Was Lyric intelligent? Of course – though a cynical man might not see it at first. He had not, that first day. She was clumsy and overly kind, and so likely to simply blurt out the first thought in her head. Tiberius started to laugh, glancing around the shadowed kitchens. He didn’t think she’d quite managed to charm the servants out from under him yet, and still the question felt like a trap. One way or the other, it was bad manners to praise or denigrate one lover to another. Not that she was quite that yet, either …
And the question that followed, oh, it was more like a blow. He’d asked for this, though. Left to his own devices, Enzo might have kept on playing the polite game of avoidance for at least a few more hours.
“I worry incessantly that she might be too soft hearted for the north.” Tiberius stepped away from the platter of food and proceeded down into the cellar. Wall sconces came on as he passed, filling the stairwell with moody silver luminescence. He didn’t want to be overheard, as he endeavored to find a real answer for Enzo.
“I loved her sister, Melodie Nicollier. We met a few years ago, long after I’d begun to believe the barrier was permanent. Me and you, well, we’d …” Ended things, just before Tiberius had left. For supposedly forever – for the second time in their lives. Sighing, he pulled two dusty bottles at random off the honeycomb shelves.
“She died, though.” At some point, he’d lost count of the days – it had to be near to a year ago by now? That still felt a little bit like betrayal. “The parents were in some sort of financial trouble, I gather. They whisked Lyric away from her life in Starkhaven and … Foisted her on me. I had no particular reason to refuse at the time.” He passed Enzo the bottles and grabbed a couple more to save themselves making this trip again tomorrow.
“I’ve … I’d say I’m fond of Lyric. And I want to do the right thing.” Which was, coincidentally, difficult to see from here. He needed to talk to her about Enzo almost as badly as he needed to talk to Enzo about her.
“Her partner’s in town. I gather he followed her all the way across the continent. Twice. Apparently they have a daughter.”
And the question that followed, oh, it was more like a blow. He’d asked for this, though. Left to his own devices, Enzo might have kept on playing the polite game of avoidance for at least a few more hours.
“I worry incessantly that she might be too soft hearted for the north.” Tiberius stepped away from the platter of food and proceeded down into the cellar. Wall sconces came on as he passed, filling the stairwell with moody silver luminescence. He didn’t want to be overheard, as he endeavored to find a real answer for Enzo.
“I loved her sister, Melodie Nicollier. We met a few years ago, long after I’d begun to believe the barrier was permanent. Me and you, well, we’d …” Ended things, just before Tiberius had left. For supposedly forever – for the second time in their lives. Sighing, he pulled two dusty bottles at random off the honeycomb shelves.
“She died, though.” At some point, he’d lost count of the days – it had to be near to a year ago by now? That still felt a little bit like betrayal. “The parents were in some sort of financial trouble, I gather. They whisked Lyric away from her life in Starkhaven and … Foisted her on me. I had no particular reason to refuse at the time.” He passed Enzo the bottles and grabbed a couple more to save themselves making this trip again tomorrow.
“I’ve … I’d say I’m fond of Lyric. And I want to do the right thing.” Which was, coincidentally, difficult to see from here. He needed to talk to her about Enzo almost as badly as he needed to talk to Enzo about her.
“Her partner’s in town. I gather he followed her all the way across the continent. Twice. Apparently they have a daughter.”
06-13-2024, 05:21 PM
