mindgamcs

[mindgamcs]

The other woman's casual admittance of friends spun a web of wonders in Delphine's mind, with her thoughts turning to exactly who and what she had already heard of the so-called oracle's expertise. When another test passed from one woman to the other, Delphine responded carefully, "I suppose that depends on what one is after. Is the aim genuine aid, or merely the image of relief?" Though she presented herself as a fortune-teller, Delphine knew that this role — as well as any other guise she may take on — was, more accurately, one of theatre. "For the former, I've heard that the sweetness of honey assists in the healing process. But, for the latter... Well, they do say that, sometimes, the best medicine comes with a sting." Unspoken was a certain promise — a promise of her ability to catch flies with both honey and vinegar, as it were. "And in your professional opinion?"

Delphine had potential, or so she'd heard when she arrived, keeping her ears close to the ground to get the lay of the land, find out who was to be trusted, who was to be feared, and who needed to be squashed. "Peppermint oil, dear," she answered, returning to her bag and sifting through the vials until she pulled out a green one, uncapping it to smell the crisp freshness of the liquid, "I have friends who trade all across Europe. They gifted me a few peppermint seedlings to grow my own. It's perfect for skin irritation." She tossed the bottle to the other. "Tell me, do you know what to give those affected by burns to their wrists? Surely they'll want some relief after those tight ropes restrained their hands."

[mindgamcs]

*closed to: @tclkrefined (augustus) *setting: a dinner party at hira mihal, a week after the revelations

Against the smooth of the palace walls, Delphine's manicured nails tapped like kitten claws, cleaned and polished to perfection along with the rest of her appearance. Gone was any conspicuous trace of the agitation caused by the accusations laid at her feet, and in its place, a woman who shined as she, in all her silent resolution, announced herself to the near-empty room, fingers twirling her favored string of pearls as though to draw attention to her proximity to the priceless.

Of course, it was not the jewels which signified the woman's value, but instead her ability to determine the worth of something and manipulate it as she so chose. Hers were eyes which knew the look of something irreplaceable, while her mind spun webs of silk to ensure its entrapment. This is perhaps why she was compelled to speak to the man whose entire being seemed crafted by wealth and power: not just for meager interest, but the covetous nature inbred to the very depths of her soul.

With a crystal glass stolen off a waiter's serving tray, she presented it to the man, half an invitation and half a challenge. "If you dare not refuse me, Viscount, I won't dare refuse you, either."

[mindgamcs]

Spies were not employed to gain intel on soldiers, but instead on those who commanded them. After all, plans could only be disrupted or negated before they were set into motion, not while the damage was already in the process of being done. Santiago's profession was not one of a soldier's, that much was true — and yet, contained in the man who had never seen the frontlines of war was the heart of fighter, beating ceaselessly to a revolutionary's steady drum.

Delphine, concern birthed from some unknown, unrecognizable place within, immediately challenged, "How can you see yourself as anything but?" She knew not what it was between them that caused such a storm within her; there seemed only to be the strange push and pull of loyalty and duty, the tethers of her allegiances fraying the longer she spent at his side. Strangest of all was the revelation that she didn't quite mind. "I'm sorry," she conceded. "It's not hard to imagine someone using the chaos of the situation as cover for yet another crime."

Perhaps such an admission was too revealing of her true nature, and as if to echo the thought, the paper rustled in her pocket as she moved to embrace him. "Then again, perhaps placing you in this grandiose of a room is something of an attack on its own." A knowing look graced her features as she parted from him to glide about the room, finding a mirror in which to check her visage as well as monitor his own. "While I was tasked with entertaining the courtiers, shall I assume you and all the other heads of state were deciding the future of the world? Go on, tell me everything."

The accommodations begrudgingly provided by the Sharma's is as grandiose as it comes. That is the point, is it not? Rather than punish the new constitutional democracy that is France with sub-standard chambers, they lavish them in grotesque wealth. Forcing the question - could even the most noble of revolutionaries resist a warm bed? Fortunately, the strife at Lal Qila keeps Santiago busy. Managing to evade the warm bed in favor of roaming France's vessels, or falling asleep at a nearby desk.

Alas, it is time to confront his quarters. What he doesn't expect to see, however, is France's consummate fortune teller.

"I'm...?" Santiago drawls out, with furrowed brow and a half-hearted smile of surprise. Delphine is newer to the French ranks, but a welcome addition. Anyone who fights for the cause is, of course, but there's a growing kinship there. Almost familiar. His eyes don't dart from her own, as overwhelming trust takes root. "I am no soldier, remember? I leave the acts of war to the Martin's." He offers with a cordial laugh. "As are you." He assesses, approaching Delphine. A hand on her shoulder, nodding in appreciation. "I am glad to find you safe, mon ami."

[mindgamcs]

Secret languages abounded within her chosen trade: the language of the body, with its irrepressible glances and involuntary actions, betraying that which should be secret; the language of flowers, a tangible, but decidedly unassuming, means of seduction; and the language of code, the very one her ears caught onto now. Yarrow, a symbol of bravery and courage — and an herb meant for healing wounds. Ears clung to the unspoken, Delphine couldn't help but wonder: Was this a request from the Duchess?

When she was certain they were alone, the brunette asked, "My bruised ego, you mean?" For all her efforts, she'd come up nearly empty-handed for anything of benefit to the Duchess. "Or perhaps my itching fingers. Surely, you've a remedy in mind...?"

Tatiana Kanto --> OPEN Location: The Infirmary Time: Mid-Day

"You'll need to make sure that's cared for," Tatiana intruded herself upon the, seemingly, lonely soul that visited the infirmary (though it felt more like her infirmary with so many coming in and out). "Worry not, I'm a healer, not a doctor," the precaution she felt was necessary with so many strange remedies, similar to poison, being used, "I have castor oil, aloe, arnica... though for that, I might recommend yarrow."

[mindgamcs]

*closed to: @thenxghtwemxt (santiago) *setting: santiago's living quarters

There was an art to dishonesty that was distinctly childlike. If one were to ask a child for the reason there were pastry crumbs wiped off on the curtains, they would create an account far grander than could be crafted by the average adult's imagination. Thus, the dishonesty Delphine practiced in the present was simply her way of honoring her own mischievous inner child.

Complications could only arise upon the event of being revealed as dishonest. So, under the cover of night and the assumption of heady wine swirling sure and slow within the various heads of state at tonight's dinner, Delphine trusted in the utter impossibility of such a revelation and allowed herself the moment to take in the surroundings of the Prime Minister's quarters. As her eyes spied something of interest, a gasp escaped her, muted only by the sudden opening of the door. She searched for a decent — or, at least, excusable — hiding place, but found none, choosing instead to remain where she was, hand discreetly tucking away the file of her fascination.

There he entered, her complication. Once, her mark, but now — something far closer to her mind, perhaps even her heart, than she dared admit. Her tether to something real. "You're..." Back? Finished? Here? How silly any of those would sound. So, she settled on, "...unharmed." Then, the cover: "Or, are my eyes simply deceiving me?"

[mindgamcs]

There was the mask that was worn and the face left under it, obscured by design and revealed only when the situation turned dire — or fortuitous — enough to bring the unknown into the light. The Sultana existed in that very space between the concealed and the known, far closer to Delphine's locked-away heart than any divining could have ever foretold. There seemed to only be the warmth proffered by the creativity of Delphine's own devising — a warmth that extended itself without even a flicker of hesitation. "Such is your prerogative, Sultana," she responded with a cheeky grin, linking arms with her friend, equal parts kinship and stability, as she led the way, pace slower than her usual gait. "So far, I've determined the paths to the hamman, the prisons, the grotto... But what I'm really after is the secret oasis." Left unspoken was the fact that she sought it out specifically for Dilara. "With the new arrivals, I suppose we could all use a bit of reprieve." Then, her eyes narrowed in concern, and she posited, "They didn't confiscate any of your tonics, did they?" Yet again unspoken was the fact that she'd find a way to steal them back, whether by seduction or savagery.

Adventures and little expeditions sounded, once, like so much fun. There were many things she'd know she'd miss about the joys of living life to the fullest each passing day, but she was grateful to now be closer to the ground, closer to her soft feather pillow should she need to rest her head. Of course, she had not become frail in her short time with her disease, but it was a fantastic excuse to slow down just a bit, to go about life without waiting for what could possibly happen next instead of missing what was already happening. "Del..." she sighed, "It might be better if we just..." she hesitated, the look of excitement on her friend's face beginning to tug at Dilara's heartstrings without much effort at all. "You may lead," she conceded, "but I reserve the right to rest whenever I please."

[mindgamcs]

Delphine was no stranger to creating circumstance. Her distinct combination of agility, grace, and creativity (here, a far more acceptable word in place of conniving) created less a fearsome storm and more a swirling eddy, a riptide in which she could ensnare any number of unwitting victims. When the man apologised, her pretty face immediately contorted into one of pain, bending at the knee as though he'd stepped on her foot. "Merde," she whispered, wincing in feigned pain as her hands fell onto him for balance. "My apologies, monsieur. The stress of the events unfolding must have put me in a reverie." Peering up at him, she commented, "Though it seems I'm not the only one. Perhaps you can find an apology in sharing with me what's on your mind? I wouldn't mind the company while I rest my foot."

Closed starter for @mindgamcs ( Delphine Baudelaire )

Ludwig walked through the corridors of the palace, wanting to head over to the German quarters. He tried to keep to himself most of the time, tensions were high among the nations and he honestly didn't think all of this situation would end well. Some were siding with the French and the Thai, others were completely against them and their take over. He was distracted, lost in his own thoughts when he ended up bumping into a person. “My apologies, I did not see where I was going.” He admitted, looking down at the person. “I hope I did not hurt you?”

[mindgamcs]

Whether it was nurture or nature that had created in her the peace which came with fearlessness, she could not know. Delphine simply was whatever it was she chose to be, and once upon a time, she had chosen — conspired, even — to be the woman who joined her now, less a facsimile and more a different refraction of light shone through the same crystal-clear diamond. "Is that truly what you fear, Princess? A haunting?" The brunette asked with an empty smile, gaze drifting away from her newfound companion to the numerous twists and turns, each one an option of destiny or twist of fate. How fitting, not just for Risa but for Delphine, herself. "I'm here because I've come to embrace them in my own life. There's something enchanting about kissing the fate of that which has the power to haunt."

With that, she performed the tradition of her adopted home, la bise, and pressed her cheek to RIsa's own, the quiet sound of a kiss entering the space between them. As much as it was an act of tradition, it was perhaps more so an act of distraction: Her hand clandestinely reached for one of the sticks between the other's fingers, and she presented between them, level with the other's gaze. "If it's written in the stars, then let's leave the matter of direction to the fates, shall we? Amongst all the erroneous choices the heads of nations are making this day, what does my choice reveal?"

"i think you should most certainly lead. you are more well-versed in this than i ever will be." risa was most certainly not dressed for the occasion either. their traditional dress of weighted silks and their near-bare feet, hands and neck bejewelled. at least, if they were both caught, they would be caught fashionably. glancing around these hidden tunnels, a sneer painted upon their features before they shivered. "isn't there a terrible little nasty story about these places being haunted? with everyone's choices these days, i have no doubt." glancing towards delphine, pursing their lips. needing something to do in these moments of pause, immediate to how she reached for the satchel around her waist, pulling the fortune sticks to plink between nervous, fidgeting fingers. always needing a purpose.

"we'll say it's intentional. something, something, in the stars." the exiled princess would know all about that. they often painted their exile as something written in the stars. it was the only way they could make it taste less bitter. "what exactly are you even looking for, delphine? i doubt you'll find much more than mice."

[mindgamcs]

If she were a proper bandit, the occasion of encountering a princess — let alone a princess uncertain of her surroundings and surprisingly willing to follow a veritable stranger — would be seen as the utmost opportunity, a blank cheque to deposit ad infinitum into one's private coffers while the Spanish throne toiled in wait.

Alas, Delphine was no great bandit. She was merely a selective thief, one whose aims only ever resided in shine and secrecy. "I would be honored, Princess," the woman offered with a curtsy, eyes searching the other's petite frame for the glimmer of a jewel as her head bowed low. "I've heard that this passage leads to a grotto with the most perfect view of the sunset." Delphine extended her arm for the princess to take, looking every inch the eager explorer, giddy at the prospect of a new friend — an act, but one she delighted in nevertheless. With a chuckle, she asked, "I won't become the Spanish throne's newest enemy if I return you a bit sun-drenched, will I?"

if there was anything lucinda liked most about the palace back home, it was all the secret passages she used to get around. she assumed this palace would be no different and after weeks of searching, she finally found one passageway, and where it led to — the spanish princess had no clue. that was the thrill of it.

when she came face to face with another individual in the tunnel — she looked shocked, but the other individual seemed . . . much calmer then she. " well, considering i have no idea where we may be headed, how about you lead ? " lucinda said. she wasn't sure if they had any idea where they were going, but their guess was surely better then her own.

[mindgamcs]

How quick others could be to inflame their defenses, professing innocence when no surefire claim had been laid at their feet. Her brows rose to mirror his, ears fixed on the idea of a challenge — or as close as to it as she would dare to get once the passing light of his lantern illuminated the other's countenance at last. For a man of notable enough quality to retain a presence in the French court, how curious indeed it was that he chose such means of passage upon their shared country's maiden voyage into the uncharted waters of a world nearly at war.

"Peut-etre," she echoed. Perhaps, indeed. Her suspicions remained heightened for the simple fact that such an observation could be applied to Delphine herself. "Well, I do love a guessing game," Delphine mused, humming lightly to herself as she followed the other's steps. "If that were true, you'd want to remain in this damp, dark secret space. Every country is surely on the lookout for another intrusion; the docks will be crowded, too." Though her demeanor remained innocent, her words bore an undercurrent of challenge, as if to tease: I don't believe you.

Though Maceon's service to France was most served on the seas, gaining knowledge of the unknown and bringing back maps, charted seas, and the stories to fuel nightmares and dreams alike - he recognized the brunette, despite the low light of the secret corridors. The scratching sound of her footfalls, he'd mistaken for a rat scurrying, and was impressed by how light on her feet the woman was. A Prince once thought to be dead, now parading under a new, false name, Maceon had plenty of reason to dive into the tunnels to avoid being spotted - but it certainly was not a secret he was eager to give up.

" If you mean to suggest I was following you... " Eyebrows rose curiously - Maceon figured she'd want to fess up her intention any more than he would. " Then you would be mistaken. Perhaps I prefer the damp, dark secret ways over the crowded, fancy halls. " A moment of pause, and Maceon rose his lantern, stepping forward once more. " Come on, this way lets out on the dock side of the palace, and it is far shorter a path through. "

[mindgamcs]

*open: ( not actively capped! ) *setting: secret passageways of Lal Qila, a few days after the new countries' arrival

Amidst the chaos of the intrusions and the predictable, ensuing altercations unfurling through the bared teeth of nobles thirsting for both answers and revenge, Delphine took to a far subtler course of action. For a girl constantly clawing out her own form of freedom, it was only natural that she took to discovering paths and exits unknown to the oblivious eye. This became ritual to her in the days immediately following her country's arrival; arguably, it had been innate to her from childhood — existing in the in-between, in spaces neither here nor there, in the seen and unseen.

How ironic it was that another would manage to outmaneuver this, dragging the woman from the liminal to the conspicuous with their incidental weaving of ways. "I know not if I should consider this rendezvous intentional or otherwise," Delphine began, voice and smile alike slipping quickly into the delicate, as her gaze briefly averted the other to hide her dismay at being found. "Will you lead or shall I?"

[mindgamcs]

*I AM NO CHEAP THIEF / IT'S THE WORLD OR NOTHING AT ALL.

*NAME: Delphine Baudelaire. *TITLE: The Oracle. *AGE: 29. *PINTEREST: here

»» the flourish of hands married to the drama of words; action as distraction so the discretion of your thievery can commence; the shadows on the wall, shapes created only in others' illumination, shifting with the faintest breath; a deck of cards as both shield and spectacle; a tightrope fraying at both ends; delusive creation as an act not just of godhood, but girlhood — something known in the very fibers of your being.

BASICS, HISTORY, SECRETS & WANTED CONNECTIONS UNDER THE CUT !!

*BASICS.

BIRTH NAME: Delphine Baudelaire NICKNAMES: Delphi TITLE: The Oracle AGE: 29 D.O.B.: tbd (i'm feeling gemini or sag energy for this one <3) BIRTHPLACE:  Tomasina, Madagascar LANGUAGES SPOKEN: French (native), Malagasy (native), English ORIENTATION: Bisexual biromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single ?? (possibly has some fwbs, see history below) CHILDREN: none POSITIVE TRAITS: alluring, witty, adaptable NEUTRAL TRAITS: flirtatious, inventive, coy NEGATIVE TRAITS: delusive, dishonest, mercurial INSP: Holly Golightly, Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Anna Karenina, Margaery Tyrell

*TLDR. (APP + SOME EXTRA DETAILS)

We are so glad to see you safe, FORTUNE-TELLER (SPY FOR MADAGASCAR) DELPHINE BAUDELAIRE of FRANCE! It’s dangerous out in the world these days, but I hear that you are ALLURING and COY enough to handle it. Just don’t let your MERCURIAL NATURE bring you down! Stay on your guard, because with your secret being at risk for exposure, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out THAT YOUR LOYALTIES HAVE BEGUN TO SHIFT FROM THE COUNTRY EMPLOYING YOU TO THE COUNTRY ON WHICH YOU SPY. For Delphine, time has been rendered thick with the hauntings of her past. Born in Madagascar to a poor, criminally-inclined family, she learned quickly to steal in order to survive, and to charm as a means of disarm. As punishment for her and her father's treasonous acts at the start of Madagascar's solidification as a standalone nation, she acts as a spy on the French, with her cover being half-socialite, half-court entertainer. Now, with political revolution spilling over the hallowed halls Delphine has grown accustomed to, she contends with the promise and purpose for something greater than herself, the temptation of her nature, and the hauntings of her past.

*HISTORY.

[ trigger warnings for: mentions/descriptions of blood, war, implications of sex work, more tbd ]

I. EMBER IN THE ASH

»» Delphine's childhood was littered not with toys and pretty things, but stoney streets lined with more bloodshed than blossoms, soldiers fighting over territory disputes as the country itself clamored for independence. Her family was not made of fighters but of thieves. She quickly followed suit, roaming the reddened streets to pick the pockets of the fallen for any trinket to pawn, unbothered by the sights or sounds of the dying.

»» Once too young to know the difference between polish and peril, Delphine used the shell casing of a musket as a hard candy. A gnawing pain in the mouth of a two-year old brought her mother's attention to the hollowed-out bullet between the young Delphine's gums. But, before taking it out, her mother first brandished the moment to her father, a chorus of look at your daughter less a call for reprimand and more an affectionate coo — all for putting a killing thing in her young little mouth.

II. BEAUTY & BETRAYAL.

»» It wasn't the metal that poisoned her, but the so-called love she was weaned on, love which taught little of the closeness of kin in exchange for all manner of thievery, conning, and swindling. Beyond just the apple of her father’s eye, she was fruit bowl and orchard to him — a perfect creature whose particular talents were rarely seen, to set upon the masses in a firestorm of charisma and chaos, blinding the world with her unquestionable beauty.

»» However, he bet on the wrong grand scheme, believing that his wife's homeland could never separate from the 'greater' nation of France. The betrayal of secrets slipped from Delphine's mouth to the ears of a war-hungry general of a neighboring tribe — only for both the general and her father to be put to death for treason, once the nation formalized.

III. GAME, SET, MATCH.

»» Delphine, only nineteen, found her fate left in the hands of a country eager to cement its standing. They saw promise in her, but rejected the leniency of a pardon, too fearful of the girl to grow into her father's shadow, and too wary of the ease in treating the chaotic birth of a nation as ladder rungs upon which to ascend. What better use for a girl whose talents lay in dishonesty and charm than to set her on the world at large?

»» A bag, a few memories, and the crumbs of her birthplace were the only things she carried with her on the journey to the nation on which she was tasked to spy, her mother left in the clutches of Madagascar's government as collateral. It was her father's native country, but it bore no similarities to the man she knew — where he was shadowy but strong, France was a weakened country clinging to the notion of its more glorious past.

»» To the French court, Delphine presented herself as both refugee and gift, escaping the fray as the new country solidified itself, with a talent for supposed divination. To the court, she was no great threat: less a girl who knew the nature of their newfound enemy, and more a pretty young thing they could use to entertain the court from time to time — a distraction.

»» Their attention, however, was grasped entirely when she 'predicted' the location and outcome of a battle, one which supposedly gained France a different African ally. The truth of the matter rested in Madagascar's own carefully planned instructions, sewing seeds of certain belief for the French while Madagascar went on to harvest. A long game, to be sure, but one which garnered secret strides while France was none the wiser.

IV. SHIFTING TIDES.

»» Nearly ten years into her employ, Delphine has become a bourgeoning young socialite, a favorite in the court if only for her entertaining charm and talents as a so-called oracle. Privately, a few nobles have taken to indulging her mercurial fancies in exchange for a nights sharing a warm bed and the divined assurances of their success. The woman enjoys the life to be certain, but still finds herself practicing her old thieving ways from time to time, playing with fire less for excitement, but more so as a means of keeping her core warm.

»» It is not for those reasons, however, that her loyalties have begun to shift. Instead, as a means of gathering information on all facets of the French people, Delphine has taken to associating with more of the common folk, finding in them a certain kinship that simply doesn't exist amidst the lacquered halls and gilded glory of the upper-crust. With a political revolution tinting the rosiness of France in shades of democracy, Delphine has found herself utterly captivated by what seems to be a purpose greater than herself — but the temptation of her nature still lingers, and the hauntings of her past may loom too heavily to ever truly escape.

*WANTED CONNECTIONS.

my brain hurts but i'll add these soon i promise <33 hmu in the meantime pls!!!

[mindgamcs]

tags !!