probably never change. It was an image cast in shadow, but so was this moment. [break][break]

"Am I one of those mistakes?" she asked. The ground shook beneath her feet, but maybe that was just the waves. An undersea princess and a golden prince. Her, somewhere in the middle. It seemed absurd. She was no great beauty nor any brilliant mind. Not yet. She never asked to be lost in the balance. [break][break]

He tried to explain it, it was true. And he was fairly apologetic. But the situation hadn't changed. This was a mistake, and she could only stay so long, whether or not he saw it that way. [break][break]
 
She wanted him to answer. She wanted to be wrong. She hadn't been yet. [break][break]



[break][break]

[newclass=.Lost]opacity:0;transition:all linear .5s;-webkit-transition:all linear .5s[/newclass][newclass=.Lost:hover]opacity:95%;transition:all linear .5s;-webkit-transition:all linear .5s;background-color:#b2bbc5[/newclass]

[Jin-Hwa Mei]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Lost"]

[break]

Gemini Enigma , Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

292 words

Music

Outfit

[break][break]

Fine [break]



Make me your villian

[break]



Jin-Hwa tracked Nikolai like she was tracking prey. Really, he was an easy catch. Breathtakingly predictable. Too easy to shatter, like a child's plaything. He would never survive in the Undersea. [break][break]

Maybe that was why she decided she wanted him. He was easy to snare, easy to capture. Was it the one or the other? She was taunting Gemini, but she wasn't. Nikolai was a dime-a-dozen golden daydream. [break][break]
 
Jin-Hwa was golden fire. [break][break]

The sunset reflected on the water, making them look aflame. Like they would burn up those lovely little lilies on the shore. Like they would burn up everything here. This boat could go down and the waves wouldn't touch her. They weren't her rivals. [break][break]
 
The stars were. [break][break]

She walked, slowly at first, casually, and then with more purpose to where Nikolai was. Out of the girl's line of sight. Right in his peripheral vision. She could see Gemini from here and she knew he could see her. That was what made this game so easy. She didn't even have to move towards them. Flies on honey or moths to a flame-- burn bright or sweet enough and you'll catch whatever you wish. She knew both of them couldn't stay away. [break][break]

She studied the girl Nikolai was talking to now. Bronze skin and black hair. They certainly didn't look anything alike. She was lovely and Jin-Hwa was sharp. Gemini too. They had decided she was too much for them and had gone looking for less. She wasn't worried. They would miss her soon enough. [break][break]

She watched Gemini like she was watching a comet. Like she was watching a planet orbit her. They were objects of great mass. Their gravity would pull them together again and again. Legends always found each other. [break][break]

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[Gemini Enigma]

on a river of dreams

[attr="class","box1"] Gemini couldn't stifle a smirk as he crossed the ship's deck. He could feel the burn of Jin-hwa's stare like strong sun on his back. He could not be caged, certainly not by one like Ambrose, and he could not be ignored, even by one like Princess Mei. If she, with all her tsunami force of will, could not overlook him, then no one else could. One day, he would be the north star by which the Faewild charted its course.  He had very few chances to exert his power, so he'd take this one—if Princess Mei could not ignore him, he'd claim all the pleasure of disregarding her. The North Court girl was not particularly interesting; in fact, Gemini's eyes would have normally slid right over her; but she was alone, which was all that really mattered for the time being.  Gemini settled against the railing beside her, leaning back and glancing heavenward. "Are you not enjoying yourself?" he asked. He brewed his tone like a potion (a posion, some would say); a touch of concern, a splash of wry empathy, a film of charm over the top, stretched with surface tension. "That would certainly be a shame for the host. But I'm afraid I'd be unsurprised by it." He didn't know said host terribly well, but the Undersea princess had him with invisible manacles, which didn't bode well for his mental capacity.  Quinn Allegra Stone , mentioned: Jin-Hwa Mei [newclass=.box1]margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:425px; background: transparent; overflow:auto; padding:8px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #091c3d;[/newclass]

Music Word count: 235 Notes:

credit to Laura of Adox

[Quinn Allegra Stone]

"M-me?" Quinn turned to a voice, a bit surprised. Why was he talking to her? She was always invisible unless her family introduces her to someone and she wasn't one to be memorable. She looked him up and down, he was handsome and he looked older than her. She looked around, did her sister put him up to this? Was she supposed to cozy up to him? Sometimes her family made her conversate and be around people to engage and try to gather intel. This was nothing of the sort. It looks like she was on her own and she was to talk on her own accord.

"I like it just parties aren't my thing. I prefer a smaller gathering." she said, being around royals. She liked to be alone or just be surrounded by music. Anything that would help her escape the reality of her situation. She was to be married, a business arrangement really and to be kept to herself. "Why aren't you mingle with the other guests?"

Gemini Enigma,

[Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov]

    Talia wanted to see the waterlilies. It appeared she hadn’t come for him. At least, that was his first thought, until he saw the way she looked at him when she asked if she was one of his mistakes. Nikolai knew how to read girls. He knew how to charm them. He knew how their words never matched their eyes and he knew what their words meant in correlation to their eyes. He knew that Talia was trying to deny something she didn’t want to be true. She wanted him, but she was hiding it. From herself, from him, from the world. He wished he could tell her that it was okay to show herself. With him, she would never have to hide.

    He stood quietly, trying to formulate the best answer. Nikolai watched the waves lap at the boat, the waterlilies bobbing on the by the shore. It was getting darker now, and the golden light from the sun was being quickly replaced by the golden lights dotting the deck. With the dark came a slight chill, and he couldn’t be sure if it was the wariness that he felt about Jin-hwa being present, or just the night air. He decided not to dwell on it. “No.” He paused, trying to think of what to say next. “You are not a mistake.” The deck swayed beneath his feet, and though Nikolai had always been able to tolerate the water, it made his stomach roil uneasily. “You have led me to make some of the best choices I have ever made.” It was almost paradoxical, that statement. All he’d done was be intrigued about a mysterious girl at a revel. Somehow this girl had had such a magnetism over him that she’d caused him to review his entire life and want to change it, too. Nikolai wasn’t sure if he’d be able to explain it ever. He didn’t care. It seemed the best things in life had no explanation.

    He wondered if Talia was mad at him. Or, at the least, upset with him in some way. Surely she couldn’t be overjoyed about Jin-hwa being here, but neither was Nikolai if his apologetic explanation was any indicator. “Are you upset with me?” he asked, squeezing her hand. He was surprised that she hadn’t tried to rid herself of his grasp. That had to be a good sign, didn’t it? “I don’t want you to be upset with me, but I completely understand if you are.” He felt the urge, then, to leave, or kick everyone off the boat. He wanted it to be just them, not a single thought spared for the outside world. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her how sorry he was, how much he wanted her. He wanted to show her. But that would be too much Talia, and, Nikolai realized, himself to handle. So settled for holding her hand, his thumb brushing comfortingly over her knuckles. Talia had said it herself. Living creatures truly were fickle.

TAGS: Talia Avedon , Jin-Hwa Mei
Notes: N/A

★fai

You may be on my mind. Everyday baby, say you're mine.

[Talia Avedon]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Lost"]

[break]

Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

479 Words

Music

OOP

[break][break]

what must it be like [break]



to grow up that beautiful

[break][break]









Talia stared at him, and it felt like looking at a happier reality. It felt like looking into her own longings. He said it all so simply, that she could be upset with him, that he could forgive her, that she wasn't a mistake and would never be. She tried not to show what they both knew to be true, that she wanted him and he knew it. He didn't understand why she was hiding it. [break][break]


For him, wanting was enough. For her, it had to be. [break][break]



She had never had anything she wanted unless she was willing to fight for it because no one fought for her. He didn't understand that it was never as simple as it seemed for him, that her world was fractured and his was crystal-clear. He didn't understand that the broken viewing glass she watched the world through might cut him too. He didn't understand that she was just trying not to shatter him or shatter herself. [break][break]



She desperately wanted to say yes to him. They could both feel it. But the fae couldn't lie, and she couldn't say yes, so she was just standing here, pleading with him silently. Begging him not to ask, because there was no peace in her answer. [break][break]



She never got a chance to ask. She wondered, later, if she was just being punished for even hoping. For wanting anything at all. The world was cruel and its irony was crueler. Perhaps that was her lesson to learn or cross to bear. [break][break]



It didn't feel like falling. It felt like the ocean came for her. Waves wrapping around her waist and pulling her under. Tendrils of seaweed binding her wrist. An immortal hand tipping the boat ever so slightly. She had never believed in fate before. [break][break]



She didn't know exactly what happened. But one moment she was standing there, watching him, and the next she was falling. She felt the water catching on her silk dress. She felt her hand ripped from his grasp. She felt herself suspended for a moment, bracing for impact, and it felt like every single time she talked to him. And then she wasn't bracing anymore, she was underwater, and her eyes were only open for a moment, but that moment was so lovely. [break][break]



It was him, staring down at her, head haloed by gold like some perfect painting and she knew she would drive herself mad trying to capture that moment. His eyes had never looked so impossible or so magical. And then it didn't matter because it was dark and she was underwater and she couldn't breathe. [break][break]



This was something she knew. This was something she understood. This was the impact, the pain, the painting papercuts she had been waiting for. This was her viewing glass shattering in a spray of seawater. This was drowning. Talia knew it all too well.  [break][break]

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[Jin-Hwa Mei]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Lost"]

[break]

Gemini Enigma , Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

491 words

Music

Outfit

[break][break]

Fine [break]



Make me your villian

[break]



Jin-Hwa couldn't keep the smile off her face. She knew she should try to hide it, try to have some plausible deniability. But she didn't want deniability, and she didn't want innocence. She wanted them to know just how guilty she was. She wanted them to be afraid. [break][break]

She wasn't looking at Engima now. She didn't have to. She knew he would be looking at her, whether or not he wanted to. Was that a problem, that it pleased her so much that he would ignore that north court girl for her? She had told him he was nothing, but that had been a lie, hadn't it? She wasn't sure she could get the words out now. [break][break]

Nikolai wasn't nothing. Nikolai was an entertainment. A twist of her hand and the seas rose to her call, snatching that half-mortal girl out of his grasp. One half-mortal and another. Was that what actually pulled them together? They had similar tastes? She snorted to herself. The idea was laughable. [break][break]


That girl was fragile in a way Jin-Hwa would never be. Such a delicate little songbird. Songbird with bones easily crushed. She didn't have to pull the girl down anymore. She was sinking all on her own. That was the thing about fragile girls. They snapped easily.  [break][break]

A storm was brewing on the horizon. Jin-Hwa could feel it in her bones. She could feel it like the tide rising. It would come soon enough, but it couldn't help them now. Jin-Hwa was a storm, a girl with the wind at her back and lighting in her bones. This had just been a game. Wasn't everything? [break][break]

No. She thought dimly, catching those star-spangled eyes in her peripheral vision. That wasn't game. It was something that could be won. And she would surely win it. But games didn't matter, and this made her feel something. It was nauseating and intoxicating all at once. One half-mortal or another. She would crush them both eventually. [break][break]

It wasn't a game. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself. [break][break]

She stepped forward, once, twice, then paused next to Nikolai, resting her hand right between his shoulder blades. Icarus' wings dripped wax over her fingers. She could feel the desperation rolling off him in waves, surely as the sea itself. From here, she could push him in too. She wouldn't have to. His wings were melting fast in the dying sun and the seawater would tear them apart. She wanted to see him ruin himself. She wondered why there was so much glory found by the dying. She wanted to watch it happen. [break][break]

"Are you going to save her?" she murmured in his ear, as soft and sweet as any lover's whisper. He would recognize the tone. "Such a delicate little songbird, but it's the struggle that will kill her." It didn't take much to snap hollow bones or shatter tiny wings. It didn't take much to silence a mockingbird's song. [break][break]

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[Gemini Enigma]

on a river of dreams

[attr="class","box1"] Gemini tilted his head slightly, silver eyes piercing, the face of a perfect listener. It was easier to allow the slight smirk of satisfaction with himself than to suppress it; girls were fond of confidence, especially those like this one who so clearly lacked the trait. Perhaps they just liked the idea that a man who thought highly of himself found them worthy. Gemini would let her think so. Any improvement to her self-esteem was of no consequence to him, unless she grew so self-sufficient that his attention no longer had any allure. He had yet to meet anyone who had that quality.  No. He had. He refused to look at Princess Mei, but he knew she was there.  He laced his fingers through the chain of his garment, drawing the North Court girl's eyes to its shine, tempting her to imagine her own hand doing the same. "So you prefer a more...intimate gathering?" Gemini locked eyes with her on the word intimate. "Wise. I would be tempted to agree." Eyes to the lips, and back up again. He couldn't help but feel that this would be easy.  It had never particularly bothered Gemini that the marks he chose never fell for his truest self; it mattered more to his confidence that he could ensnare anyone he liked, catch them up in the reflection of his many facets, blind them even—in spite of the disgrace his family had imposed on him. The poisoner's prince had never had the luxury of relying on others to craft his opinion of himself; he and he alone knew the extent of his skill, his devious mind. If they called him poison, then poison he would be: on their tongues despite themselves, slipped into their excess, his danger consumed and his effects taken on without realization. He could claim them and they'd never know until they were gone.  "None of them quite...drew my interest," he said in the voice of one confessing a great secret. He used his lowered tone as an excuse to lean slightly nearer to the girl. "I confess, it all seems rather frivolous. In that regard we think alike, you and I." Make her think he viewed her as an equal; make her feel special. It truly was easy. He was in the goblet now, at her lips, mixed over ice.  His attention was diverted thanks to a commotion occurring by the water. The waves were in Princess Mei's hands, he knew; she was no more subtle than the storms she commanded, the floods and the towering waves. If he was poison, she was venom, glad to be known as the cause of your doom as you waited to die.  It was tempting to pull a victim from her grasp, true, but it wouldn't spite her as greatly as refusing her lure. No doubt she had a talent for scheming, but Gemini could see where this one led: it would irk the serpent more to ignore its hiss, and besides, the girl in the waves was far from his problem. Gemini was not the hero the victims prayed for. He had too much to lose to risk it on every suffering soul.  He couldn’t have this girl thinking of him as some uncaring beast, however, so he donned a mask of surprise, an appropriate measure of concern. ”I believe you were right in disliking parties,” he said, injecting just enough humor to not seem callous. He looked back towards the girl as if they were sharing a secret. ”Perhaps I’ll keep to your company. You seem to have good instincts.” There was a joking note in his tone, purposely injected, but not too much—he wanted her to believe him, to trust the allure he’d created in himself. If she was reassured that her instincts were good, she’d be more likely to listen when she felt drawn to him. Gemini had to imagine himself in those waves—should he do as he'd sworn and make himself worth noticing in the princess's sight, it could be him with froth in his lungs next. All the better, then, that he was a slow killer. By thinking of him as worthless, as nothing, Princess Mei had denied herself the chance to build any immunity to his brand of danger.  He hooked two fingers under the chain around the girl's neck; it bore a delicate pendant. Such a lovely thing. So trite. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said, winding the chain around his fingers, drawing her nearer. It was gold, though he wasn't certain of its purity. He watched her lips. "You can look away. You know that you never wanted a part in this. I know that you're like me." He cupped the back of her neck, feeling the soft, fine hairs there against his palm, and angled her head back to receive his mouth.  His eyes were open. He watched the princess from across the deck. Quinn Allegra Stone , mentioned: Jin-Hwa Mei [newclass=.box1]margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:425px; background: transparent; overflow:auto; padding:8px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #091c3d;[/newclass]

Music Word count: 824 Notes:

credit to Laura of Adox

[Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov]

    It all happened so fast. The waves rising, the fear on Talia’s face as she was swallowed by the Undersea’s power, Princess Mei’s hand on him. Not a second could be wasted, by Nikolai whirled, using all the power and command he’d been born with to rip her hand off of him. The look he was giving her was almost as venomous as she was. “Even the most venomous viper isn’t immune to its own bite.” he snarled back at her. “One day you’ll run out of people to bite, and you’ll have no choice but to bite yourself.” With that, he turned, not bothering to take his jacket or shoes off. There was one single thought on his mind. He jumped over the railing and dove, with that one thought resonating through his mind. Talia.

    The image of her face fading beneath the water was imprinted in his mind. Black locks of hair floating up to frame her face, her lips parted in surprise. Her eyes, haunting and full of depth, as if they’d seen this coming all along. That was the image he thought of as he cut through the water. The water wasn’t cold, but it was a shock to his body, now accustomed to the cozy warmth of the boat deck above. It invigorated him. It gave the energy to keep going, even as the water lilies’ stems grabbed at his wrists, at his ankles, as the murky water stung his eyes and obscured his vision. He could just make out the shape of Talia, falling to the bottom of the river. He dove further, ignoring the way the pressure irritated his elongated ears. In the back of his mind, he realized how still she was, not bothering, or simply not knowing how to fight for her life. It made him fight harder against the current.

    Nikolai pushed through the water, finally reaching Talia’s sinking body. His dropped as he saw her closed eyes. She might have been sleeping. Even through the murk, she was still beautiful. His hands reached out, wrapping around her waist and cradling her to his body. His lungs were burning as he propelled their bodies up, but it was nothing compared to the fright he felt. He couldn’t lose Talia. He couldn’t have everything be all for nothing. Though his swim to the top was going much faster, The Undersea was still fighting him, even now. His vision was obscured, and the water lilies which had been so beautiful on the surface were blocking his path. He needed air, and he let that need drive him as the light of the boat grew brighter and brighter.

    After what felt like an eternity, his head broke the surface. Gasping, he put an arm under Talia’s legs, holding her bridal style as he treaded to the boat. Her face was still pale, lips tinged blue. Her eyes weren’t open yet either. He reached the edge of the boat and grabbed onto the railing. It seemed that his muscles were going to give out at any given moment, but he lifted Talia into the arms of one of his waiting servants. Once she’d been placed on the deck, Nikolai pulled himself up, ignoring the way the fabric of his clothes chafed against his skin. He shook his wet hair out of his eyes and stormed over to Princess Mei. “It’s over. Get off my boat,” he growled. His voice was breathless, but even through that, it held power. Like his father’s did.

    “Get off my boat,” he repeated, even louder and stronger than he had before. “And go back to the water where you belong. We all know it’s where you prefer to be, Your Highness.” He gave her a mock bow before turning to Talia, almost collapsing onto the ground next to her. “Tell the captain to get us back home,” he ordered, to whom he didn’t quite know, but he assumed at least one of the nearby servants would comply. Nikolai’s attention turned back to Talia, who was barely even breathing.

    Such a long time underwater had taken a toll even on Nikolai. He could barely imagine what it had done to her, with her half-mortal lungs. He knew the princess had targeted her because of her mortality, because she saw Talia as beneath him, because she was miffed that he’d left her for someone so lowly. It was ironic, wasn’t it? How someone so powerful could be so arrogant, so evil? It made his blood boil. Talia was innocent. She didn’t deserve to be punished for Nikolai’s crimes.

    He pulled her into his lap, hoping what little body warmth he had left would help her awaken. But other than that, he didn’t know what to do. “Please,” he murmured against Talia’s head. “Please wake up. If not for yourself, then for me.” He wondered if she could even hear him. And if she could, would his statement even have an effect on her? “I’m taking you home, okay?” His heart was beating much faster than was necessary, and the knot forming in his throat was both unfamiliar and uncomfortable. “I didn’t protect you well enough, but I promise it won’t happen again.” His voice broke over the words. “I’ll do better if you just wake up.” Nikolai didn’t want to think about how badly he’d relapse if she didn’t make it. He didn’t even want to think about her not making it. He shook the thought from his head. It wasn’t an option. She would survive this, and everything would be okay. “I’m so sorry Talia.” Was he crying? He couldn’t tell. “I will never let this happen to you again. I’ll bring you back again someday to see the waterlilies, but it’ll be just us two, okay?”

TAGS: Talia Avedon , Jin-Hwa Mei
Notes: N/A

★fai

You may be on my mind. Everyday baby, say you're mine.