ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ's ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ♔ sᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴛᴡᴏ ♔ ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ & sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ!

[parker;]

████████ 𝙲𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝙸𝚁𝙴 ███████████████
handmaid / naga / female / tags :: cordelia, darcy / location :: heading to the library

The scientist, what a bore. Silently the maid slipped up to the point where
she was just behind him and said, "Her highness is currently being entertained
by someone else, and I'd prefer for her to see what life is like when she's not
being directly monitored." Just a few more months.

She'd go back to the mess of a lab after providing more toys to her employer. She
could snack on whatever the Darcy had in storage, he wouldn't miss it too much.
She could just say that it was rotten if he asked any questions. However, Cordilia
would suddenly become a challenge. Especially if she was constantly providing
care for the soon to be narcoleptic man.

Piping up again she added, "However, if I can still understand those
foolish things most people experience... 'feelings' if I remember correctly, then
I should leave before either of you become more agitated then you already are."

[The Grey Stuff]

𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔠𝔶 𝔳𝔬𝔫 𝔢𝔠𝔨𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔱
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖Male〗〖26〗〖Location: Lovell; The Library〗〖Tags: Cordelia, Chole, Avis〗

"Darcy, it's okay."

Darcy wished he could share her sentiments. And he didn't like being corrected in any capacity, well-intentioned or not. His poisoned heart throbbed against his chest and pumped indignation through every vein in his body. And then before he knew what he was doing, on a frustrated impulse, he opened his mouth.

"I'm not a child," he spat, with so much venom that he surprised even himself. He felt like he could've launched into an entire tirade, but instead, he opted to tense his arms and keep up his steady pace, eyes fixed straight ahead.

He also would have openly objected to Cordelia's absurd decision to let Chole join them on their way to the library, but, thankfully for all persons involved, he never got the opportunity. To his exasperation, he flinched when Chole spoke again, for she had seemingly materialized directly behind him; involuntary shivers ran up and down his spine, and he resisted the powerful fight-or-flight reflex that implored him to splash hydrochloric acid in her face.

"I am not agitated," he stated, which was arguably the funniest thing he'd said all year. "But by all means, please leave on my behalf."

Finally he stopped outside the library doors, book still in-tact and in hand. Briefly he wondered whether or not Avis was within those walls; it was a thought that had been nagging him on and off ever since he and Cordelia began the journey to the book haven. These days, Darcy tended to watch after Avis from afar. Getting too close risked starting yet another argument, an argument that Darcy didn't need to hear. Nevertheless, he had struck a deal with Cordelia. And however boorish he may have acted at times, Darcy always kept his word. Taking a deep breath, he opened the great door and held it for his creation.

[meadow.]

C O R D E L I A

tagged: darcy, chole, avis, lilith, vixen??

Cordelia couldn't help the burning feeling of shame that ate away at her insides as Darcy once again flew off into one of his moods, leaving Cordelia feeling about two feet high even without a thought for Chole's feelings. He had a remarkable way of making her feel weak, vulnerable, and unworthy. It was a talent he had that was completely unparalleled in Cordelia's experience.

Still, she walked through the door with her head held high, never willing to let him see her hurt. She tended to recover quickly from his scathing remarks, anyways. She froze as she looked across the Library to see Lilith and Avis headed up the stairs.

"Lilith!" She called, her heart skipping a beat or two. "Chole was here just a moment ago-- How are you?"

Suddenly remembering why she was here, she looked past the Queen to the Bookkeeper. "Avis, can I put this back for you somewhere?" She held out the book she'd brought back so he could take a look. "Also, I probably need another recommendation... Maybe no Shakespeare this time? A girl can only sit through so many murders and betrayals."

In her excitement, Cordelia completely abandoned Darcy in the Library doorway. Maybe that would give him a few seconds in which to adjust his attitude, but Cordelia doubted it. She doubted he even cared.

[Ghostarriver]

Avis Savant
Book Keeper♢Male♢Age: 28♢Wereraven♢Location: Library♢Tags: Lilith, Vixen, Cordelia, Darcy

“I think... i-it's best things stay quiet Vixen,” Avis remarked, in an attempt to hide a sigh.

He barely glanced back, as the door opened, his eyes scanning for anything to do with Sirenth that he had. The bookkeeper was both amazed and concerned that, with the vast amounts of knowledge within this room, the best he could find were a few thin booklets, hardly anything compared to what the Library contained on some of the least known subjects.

He attention was only drawn when the creation entered, first addressing Lilith and then him. “No, no, I'll be down soon,” he picked up the scant collection he had unearthed, out of three entire shelves and began to make his way down the stairs again, slowly, hesitantly. He still wasn't very good at getting down stairs, having slipped more times than he could count. Leaning on a cane on an uneven surface didn't provide very good balance and there were times Avis wobbled, looking like he was going to fall.
The Wereraven took a while, but he managed to get down the steps without toppling over, much to his relief. He laid the books, he currently held, on a table, for Lilith to look through at her leisure. He then made his way over to Cordelia, taking the book from her. “Ah yes, of course,” he nodded, looking at the title. “I-I suppose you'll be wanting t-to read something less... well, like this. I'll be right back.” Leaving the returned volume on a nearby table, Avis began to make his way across the Libary, on another, hopefully more successful, search.

It suddenly struck him that he hadn't seen Darcy with Cordelia. The bookkeeper dismissed the idea that the scientist had let her go alone and his suspicions were confirmed, when he caught sight of him. He soon came to a stop, parallel to Darcy, frowning, lightly. His features seemed so gaunt, his skin so aickly and pallid, Avis doubted Darcy had even slept in the past week, let alone days. Some part of Avis desperatley wanted to confront the scientist about his unhealthy appearance, to try and get Darcy to abandon his current project.
But they had had that conversation several times already and it had always ended the same way.
So Avis looked away from Darcy and continued as if he had never seen him, his pace a little faster. The bookkeeper would appreciate if all the bookcases remained standing.

Eventually, Avis returned to Cordelia with two books: Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels, allowing her to take whichever she preferred.
“They're both q-quite long, so if you get bored wih either of them, I'll see if I can find something shorter.” he had no doubt that Cordelia could handle their complexity, she learned quite quickly. Besides, she could ask for help if need be.

[The Grey Stuff]

𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔠𝔶 𝔳𝔬𝔫 𝔢𝔠𝔨𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔱
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖Male〗〖26〗〖Location: Lovell; The Library〗〖Tags: Cordelia, Avis, Vixen, Lilith〗

Darcy, too, kept his head held high, but this was not atypical for him even on a good day. As always, everything was a matter of pride, of which he would swallow none.

Judging from what snippets of conversation he caught from his isolated position in the doorway, the scientist gathered that Avis, Lilith, and Vixen were all present. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw him-- the bookkeeper, allegedly making his way towards one of his shelves but halting mid-stride to catch a glimpse of the ironically unwell doctor. Darcy knew what Avis must be thinking, but he chose to ignore it, for, again, they had had this conversation before. And Mr. Savant was certainly one to talk about health, given his current condition. To this day it was still jarring for Darcy to see the bookkeeper wielding a cane as his constant companion, and he could only imagine what sort of unrest plagued the poor wereraven's mind and soul nightly.

Darcy knew full well that none of that was Avis's fault, but this was exactly why the scientist could not simply drop his current project. If it came down to preserving Darcy's health and peace of mind, or Avis's, Darcy knew which one he would choose.

The discussion was over.

Thankfully, Avis seemed to grasp this as he walked away and made as if the two had never made eye-contact.

Sighing, Darcy slipped into the library as quietly as possible and let the door shut behind him.

"I have this," he stated bluntly, extending his book towards the wereraven with notable curtness.

He had long since stopped apologizing for keeping them past their due dates.

[.Kirby.]

Eᴠᴇᴛᴛ Eᴠɪsᴄᴜs 【Clockmaker】【Male】【Mid-Twenties】【Merfolk】【Location; Sirenth; Clockmaker's Workplace】
【Tags; Open】
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Things were a lot quieter today. Something the Clockmaker could be thankful for. While he very much enjoyed the company of his fellow courtiers,
it could get distracting, and sometimes it was nice just to have the workplace to himself. He let out a small contented sigh as he put aside the broom he had previously been using to sweep the room, and took a step back to look over the room; arms folded behind his back. "Hmm." He glanced over his most recent collection of creations; mostly consisting of sculptures, and clocks. Turning to one of the few shelves in the room, he took out a singular record, walking over to one of many tables in the room and setting it down lightly as he adjusted the record player. Then taking the record, he carefully placed it on the player and set it to play.

Turning his attention back to his works, he took a small cloth out of a nearby drawer and began gently dusting each of them off as he subconsciously hummed along with the tune. Perhaps once he finished up here, he would take a stroll through the castle and see what the other courtiers were up to.

Particularly, his mind found itself wandering toward a certain Witch-Hunter. Malachi, on his own, in Lovell, of all places. Was this really a wise decision? he leaned an elbow on the table thoughtfully. While he didn't doubt the Witch-Hunter's ability, recent rumors of a particularly malevolent force plaguing Lovell weren't exactly, comforting.

The rest of the courtiers seemed supportive of the King's decision, while Evett himself was unsure. Then again, when was he ever sure? Even in the while he had come to reside within Sirenth, the Clockmaker still wasn't sure what to make of Caelan. While he wasn't close enough to the man to really have any ill opinions, something about him always left the Clockmaker a bit on the edge. Still, Caelan was kind enough to give him residence where many others would have sooner seen him on the opposing end of a Pitchfork. And Malachi trusted him, something he had hoped the lake-dwelling creature would come to do himself. Evett sat down the cloth, staring thoughtfully into one of the pieces.

Perhaps he simply needed to let his guard down a little, get to know the man better.

[meadow.]

C O R D E L I A

tagged: darcy, avis, lilith, vixen
It was painful to watch Avis descend the staircase so slowly. Her hand twitched briefly as she kept it to her side despite the visceral urge to physically reach out and steady him.

Cordelia had been scolded one too many times for merely trying to help. Her eyes darted to Lilith, then Vixen, measuring their reactions against her own. Perhaps Avis and Darcy were well-matched in their pride. If they switched places, Cordelia thought Darcy would rather fall than accept help. Maybe it was best to let Avis struggle, if it was what he wanted.

When finally Avis reached the bottom step, Cordelia hurried to close the gap in space between them and settle her copy of Romeo & Juliet into his hands. She pitied him– and whether she intended it or not, her concern was clear on her face. It was potent enough that she had even forgotten Lilith, and moved right past her without more than a glance.

Cordelia had always felt like, in some essential way, she was unworthy. Blithely unaware of the miracle of her own existence, she felt a constant need to prove herself as deserving of her place in the world. When handled somewhat healthily, this manifested as the urge to help people and to make herself useful. When it wasn’t, she internalized her perceived worthlessness and lashed out uncontrollably, with gruesome consequences. She wanted to be, well, wanted and to be appreciated for her service. Darcy wouldn’t give her that satisfaction, so she turned her focus towards Avis. Was there really nothing she could do to ease the burden of his guilt? After all, she had been the one to destroy Evanna’s last corporeal form, and the one to place the first bead on the past year’s string of murders.

All of this crossed her mind in the time it took for Avis to gather new reading recommendations for her. Lost in thought, she entirely missed Avis’... encounter with her creator.

Arbitrary choices were a challenge for Cordelia. They always had been, ever since her first meal. Shrugging off her discomfort, she placed her hands on both books. “I’ll bet I can read both of these before you’ll miss them,” she said, with her best charming grin. “I’m not afraid of a challenge.”

“I have this.”

As soon as Cordelia finished speaking, Darcy began. He was like a splinter beneath the skin of the room, a source of such discomfort and so impossible to ignore. His creation blamed his exhaustion. He was always more pleasant when he was well rested.

As Avis and Darcy turned their attention to one another, Cordelia approached Lilith and Vixen. “What brings the two of you here?” She asked, speaking softly. “Are you searching for reading materials as well?”

It was nice to speak with someone other than Darcy– as fiercely as she loved him, she often grew lonely after too long spent at his side. Vixen had sugar on her fingers from some sort of pastry, so she had likely been in to the village earlier that night. Lilith looked sweet as well– though Cordelia, like the others, was still adjusting to her new form. “I hope you’ve both been keeping safe,” she said, each word heavy with the burden of unspoken fears.