☩ ００８． ＶＩＤＥＯ | ＡＣＴＩＯＮ

[mansuetus]

[ Lucrezia is in one of the lounges! Sprawled on one of the sofas, fingers busy turning a pendent of gold in the shape of a sea-horse. There are no poems today, no joyful greetings, something is different. She looks more pensive than anything else but there is a shade of concern there as well as quiet annoyance.

When she speaks, her voice is devoid of any of it. Her eyes still focused on the sea-horse. ]

A riddle, Tranquility.

How to mourn for someone who does not deserve it?

If your duty demands it and you have no desire to - do all men need to be mourned for? Is it a a more grievous sin not to mourn than it is to speak false words of grievance?

[ a beat. ]

Perhaps I must fast again.

[ a moment later she puts down her necklace, smiles. ]

I would have a cup of wine with your answer, if any of you have some to spare. You will join me in the lounge.

[ and it is not a question. ]

Comments

video; locked

[mansuetus]

Perhaps one day you shall be able to do something.

[ hurt him, she thinks. Not in a cruel way, just a lesson. A warning that he best keep away as he had supposedly done. ]

The one I speak of was my husband.

video; locked

[mathematically]

And I keep hoping that day will be soon.

[ Lydia would, as bad as it is, prefer to kill him. She had been instrumental in him coming back to life, so why not be the reason he dies a second death as well? It's a bit poetic when she thinks of it. ]

Then I imagine your husband was the sort of man I'd like slapping across the face. Those kind of men always suck. [ she pauses. ] I thought mine could make a good significant other. Not a husband since I'm only sixteen, but appearances are a little deceiving.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

I am that too. Or I shall be soon. Sixteen.

[ but she knows now that is considered young for some realms. ]

That they are. I hope you would find one who is as he says he is. One that would do good to you.

video; locked

[mathematically]

I just turned it, well technically at home I just turned it like a week ago or something. Here I guess that was months ago.

[ that was very weird to think about, surprise. ]

Technically I might have at home and he's here too, but it's complicated.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

Matters are the heart somehow always become complicated, do they not? They are only ever simple in children's stories.

video; locked

[mathematically]

I used to think ours was really simple. We were kind of expected to be together? You know? Not like a children's story but pretty close.

It's just been different then it was supposed to be.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

Do you love him?

video; locked

[mathematically]

More than I should. Enough to where, admittedly, even if he's a idiot so much of the time and he's an ass, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with him.

I like thinking he's the metaphorical king to my queen, you know? And it's not fun to have that not go the way its supposed to.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

Then you must be queen and king, despite his flaws. Will you marry him?

[ too personal, lucrezia. ]

video; locked

[mathematically]

[ way too personal, but she's going to answer it just the same because well, she likes the sound of it. ]

If he ever asks and is willing to actually follow me while I achieve some things he knows I want to, I would.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

It is a good condition for marriage.

video; locked

[mathematically]

You'd think so but men can be so annoying about it. Please, if I wanted to stay at home not doing anything with my brain, I'd do that all by myself, not because the guy I love has a problem with it.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

If you are his queen, then a queen does as she pleases, does she not?

video; locked

[mathematically]

She does, she's supposed to, equal power and all that, but— honestly, if you just let the women have all the power, so many messes wouldn't exist.

Sometimes a queen just gets pulled back anyway, not everyone likes a queen who does everything as she pleases.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

They would have loved you, I reckon. It is the secret of charm, is it not?

video; locked

[mathematically]

It is. But men occasionally get really offended when a queen steps on certain lines. I like trampling on those lines even if I can smile prettily while doing so.

video; locked

[mansuetus]

Much like myself.

video; locked

[mathematically]

Nearly exactly like you. I just have the misfortune of running into men who find it bad regardless. It takes time to change things, what can I say. Someday I'll get to be the queen that runs free.