our lady of tears. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unapparent) wrote2024-07-16 06:59 pm
unapparent) wrote2024-07-16 06:59 pm
Entry tags:
INBOX
WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK
USERNAMe
@hightower
text 👑 audio 👑 video
WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK
USERNAMe
@hightower
text 👑 audio 👑 video
A little birdie told me we have a real-life Queen in our midst.
Pardon the interruption, your majesty. My name is Hawkins Fuller - I believe you know an acquaintance of mine. Timothy Laughlin?
Pardon the interruption, your majesty. My name is Hawkins Fuller - I believe you know an acquaintance of mine. Timothy Laughlin?
[ Another name that sounds of an unfamiliar tongue. Is ‘majesty’ how the royalty of this land style themselves? ]
Ah, my most gallant knight. Are his acquaintances as kind of heart, Hawkins?
[ testing, maybe, or teasing. ]
Ah, my most gallant knight. Are his acquaintances as kind of heart, Hawkins?
[ testing, maybe, or teasing. ]
[ she thinks of lestat playing the piano, an instrument without a westerosi equivalent. how much differs from all she knew? ]
Oh, yes. As a girl, I adored when musicians would visit court.
Oh, yes. As a girl, I adored when musicians would visit court.
[ alicent is not an afterthought, it's just that embry has been too a) drunk and b) messy to remember how to be a person until now, early dawn of the second day of confinement. he is drinking water and eating a croissant in bed, his first act of humanity in twenty-four hours. ]
do you have company while the house sets itself on fire?
[ girl. r u alive. ]
do you have company while the house sets itself on fire?
[ girl. r u alive. ]
[ it’s an ill-omen, that fire should come so soon after her son’s burning. the thought consumes her, dragonfire flashing behind her eyelids. ]
Yes, I am fortunate to have had options regarding where to spend this frightful time.
At court, I had a sworn protector who guarded my door each night. It is not the same, but Timothy Laughlin has extended kindness after kindness to me, including an invitation to share his suite for the duration of this frightful affair.
[ naturally, she accepted. ]
Yes, I am fortunate to have had options regarding where to spend this frightful time.
At court, I had a sworn protector who guarded my door each night. It is not the same, but Timothy Laughlin has extended kindness after kindness to me, including an invitation to share his suite for the duration of this frightful affair.
[ naturally, she accepted. ]
( outside her room, the day after they talk on Butler, Alicent will find a small bouquet of hyacinth, yellow pansies, and red carnations. he's done his research, somewhat... so he hopes his meaning comes across. he's also done his best to arrange the flowers so they look nice, but it is clearly not a skill he's ever developed. there's also the potential a flower that's not a pansy or carnation snuck in there. admittedly, he was going off pictures and he had to pick them in the dark of night and bring them inside to check color and design to see if they matched the book.
it's an attempt. )
it's an attempt. )
[ oh, alicent thought she might tease alexei about this in the coming weeks. angrec, for royalty — the very thing that sets them apart from others, on one side of an invisible line. amaranth, for immortality, just to make him check the meaning and perhaps laugh, at the impossibility of there being a flower for every thought.
he beats her to it.
appreciation and affection flood her, pinking her cheeks and warming her from the inside. it seems an awfully thoughtful, if somewhat chaotic, effort from one who claimed to be unable to feel. ]
Thank you, Alexei. You have lifted my spirits without even knowing they drooped low.
[ a beat, unable to keep herself from questioning. ]
Do I fascinate you so?
he beats her to it.
appreciation and affection flood her, pinking her cheeks and warming her from the inside. it seems an awfully thoughtful, if somewhat chaotic, effort from one who claimed to be unable to feel. ]
Thank you, Alexei. You have lifted my spirits without even knowing they drooped low.
[ a beat, unable to keep herself from questioning. ]
Do I fascinate you so?
[ pretend he's figured out how to copy and paste on this tiny fucking thing, he's sending receipts. ]
I told you he would, Mother.
I told you he would, Mother.
[ ENOUGH. ]
He toys with you like a pup, and you jump at the first snap of his fingers.
He will not harm me because you will not harm Prince Jacaerys. Not here.
He toys with you like a pup, and you jump at the first snap of his fingers.
He will not harm me because you will not harm Prince Jacaerys. Not here.
Okay, since you asked. And you asked me to be thorough so I put everything I could think of, but I know that no one is perfect, so meeting every item on the list isn't necessary. I'll trust your judgment on how much is enough.
PERSONALITY/TEMPERAMENT: These are the most important things.
- Kindness (none of the rest is worth anything if he doesn't treat me kindly)
- Patience (I have some things to work through, emotionally and spiritually, and adapting to the norms of this place. I'm doing the best I can, but I think a lot of it will just take time.)
- A man of faith (Negotiable. He doesn't have to share mine exactly, but understanding where I'm coming from is important. Non-religious is okay if he can be respectful about mine. Unlike some people.)
- Confidence. I get anxious enough about this place, I need someone to balance that out.
- Emotionally available/looking for a commitment (Not right away. But eventually.)
- Common interests. History, music, art. From a different world is okay, that's just more to learn.
GOALS/LIFESTYLE:
- I want to make this place better for everyone, and I want someone who wants to help me instead of be cynical about it. And if we are able to return home, I want to use what I've learned here to help back there. An ideal partner would be willing to fight that fight with me. Way, way down the line. I wouldn't expect anyone to uproot themselves from their whole planet for me.
- I like to keep things tidy. I don't mind a little cleaning, but I'd prefer a man who isn't messy all the time.
- Monogamy. I know this isn't completely realistic because they drug us at the parties, but I want to devote myself to someone and feel like I'm getting it back. Maybe not at first, but eventually.
PHYSICAL....THINGS: Purely in the interest of being thorough, if we're imagining someone "perfect" - but connecting emotionally is more important. Obviously.
- I like guys who take care of themselves. Some scruff is okay if it's intentional.
- Masculine men. I want to be with someone stronger than me, I feel more...secure that way, I guess? I can take care of myself but it's nice to have someone who can help.
- Nice eyes. Strong features. Older. Comfortable taking charge. Tall. Strong hands. And smells good.
That's all I can think of for now.
PERSONALITY/TEMPERAMENT: These are the most important things.
- Kindness (none of the rest is worth anything if he doesn't treat me kindly)
- Patience (I have some things to work through, emotionally and spiritually, and adapting to the norms of this place. I'm doing the best I can, but I think a lot of it will just take time.)
- A man of faith (Negotiable. He doesn't have to share mine exactly, but understanding where I'm coming from is important. Non-religious is okay if he can be respectful about mine. Unlike some people.)
- Confidence. I get anxious enough about this place, I need someone to balance that out.
- Emotionally available/looking for a commitment (Not right away. But eventually.)
- Common interests. History, music, art. From a different world is okay, that's just more to learn.
GOALS/LIFESTYLE:
- I want to make this place better for everyone, and I want someone who wants to help me instead of be cynical about it. And if we are able to return home, I want to use what I've learned here to help back there. An ideal partner would be willing to fight that fight with me. Way, way down the line. I wouldn't expect anyone to uproot themselves from their whole planet for me.
- I like to keep things tidy. I don't mind a little cleaning, but I'd prefer a man who isn't messy all the time.
- Monogamy. I know this isn't completely realistic because they drug us at the parties, but I want to devote myself to someone and feel like I'm getting it back. Maybe not at first, but eventually.
PHYSICAL....THINGS: Purely in the interest of being thorough, if we're imagining someone "perfect" - but connecting emotionally is more important. Obviously.
- I like guys who take care of themselves. Some scruff is okay if it's intentional.
- Masculine men. I want to be with someone stronger than me, I feel more...secure that way, I guess? I can take care of myself but it's nice to have someone who can help.
- Nice eyes. Strong features. Older. Comfortable taking charge. Tall. Strong hands. And smells good.
That's all I can think of for now.
[ I want to make this place better for everyone. It sticks in her mind more than any other note. Kindness, he says, and she knows it to be the thing she appreciates most about him when her own sons lack it. Tim is a good man, far better than a self-serving creature like her.
She means to help him as much as she can. ]
I fear none shall meet my standards for you, let alone yours, but I will begin my search accordingly.
[ a beat. ]
Though between you and I, we may have a similar physical type.
[ ser criston may be a Problem but he can get it. ]
She means to help him as much as she can. ]
I fear none shall meet my standards for you, let alone yours, but I will begin my search accordingly.
[ a beat. ]
Though between you and I, we may have a similar physical type.
[ ser criston may be a Problem but he can get it. ]
Do you ever give your children advice of a romantic kind?
( it might seem a very bold, confident question to ask. in reality, paul has been thinking about how to word it all day, has rewritten it several times in the small text box, and has ultimately settled on that simple message, before throwing himself face down in bed and solemnly wishing for death. )
( it might seem a very bold, confident question to ask. in reality, paul has been thinking about how to word it all day, has rewritten it several times in the small text box, and has ultimately settled on that simple message, before throwing himself face down in bed and solemnly wishing for death. )
[ alicent finds herself both a little surprised and flustered, at the question. he has decided to trust her, as a friend — as a mother. she will not fail him. ]
I suppose I have. It is I who matched and betrothed them, after all.
I suppose I have. It is I who matched and betrothed them, after all.
I do, yes. The clean air is less readily available where I come from.
The small council named you regent.
Does your memory differ?
Does your memory differ?
You have survived his rigorous questioning, then.
[ following this tasteless and ghastly announcement: ]
I'll chaperone you to the funeral, if you're attending.
I'll chaperone you to the funeral, if you're attending.
[ at least an hour after this message was received — ]
Thank you, Aemond.
Would you come by my rooms tonight?
[ because he’s going to die, too — just not now, not yet. on dragonback, she knows without asking. a small comfort.
and how did embry pass? she thinks of louis’ warning about hawk’s caginess, his self-interest. a politician is not like to tell her the truth of things. she will seek it, anyway. ]
Thank you, Aemond.
Would you come by my rooms tonight?
[ because he’s going to die, too — just not now, not yet. on dragonback, she knows without asking. a small comfort.
and how did embry pass? she thinks of louis’ warning about hawk’s caginess, his self-interest. a politician is not like to tell her the truth of things. she will seek it, anyway. ]
Worship this Sunday is going to be at the gazebo by the lake instead of the chapel, weather permitting. I'd like it if you came. I think we need it now more than ever.
How are you?
How are you?
Of course, Tim. I would not miss it.
[ even with the blacks arrival, daemon’s threat, and aemond’s ill-tidings, she has not missed a service or altered her routine. it is essential to be seen as a fixture of the house, immovable despite its inconstancy. ]
I am an old hand at grief.
[ she has known it since she was a girl and never shaken it. her life has simply grown around it. still, it feels — inadequate, to let embry fall into the same abyssal ache as all who came before. ]
You and Embry were the first faces I saw, in this place. And perhaps the only ones to see me as I am, even now. I’ll not forget it.
[ even with the blacks arrival, daemon’s threat, and aemond’s ill-tidings, she has not missed a service or altered her routine. it is essential to be seen as a fixture of the house, immovable despite its inconstancy. ]
I am an old hand at grief.
[ she has known it since she was a girl and never shaken it. her life has simply grown around it. still, it feels — inadequate, to let embry fall into the same abyssal ache as all who came before. ]
You and Embry were the first faces I saw, in this place. And perhaps the only ones to see me as I am, even now. I’ll not forget it.
[ oh. ]
I did.
He has been good to me since my arrival.
[ Rhaenyra will have seen their near daily breakfast, if she attended. A standing appointment. ]
And I cared for him. Very much.
I did.
He has been good to me since my arrival.
[ Rhaenyra will have seen their near daily breakfast, if she attended. A standing appointment. ]
And I cared for him. Very much.
I believe I did.
[ well enough to know his sorrow, if not the conflict that took his life. ]
It is most kind of you to offer, Koby. I fear I have known this pain before and will know it again, but it would be good to see you — and keep close until we learn more.
[ to her, to tim, to louis and his quentin. ]
[ well enough to know his sorrow, if not the conflict that took his life. ]
It is most kind of you to offer, Koby. I fear I have known this pain before and will know it again, but it would be good to see you — and keep close until we learn more.
[ to her, to tim, to louis and his quentin. ]
You need not apologise, Louis.
[ did he feel her pain this night or the last? embry’s name a gasp in her mouth or aemond’s muffled into her sleeve.
helaena has seen my death, an echo in her skull, no less dull for its daily refrain. with great sorrow, we announce the passing of embry moore, an announcement as abrupt as a broken plate, crashing to the floor over and over again. ]
Someone I care for has been taken from us.
[ did he feel her pain this night or the last? embry’s name a gasp in her mouth or aemond’s muffled into her sleeve.
helaena has seen my death, an echo in her skull, no less dull for its daily refrain. with great sorrow, we announce the passing of embry moore, an announcement as abrupt as a broken plate, crashing to the floor over and over again. ]
Someone I care for has been taken from us.
Your Grace.
Prince Aemond has told me that the man who has passed was friend to you. I wish to offer you my condolences.
As hopefully a friend.
[Meaning she knows who else is here now. She has talked a few times with her son, but it seemed as if the rest of her family has found her here as well. It is not her war though, and as much as the histories may paint Alicent Hightower in certain light, she remembers her as the woman who shielded her and protected her during the Autumnal Feast, and that is not so easily forgotten.]
Prince Aemond has told me that the man who has passed was friend to you. I wish to offer you my condolences.
As hopefully a friend.
[Meaning she knows who else is here now. She has talked a few times with her son, but it seemed as if the rest of her family has found her here as well. It is not her war though, and as much as the histories may paint Alicent Hightower in certain light, she remembers her as the woman who shielded her and protected her during the Autumnal Feast, and that is not so easily forgotten.]
[ it surprises her that daenerys would reach out more than the idea of aemond speaking to her, in the first place. her boy has always loved the histories — why would he shy from his future?
he may yet have a little of her and his grandsire in him, in leveraging the truth of her pain and need for comfort to bring them all closer. ]
You honour me by offering them, Your Grace.
As a friend, you may call me Alicent.
he may yet have a little of her and his grandsire in him, in leveraging the truth of her pain and need for comfort to bring them all closer. ]
You honour me by offering them, Your Grace.
As a friend, you may call me Alicent.
[ immediate, despite the storm she and her son finds herself in — ]
What happened?
What happened?
I am not dead, so I need mourn the lost while I fight to keep my son from baseless accusations.
[ okay, they might have some basis. ]
[ okay, they might have some basis. ]
Edited 2024-10-05 23:06 (UTC)
[ Baela was the first member of this extended family Matt reached out to. Maybe it's ageist of him, but since she's a teenager, she was his priority. Alicent is next in the triage. ]
Hey, Lady Alicent.
I wanted to check in on you, and also um. Offer you something to help with grief, if you'd like it.
Hey, Lady Alicent.
I wanted to check in on you, and also um. Offer you something to help with grief, if you'd like it.
I don’t think there is anything for grief but time, sweetling.
[ god, she feels old. ]
[ god, she feels old. ]
I have had a dream from Jace. I was able to ask him to show my something of his killer. I saw the blond hair. It was not silver or pale. And their form was lithe, though I could not determine if they were male or female.
[ relief, followed by a familiar sickness. she knows then who she suspects — two girls, blonde of hair. ]
Lady Baxter says it was a long hair, likely well past the shoulders.
That leaves us with far fewer names, if we refer back to Butler and its pictures.
Lady Baxter says it was a long hair, likely well past the shoulders.
That leaves us with far fewer names, if we refer back to Butler and its pictures.
[ He thinks about knocking, about announcing his presence, and ultimately decides against it, reasoning that he has other places to be (a boy to be looking after), though the decision confuses him in hindsight.
But he leaves, to be found whenever she next checks her door, a little packet of band-aids (the small ones) and a tube of Neosporin, retrieved from the clinic, for the sake of her fingers. There's no note — the ointment will be foreign to her, but the label is easy enough to read, and self-explanatory in that respect. ]
But he leaves, to be found whenever she next checks her door, a little packet of band-aids (the small ones) and a tube of Neosporin, retrieved from the clinic, for the sake of her fingers. There's no note — the ointment will be foreign to her, but the label is easy enough to read, and self-explanatory in that respect. ]
[ it's one of the few moments of peace they've had all day. unfortunate that aemond has pull his mother aside to speak with her in confidence. ]
I needs speak with you about Alina.
I needs speak with you about Alina.
Edited 2024-10-08 14:32 (UTC)
[ the tired look on her face says must you, but she places a hand on his arm, anchoring herself once more, and nods. ]
What more is there to say?
What more is there to say?
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