Post by kevna on Apr 2, 2021 1:03:44 GMT -5
Vanisha - Daughter of Lord and Lady of Tidewalk
Fanciful. That’s all she was. He hadn’t been overly kind, not even a proper gentleman. He had been blunt, but she had thought it funny. Probably not an appropriate response, but she had only smiled, not laughed. If she had laughed, she was sure her mother would have pulled her aside later. His comments to her father had at times been rude, though she doubted he meant it that way. He seemed so relaxed, so free from the expectations of others. She wondered what it felt like to be so free and still so burdened by the responsibility of Hold.
Yet she found herself enamored by Degranik. Could it be because she found his rougher personality alluring? She who was so used to the gentle atmosphere, and the overly sheltered life. Or just the idea of something new, a break from her reality, exciting? It wasn’t a sure thing; her father’s negotiations were still underway. But Lord Divano thought it an appropriate match, so at least he would not be the cause of a failed union. It would come down to Degranik. Had he liked her as much as she had liked him? Or the idea of him?
It helped that she found him attractive. She had done her best to be perfect. A small chuckle at appropriate jokes, her hands in her lap, her ankles crossed and tucked under the chair, her back straight. When she spoke, she used her hands to show haw dainty they were, and how elegant she could be. It was something her mother had taught her. Vanisha had remained attentive, even when the talk had turned to politics, though she dared not insert her own thoughts on the matter. Politics were the men’s business, and unless they specifically asked her opinion, it wasn’t her place.
In the end, she had been quieter than not. But she had learned a good bit about Degranik. Now here she was, needles and yarn, hard at work, but her thoughts were on him. What he would be doing, how he would sit in front of the fire and chat about his day if they were married. Vanisha didn’t know much about wher’s, how big they were or what their lifestyle was, but she imagined it like a canine, sitting on their rug enjoying the heat from the fire. She could imagine a life with him. A life different from this, much more her own.
She looked up into the fire before her, her hands pausing their work.
“What are you thinking about Vanisha?”
She glanced over to her mother sitting across from her, her own hands busy at work on their own project. She smiled and tilted her head, assessing her mother’s mood. “I was thinking about how tired I am, maybe I should retire.” A look of approval crossed her mother’s features. So she had assumed correctly.
“I think it’s a reasonable hour to turn in. I was thinking of hunting your father down and reminding him of the hour.”
Vanisha smiled softly and began putting her things away, her mother doing the same. The younger woman stood and withheld the desire to stretch. She didn’t think her mother would appreciate such an undignified action. She approached her mother gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek and watched as she left the room in search of her father. Vanisha took one look at the fire, imagining once more the possibilities that played out in her head. With a sigh, she turned, and gracefully walked toward her room, controlling the swing of her arms so they appeared graceful, keeping her back rimrod straight. She never knew when someone was watching and didn’t want to disappoint. She could be herself behind her room’s closed door, and only then.
