The Twofold Houses

Personal homes and private lots.
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Gullara
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by Gullara »

[Children and Swords]

"Oh, yeah! Let's do it." Cora agrees readily. Then more conversationally, "Bastion and Jillian don't train with me because they're dummies and don't know how cool swords are." The girl explains to Lucien.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[Children and Swords]

"Cora's siblings don't have her martial zeal. But I hope you get along with them too if you meet them." Wenomir feels the need to provide a balanced view as they reach the inner courtyard where he and Cora train. "Do you mind if Lucien joins us for warmup, Cora?"
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Expedition to the Frescots

Jezebel gives a warm smile as she watches Cora leave and decides to snap off another picture with zoom after her, as well as a few of the other groups(and one of Cessie), before finally letting it be for the moment and setting the camera down on the stump. "Should have a few dozen slots left if you spot any good moments." Jezebel tells Cessie as she kneels down to finish setting up their tent in order to toss their bags inside. "I also brought a small portable radio for music if people want. Admittedly I don't know what the entertainment for a camping trip like this is supposed to be." She was a Hiver after all. Camping under the trees and skies? That's Heretic talk!

"Do you have a bigger one?" Ariel asks, blowing her own hair out of her face as she looks up at the suggestion. "That would help tons!" She still tries to get the little lens to work though, and if there is no bigger magnifying glass or pair of glasses, she'll eventually get a small ember going. She nearly fumbles when Lucy and Gwydion banter, trying not to giggle and failing. The half covered giggles cause her to shake as she turns some of them into far too amused snorts.

Sergei stares up at Adir...and up, and up. He may be tall for his age, but Adir was on a whole other level than he was. Would he end up so tall? The comment of being a man seems to catch his ear a little and he straightens up as he nods. "What are we building?" He wonders if it could be a trebuchet. Surely there was plenty here to build one with. Timber, rocks for counterweight...all he'd need is a strap...

A glance around and he dashes the idea out of his head. No, that would probably be too dangerous. This time.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[Children and Swords]

"What? But why? Swords are so cool though!"
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[Children and Swords]

"I know. They don't know what they're missing." Cora agrees readily. "Yeah he can come. Have you used a sword before?" She asks the boy, happy to have someone who shares her interest around!
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[Children and Swords]

Wenomir feels like he should encourage Cora to understand her siblings' differing proclivities, but it's never an easy task. Doubly so when Lucien is here to agree with her that swords are great.

"Alright. Step in there to change, Lucien, then we can begin. But we'll take it slow today, since Lucien isn't as experienced as you are, Cora. Then I'll show you something called Stealing the River's Flow."

He likes to tease a name of a technique to pique Cora's interest... and now also Lucien's.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by AshenAmbrosia »

[Children and Swords]

"Not yet..." says Lucien, somewhat sheepishly. "But I've watched Wenomir and my sibling and my brother all use swords, I'm ready to learn!"

He looks positively excited to be able to participate in the lesson, and bounds off to change.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[Children and Swords]

Cora gaps. "That sounds cool!" He's caught her attention. Cool is top priority. The girl is bouncing on her toes as she waits for Lucien to come back.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[The Widening Gyre]

It begins with a feeling of pins and needles running down the spine.

Normally that sensation might not have an immediately discernible source, but today there's a distinctive direction to it.

Above the Mithar House a dark cloud has formed, rotating slowly and gradually expanding into a broad spiraling disk. Dark and stormy, crackles of unearthly colored lightning lick across its surface. A sourceless wind tussles through the estate, catching debris in little whirlwinds and carrying with it a deep sense of foreboding.

Those sensitive to magic will feel something dreadfully wrong from the growing storm. It isn't some natural storm full of simple thunder and rain, a manifestation of raw elemental power.

No, this is an unnatural thing with dreadful intent behind it.

Wind and drops of rain begin battering at the windows.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

Sakura and Cessie are spending some time together in the Frescot home. With the weather getting so cold, Sakura is cozied up on the couch, a blanket pulled over her lap. She'd fold her legs underneath herself, but she's finding that hard to do in this later stage of her pregnancy. So instead she's wearing a pair of thick socks.

The two have been chitchatting idly for a little while now, to the background sounds of kids playing elsewhere in the house. Sakura had put Finian down for a nap earlier, and he's been napping so well recently that they've been free since then.

A moment ago the conversation naturally came across the topic of the spa trip that Sakura and Adir took Calanthe on. "O-oh, it was really nice." Sakura suddenly takes on a nervous disposition. "You know, Adir's taken me to this place before, so I knew we'd enjoy it. We has a, ah, a good time."
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

Cessie's eyebrows raise and in that instant Sakura will likely be aware that her friend already knew that she wasn't telling her everything. They had gotten so good at reading one another at this point that it was hard to keep anything a secret.

So all Cessie needed to say was, "Go on." while sipping her warm tea.
From those two words she expected Sakura to give the rest of those juicy details. Since that's how this always worked when they exchanged experiences like this.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

Some how this makes Sakura more flustered, like she can sense she's being read. "Um, it's just. Oh, Cessie! I'm worried you're going to think I did something wrong. But, like, I think it's fine. Just, um, different than you'd think okay." She struggles, dancing around the actual topic at hand.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

"I'm afraid that you're only making me more concerned now, Sakura. What is it that's so 'okay' and 'fine' exactly?" Cessie muses as she gives the dryad an amused smile.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

"Um, it's just that. Well Adir and Calanthe had a bit to drink and, um, things kinda came out. Like how we talked about before. And we... slept together." Sakura can feel herself burning to a crisp under her skin. She continues quickly, wanting to get it out before Cessie can respond. "But we talked after when we were all, uh, had clearer heads. And no one's upset." She presses her lips closed, waiting for Cessie's judgement.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

Cessie choose the wrong time to take another sip of tea as she nearly spits it out when Sakura mentions that last part.
What follows next is some rather unlady-like coughing until the sorceress can regain her bearings.

She clears her throat as if to mark an end to that episode.

"I see." Cessie then continues as if nothing had happened. "And you were pleased with that outcome?" Since 'not upset' is not the same as 'happy'.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

Cessie's little coughing fits only makes this more mortifying for Sakura. "Um, well we all like each other, and it was, ah, fun. So why not, right?" She doesn't quite feel like saying it was like a fantasy playing out in real life. She's too self conscious! "I guess it could have gone wrong, since they were drinking, but it didn't." Of course Sakura was fully sober, given her child laden condition.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

Sakura might get the the inclination that her friends eyes twitched ever so slightly when she said 'why not, right?'. But she keeps her expression and tone calm and neutral otherwise. "So how long ago was this again? Since I imagine your relationship must have changed since that night." Cessie does seems to be avoiding the topic of the sex itself for now.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by Gullara »

[An Uncertain Conversation]

"Umm, not long ago. I don't really know; she's just as friendly as ever. We haven't um, done anything since. Things area always so busy, you know." Not that that's ever stopped Adir and Sakura, as Cessie well knows, but it's not as though they need any particular arrangement. They share the same bed after all.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

"But that's why you hired her, wasn't it? In fact, you should probably hire more people if things are that busy." Cessie chides, not really a fan of Sakura's attitude to take care of everything herself. She needed a life beyond her children. "Since this isn't something you can pretend didn't happen, Sakura. Especially if some of you were intoxicated while it happened. Have you even talked to Adir about it?" A beat. "He used protection, right?"

There was so much to untangle here that Cessie wasn't even sure where to start. Since while she knew about Sakura's fantasies she had been under the impression that Adir hadn't seen Calanthe as anything other than an employee. Yet now this had happened...
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by Wolfbane »

Great Assets - Evening Tea

Jezebel gives a sigh, looking over the several binders and dataslates she's brought out. Each was an in-depth list of assets, some more clandestine than others, as well as her sources of income and family inheritance. The last was going to be an issue to retrieve most of given it was far off and likely under some control of her sisters, but at the very least she had the lists and access to some of it. Thankfully both company and caffeinated real tea would make going through it all easier. A rich cup of the latter was already next to her and she takes a moment to stare at the dataslate in her hand while stirring the tea with a small stick of cinnamon.

"...I don't even know how, when, where, or why, I have a 'Five Meter Single-Propeller Fishing Boat'. I think I'm going to have to ask Charles about that."
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Great Assets - Evening Tea

"Or your sisters considering they apparently co-own some of this?" Cessie remarks as she holds up something that she thinks is one of Jezzy's receipts but could honestly be anything as she couldn't read much of it. It had to be be important though as despite how dirty and foul smelling it was, Jezebel had decided to save it.
With a gust of eldritch smoke she sends it across the table to her fiancee.
"But I'm going to guess that's more trouble than it's worth." Then again, they apparently had occasional meet-ups despite severing entities that on nearly every level opposed one another.

She takes a sip of her own black tea.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Great Assets - Evening Tea

Jezebel narrows her eyes at the boat entry a little. "No, I own this myself. I think it was for if the main entries into Riverside ever ended up blocked off and the river was the only way through. Personal use rather than for the Gardens at the very least. Now I just need to actually find where it is at." She catches the dirty receipt, not minding the grime on it. Carefully she uses a little water from a glass to wipe it off with a napkin and takes another look. "Car wash supplies." She discovers, pulling out a dataslate and setting the receipt on it for later. "Jointly owned between my sisters and myself. Sort of. They are partial minority owners and actually use it to sort of, well, filter their money through. I get the rent from them on it. That said, the taxes get paid on it all though." Despite being nonchalant about it, she lowers her voice as if there was something dubious about the operation.

There was. A lot. But Jezebel wasn't going to be the one to explain that most car washes she knows of also get used to launder money.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Great Assets - Evening Tea

"...a car wash." Cessie echoes. She wasn't even sure what it was and it still sounded unbelievable to her ears.
Since of course it was yet another illegal enterprise Jezebel was involved with.
"I don't know what I expected really. But what is this, what? The sixth dubious activity you're involved with? Not including the cult you ran of course." Her tone is dry but as she said, she should have expected this. Of course, something being illegal didn't mean much when you were from the kind of society Jezebel was from. If anything it seemed more likely to be a positive thing.

It just... didn't sound like it would be a good influence on the children.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by Wolfbane »

Great Assets - Evening Tea

"This is only the Fifth we've found." Jezebel clarifies, though she clearly knows that's not much better. She sighs and sips her tea, giving it a little stir before setting it aside. "This is pretty easily rectified though. It's not any source of major income for myself and there are plenty of other ways for my sisters to launder their money. Unless you want to watch me washing cars in scant clothing, I could shut it down or sell my stake in it by the end of the week." She reasons with a bemused thoughtful smile. "And I can wear a swimsuit for you any time."

She reaches for her tea again before pausing. "Just be glad you weren't there when my sisters got bored and decided to try and wash the cars themselves when it opened up. It was a disaster."
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Great Assets - Evening Tea

The sorceress eyebrows raises as Jezebel draws a connection between car washes and scantily clothing. Her imagination not quite managing to bridge the two notions which left her bewildered until Jezebel mentioned swimming suits. She was more familiar with those.

She let's out a small laugh. "I think we can save that for the beach." And the bedroom. "And you're sure that you shouldn't include yourself in that event? Since it does sound like the sort of things you'd engage in back in the day. It does sound terrifying though and I haven't even meet all of your sisters yet. So a lot is just left to my imagination."
So basically all the sisters as they were painted in Jezebel's family portrait cleaning a car with dish-rags. With Jezebel being in a bathing suit.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Shadowcaller wrote: Dec 13, 2023 9:27 am [An Uncertain Conversation]

"But that's why you hired her, wasn't it? In fact, you should probably hire more people if things are that busy." Cessie chides, not really a fan of Sakura's attitude to take care of everything herself. She needed a life beyond her children. "Since this isn't something you can pretend didn't happen, Sakura. Especially if some of you were intoxicated while it happened. Have you even talked to Adir about it?" A beat. "He used protection, right?"

There was so much to untangle here that Cessie wasn't even sure where to start. Since while she knew about Sakura's fantasies she had been under the impression that Adir hadn't seen Calanthe as anything other than an employee. Yet now this had happened...
[An Uncertain Conversation]

Sakura winces as Cessie's tone takes on more and more of a scolding edge. The dryad is very inclined to go along to get along, but even she can be pushed too far. "Cessie, stop it!" She raises her voice slightly. "I didn't tell you this so you could scold me about it. I'm not a child." She frowns at her friend.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by Wolfbane »

Great Assets - Evening Tea

"I shouldn't be allowed to drive a car, and at the time I doubt my sisters trusted me even near one." Jezebel comments dryly before sighing and rubbing her eyes. "...I think I need to stop looking at inventory receipts a bit. I just saw one that was for a box of forty lasrifle charge packs and a dozen thermite charges, but I can't recall when or where such are. Charles signed for it, so I'll need to ask him what they were for. Probably for refilling the armory, but I don't even know who he bought these from and I haven't even touched upon the Petty Cash receipts. At least Charles and Catherine have relatively simple salaries to figure out."

She takes her tea, finishes it, and even sucks on the cinnamon stick a minute before placing it back in the cup. "The... sickly sister is one I do not advise meeting, Cessie. Being around her is literally sickening even for someone with my fortitude. Unless we set up the area ahead of time with enchantments and make sure you're armored to disease, I do not advise it." Notably, while Jezebel is willing to say Vritaxx or Bellan's name, she shies away from "The Broodmother's", just in case, and always has.
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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[An Uncertain Conversation]

The sorceress is left blinking. It wasn't often Sakura raised her voice, even just slightly, so it was quite effectual.
"...you're right. I apologize." She attempts to take Sakura's hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

"I made you sound like misbehaving teenagers." Cessie let's out a small sigh.
"But I do like to put emphasis on communication though. Since it doesn't sound like you know what kind of relationship you want yet and Calanthe is probably just as confused as you are right now. Therefore, you and Adir should talk to her together and figure out how you want to go from here. Since if you decide to, well-"

She clears her voice. "-'extend the bonds of the marriage' as my sister put it, the children will need to know as well." Sakura might get a feeling that despite her occasionally scolding tone this wasn't the first time Cessie had heard about this sort of thing.
"They are very much a part of your relationship after all."
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Re: The Twofold Houses

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Wolfbane wrote: Dec 15, 2023 3:30 am Great Assets - Evening Tea

"I shouldn't be allowed to drive a car, and at the time I doubt my sisters trusted me even near one." Jezebel comments dryly before sighing and rubbing her eyes. "...I think I need to stop looking at inventory receipts a bit. I just saw one that was for a box of forty lasrifle charge packs and a dozen thermite charges, but I can't recall when or where such are. Charles signed for it, so I'll need to ask him what they were for. Probably for refilling the armory, but I don't even know who he bought these from and I haven't even touched upon the Petty Cash receipts. At least Charles and Catherine have relatively simple salaries to figure out."

She takes her tea, finishes it, and even sucks on the cinnamon stick a minute before placing it back in the cup. "The... sickly sister is one I do not advise meeting, Cessie. Being around her is literally sickening even for someone with my fortitude. Unless we set up the area ahead of time with enchantments and make sure you're armored to disease, I do not advise it." Notably, while Jezebel is willing to say Vritaxx or Bellan's name, she shies away from "The Broodmother's", just in case, and always has.
Great Assets - Evening Tea

Cessie gives Jezzy a puzzled look and then walks up around the table to reach out to touch and touch her fiancees chin as she's rubbing her eyes. "Jezebel, I never even want to try operating one of those vehicles. I know that you pride yourself with your capabilities but that's hardly some great personal failing. Not when you're so good at so much else."

She smiles.

"Besides, Charles must feel useful occasionally doesn't he? The only thing that hasn't changed since you were a child. Now that's just precious."

The sorceress takes Jezebel's hand and gives it a squeeze. "Now, I think you remember our rules about weapons. So as long as those things didn't end up anywhere near here I think it's alright. Nothing you need to stress yourself up about."

Cessie leans up against the table as she gazes into the tall lavender woman's eyes. "As for your sister, you've already told me that. In fact, you've warned me about each one of your sister in one way or another. Being even half as dangerous as you are makes them rather terrifying in my book. So as much as courtesy tells me otherwise I won't take the initiative to visit any of them any time soon."
Her eyebrows raise. "Unless you had other plans? Since I'm not quite sure what they mean to you. It sounds like you all have a complex relationship."
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Re: The Twofold Houses

Post by Morty »

[Children and Swords]

Once Lucien comes back, Wenomir will lead the kids in Cora's usual warmup. Like he said, it's slower than usual, since he doesn't fully know what kind of shape Lucien is in. Over time he should be able to more or less keep up with Cora. Once they're done, he takes a practice sword and hands Cora hers.

"I'll demonstrate what I'll teach you today. Study closely, Lucien. And you, Cora, try to hit me."
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