#M * yronwood jia.

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @stxrfclls’ NARI.

their dynamic had been different when they were young. back then, they’d been thick as thieves. now they were older. different. carrying different weight on the shoulders. she often wondered what their younger selves would think of what they’ve become — how they’ve all drifted. how far grief could push people away. how defeating isolation was… she didn’t know what to make of it even now.

“nari,” jia pats the empty seat space next to her, a rare gesture of goodwill. “you look pretty.”

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @n1ghtsongs' ALARIC.

she might be just as dour as some of their guests if jia had been whisked away from the comforts of home. still, how beautiful it was to learn something new, even centuries into their lives... how wondrous would it be to discover this new world for themselves...

jia finds herself observing the fine tipped quill before the rest of the scribe. a thin thread of curiosity encourages the fae to breech their stoic perimeter — "when you recount the events of tonight, will you write of my cousin’s noble effort to welcome you or will it read of how horribly we misunderstood your traditions? i hope you can find it in yourself to forgive any missteps on our part, your courts were a distant history.”

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @sparkledcrowns' ELLIE.

it's hard to sit down in such an intricate dress without ruining it, but at this point of the evening, jia doesn't really care if the pleats of the dress stay intact or not. still, she sits with a straight back as she looks out to the crowd.

a beautiful fae with the most gorgeous yellow dress with a mischievous diamond cut into the centre of it passes her by and she's so mesmerized she can't help it -- "the bonfire and dancing and general festivities are back there," she calls to her. "you might have more fun that way."

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @ethercvl's YÍJŪN.

plainly, jia felt stupid dressed in this manner. the carnivalesque debauchery was nothing new but it was against her personal constitution to participate. against jia's arguments, her mother commissioned a dress folded in the manner of a paper crane. small origami stars littered the soft waves of her hair -- making her feel like a bored school girl slacking off in class.

yíjūn is not too far off. she can see his sharp shoulders standing tall like the mountains he's dressed as. jia is loathe to interrupt anyone's solitude considering how dearly she held her own, but she's more selfish these days.

"cousin, can i persuade you to release the lanterns now? i don't think i have it in me to stay until morning."

[slivertm]

dryly, jia adds, “however, it looks like our esteemed guests have no struggle with it.” coming to the general’s side, her arms are crossed. there were more of them on the streets than the day they’d arrived, showing off their newly returned powers with profound ease. the display was disturbing, almost threatening to see a morsels of the power. but, in a way felt unwise on their part. “i didn’t know there were other powers to be had until the lantern festival.”

open to any !

it  was  unsettling,  learning  that  upon  the  next  day  their  visitors  were  at  full  power.  until  now,  evander  could  relax,  know  that  they  had  their  full  magic  and  could  easily  end  any  fight.  now  his  men  were  on  edge,  and  he  was  unable  to  hide  his  own  apprehension.  still,  the  general  walked  the  streets,  eyes  alert  and  taking  in  any  potential  threats  to  his  home.  when  he  catches  another  seeming  almost  groggy,  the  general  can't  help  but  bite  back  a  chuckle.  "  the  festivities  can  be  difficult  to  recover  from  the  next  day.  "  he  was  surprised  to  see  so  many  up,  then  again,  a  resurgence  of  magic  would  do  that.

[slivertm]

LADY JIA YRONWOOD ; LADY of THE DUSK COURT

‘ courtney eaton, cis female, she/her, 28 / 280 , high fae ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems jia yronwood has been teleported to the dusk court, the lady from dusk court is said to be studious and is said to describe themselves a laugh with the same intonation as a snapping branch ; to be aware of the stars but never dream of touching them ; begging for her chance to be the saviour, tired of being the damsel and with all of this in mind their trepidatious nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time. 

full name: yronwood zhōu jia name meaning: beautiful, ausipicous age: two hundred and eighty place of birth: the dusk court gender: cisfemale pronouns: she/her sexual & romantic orientation: unexplored occupation: lady personality traits: introspective, sensitive, moody, deeply emotional, trepidatious, studious, sarcastic abilities: winnowing, bargaining, mind confusion, shadow manipulation

mother: zhōu daiyi father: mikaerie yronwood sibling: yronwood zhōu ihaku extended family: the zhōu high family

height: 5'4" body and build: petite hair color and style: long, dark hair ; typically placed in a meticulous plait before bed but worn loose during the day complexion: shimmering tan skin that reflects a nearly golden, iridescent sparkle about her "this is the skin of a killer bella" eye color: dark brown, a murky gold underneath clothing style: proper, feminine, befitting of her status signature scent: a wash of warm vanilla character inspiration: eeyore, sloane mairi

cw: sibling death

it's easier to say you're an only child, because in a way, you are.

in truth, you were born as the second born to your father and mother who are wealthy in status and joy, but perhaps not so much in luck. they gifted it to you in your name but forgot to leave a little for the rest of them.

your brother was extremely unlucky ( he fell from his dragon in an aerial assault -- don't worry, his dragon swooped upwards in a red blaze and survived ). but, it begs the question: was he unlucky to die, or were the three of you unlucky to be left behind? your parents would have mourned you too, but he would have been the glue to hold everyone together. you have done nothing.

to breathe is to breathe life into your brother's legacy simply because he is not here and you are. but, your brother was he who laughed and you are simply lucky and beautiful. or, lucky to be beautiful. but, we are all beautiful here. so, are you even beautiful?

we're losing the plot here. as you so often do. your mind is a spiral of loose threads and issues drafted in your mental fortress.

it's hard to recall who you were before it all. you were smart. you were bright. you were shy. you might have loved before, but that ember was put out by an immeasurable grief. your brother knew how to coax a smile out of you, but you've been nothing but a hermit since -- trapping yourself in the library, with the rarest of sightings only during the high holy days to show face.

you haven’t willingly shown face in the last decade, but even you can’t help but come out of your tower to look at what the other courts look like. you can’t help but realize that you don’t know what face you present these days.

tldr: u ever seen phantom of the opera? in a way,,,,, she's the phantom

wc: former flame, former friends, in talks of being betrothed, former betrothed, fellow bookworm, etc.

[slivertm]

jia’s face puckers, scrunching in a way that tells wendi exactly how much she enjoyed it. “enjoyed what? the mainlanders brown nosing?” it appeared she was one of the last to stay steadfast in her apprehension, post-festival. what had changed in accordance to their position? the mainland fae had simply become more dangerous with the return of their abilities. “not everything is better here.”

open starter for anyone !

"i'm   sad   that   i   missed   the   celebration   here."   of   course   it   was   celebrated   in   the   area   that   she   had   moved   to   with   her   parents   but   it   was   never   the   same   as   what   she   had   experienced   in   the   past   in   the   capital   of   the   dusk   court.   this   year   likely   was   even   better   with   the   fact   that   high   lord   yijun   was   hosting   a   lot   of   new   guests   in   the   court.   "please   tell   me   that   you   at   least   enjoyed   it."

[slivertm]

“i appreciate your understanding, lady lailah.” there’s no exaggeration behind the sag in her shoulders once she’s absolved of her guilt — safe despite her disappearing act halfway through the evening. she’d yanked off her shoes before curling up in the grass, falling asleep just outside the parameters of the party. thankfully, she woke just in time for the lantern release and had shown just enough face to please her family. “does everyone on the mainland learn such beautiful speech, or is that court specific? just curious.” there was no pretense with lailah, just a gentle understanding from the well-mannered fae. it was easy to get along with her. lailah felt very different from the other fae at the party, clearly scrambling for a connection to their court. jia’s bizarre tendencies did not affect her in the slightest. "not much." she gives a shrug, almost shrinking into herself again. "i like to read? nothing else besides that." jia was slowly beginning to feel embarrassed by the repeated response, realizing that she hadn’t done anything but mourn in the last ten years. she was losing sight of what she loved outside of this unhappy version of herself. “what of your talents and joys?”

"i  was  not  certain  until  now."  a  mock  disappointed  look  flickering  across  her  features,  though  her  tone  indicated  no  offense  to  the  other's  lack  of  presence.  the  winter  fae  did  not  think  jia  was  hiding  from  her  deliberately,  more  than  it  was  that  she  simply  did  not  like  being  among  the  crowds.  "there  is  no  rule  that  just  because  your  court  holds  festivities  you  must  also  enjoy  them.  crowds  and  parties  are  not  for  everyone."  once  upon  a  time,  lailah  didn't  care  for  them  either,  while  she  wouldn't  claim  to  be  eager  for  them,  she  did  enjoy  them  from  time  to  time.  "i  do  not  blame  you,  socializing  its  quite  taxing."  it  had  been  a  surprise  that  this  jia  had  been  willing  to  speak  to  an  outsider,  in  her  experience  thus  far,  not  many  of  them  had  been  willing.  while,  yes,  it  may  have  to  do  with  the  fact  she  was  a  spymaster,  she  was  also  certain  not  many  knew  she  was.  a  soft  chuckle  fell  from  the  winter  femme's  lips,  "well,  this  was  partially  meant  to  welcome  us,  was  it  not?  i  do  not  believe  that  would  have  been  received  well  by  our  hosts.  your  high  lord  certainly  knows  how  to  please  guests  he's  not  ever  known  before."  lailah  took  a  bite  of  a  treat  off  her  plate,  "so  tell  me,  what  does  lady  jia  like  to  do  for  fun?"

[slivertm]

the restless itch to leave steers her to the edge of the gardens, hoping to fade away into the shrubbery. the lantern festival was one of the events that her parents insisted jia must show face at but who knew how many people were here today? surely there were more outsiders than that belonging to dusk court. ants crawl up her arms. she wants nothing more than to crawl into her bed, fatigued simply by being in the presence of others.

jia meets the high lord's smile with thinly spread lips, curving just so at its edges. her attempt at a friendly smile. " how does one usually celebrate solstice -- wherever home is for you? "

open starter - @ofcourtfablesarchive ( capping at 3 ! )

“   i   must   say   …   ”   the   high   lord   mused   as   he   glanced   around,   “   i   am   loving   all   of   these   costumes.   it's   quite   fun.   ”   he   turned   to   the   person   beside   him   with   a   bright   smile.   “   i   think   we   should   make   the   next   solstice   celebration   a   costume   party   as   well.   ”

[slivertm]

jia suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. dragons this, dragons that. it was no secret that she had little love for the aerial beasts -- having lost so many family members to the flight. the bond between dragon and rider rubbed on her nerves, the fire forged connection that meaning that all their conversations were monitored by the oversized lizards.

if a dog mauled their owner to their own end, even the most loyal of animal lovers would think to put him down. and yet, jia was the anomaly. she was the cruel one. it was as if their legislation stated that it was blasphemous to dislike dragons. if she had any sway in the court, she would put a muzzle on the damned beasts. it was of much benefit that dragons could only read their rider's minds or else she might be burnt to a crisp.

"pardon me," jia murmurs in excuse, sliding into her seat. admittedly, not thrilled at her neighbour but subtle in his distate. "looks like i'm coming to the party late as well. fear not, i am hardly big on idle conversation."

jia knew yanyan in a sense, which is why the were likely sat together for their meal, but she was always more of a friend of her late brother. he was the braver of the two of them, placing the riders in closer proximity. the architect of the seating plan clearly put some thought into their design, but still was coming up short.

THE festivities were starting to drag on & she was starting to get really cranky. Whether due to fear or true sincerity, the guests just 'wouldn't. leave. the premises.' but alas she had very little reason to demand them to do so. She has had as much fun as an introverted dragon rider - sans her dragon - could have. Liu Yan felt Erinya's boredom & general distaste over the new, temporary, residents & only the knowledge of the fact that the guests were just that - guests - prevented the fiery drake from incinerating the lot where they stood, or sat, or giggled, or spilled their wine.

Suppressing yet another sigh, Yanyan was suffering though a small-talk strained dinner where only her admirable self control stopped her from reaching into her silk pouch & spiking her own drink just to escape the tedious conversations.

Her High Lord really should've thought harder before offering her the position of his Third - it's likelier she'd commit murder rather than prevent it.

A light tap on her right hand interrupted her cranky train of though, & remembering her face usually responds to things before her brain registers the words, Yanyan fashioned her visage in an approachable & friendly expression.

"What was that, dearie? My apologies for not paying much attention to the conversation tonight. My dragon would simply not shut up tonight."

[slivertm]

“nothing,” she eeks out (despite having seen everything). her sarcastic bravado left her now, unsure what to do. wrong place, wrong time. there was a reason she rarely left their estate. dangerous things happened outside of their walls. dangerous things happened outside of their island. she knew these damned mainlanders were good for nothing. thankfully, she wasn't an idiot. “i didn’t see anything,” jia lies swiftly. she’d stayed duck behind a rock for as long as she could, tucked into herself until she saw the fae drag the body too close for comfort. it wasn’t too late to winnow away. anyway, in the darkness of the moonlight, there were plenty of shadows to hide her. too bad she hadn’t thought of it earlier. clearly, she was not the strategist of the family. “your friend looks drunk.” mother above she hoped he wasn’t going to recruit her help.

☆ﾟ*·ﾟBENDING OVER, GRABBING the ankles of the man whose life wasn't supposed to be lost, damon pulled him toward the ocean, hoping to use the water to his advantage. he hadn't meant to hurt him. in fact, it was the other man's fault for jumping on his back. it was supposed to be an innocent discussion, one that would never end in tragedy, but when the other man got angry, damon did what he had to do. as the other man jumped on his back, trying to knock him off his feet, damon flipped him over his head, and had done it a little too aggressively. and now here he was, dealing with a body. swearing under his breath, damon tried to hide him behind a rock. he was succeeding until he heard footsteps on the beach. snapping his head around, he came face to face with someone that should not have been there, at all. "shit, you weren't supposed to see that." damon ran his hand along his face. "wait, how much did you see?"

@slivertm - for jia

[slivertm]

uneasiness washes over her like a low tide brushing against sand curled toes, creeping higher until it roils into a crushing wave into weakened kneecaps. each fae with their own masterful abilities, knowing so much about each other that their court was not privy to. their secluded existence was blissfully ignorant, but now, they had opened the doors to the horrors. they had invited in fae who had multiple methods to lay claim their lands, the majority of which had never been a possibility until today. how stupid of her not to inquire on abilities earlier, forgetting that the absence was a temporary loss. the redheaded fae's tone is somewhat soothing, but jia's natural scepticism sees her nerves are already fraying. she can't tell if the other fae feigning ignorance, or she's truly uninformed. "then... everyone in your autumn court can do..." jia gestures ineloquently, pupils dilating at the sight, but unsure if out of fear or fascination. "that?"

the  face  on  the  other  reminds  lux  all  too  much  of  when  she  came  to  prythian,  of  when  she  learned  the  tales  she  read  had  some  reality  and  their  history  books  were  not  all  too  accurate.  “  yes,  each  court  has  a  different  specialty.  ”  she  answers  with  ease.  her  voice  is  calm,  everything  about  her  trying  not  to  scare  the  othe  rmore.  the  last  thing  the  former  human  wishes  to  do  is  be  something  terrifying.  “  well,  i  can  only  really  use  fire,  but  others  in  the  autumn  court  are  able  to  do  something  with  memories.  ”  that  was  probably  not  helping  her  not  scare  the  other.  “  the  spring  court  fae  are  able  to  transform  into  an  animal,  or  use  air  magic,  and  the  other  courts  i  get  confused  more  often  than  not.  ”  admits  she.  “  i’m  not  certain  why  the  magic  is  different,  i  suppose  it  always  has  been.  ”  the  cauldron  chose  her,  everything  else  she  had  no  clue.  

[slivertm]

“then perhaps the books are more grateful than i am,” jia snorts. she liked to do her reading nearby, drawn into the page by the gentle lull of the water. today’s research revolved around traces of other magic. so far, all of the journals jia had access to only spoke on shadows and the mind. they were unaware for centuries. it would be somewhat distracting to have his bravado in her vicinity. “will you be here all day then? directing the traffic of water from all parchment?”

daxton  was  hardly  expecting  the  person  he’d  saved  to  be  overly  thankful,  or  even  pleased  at  the  turn  of  events.  it  was  bound  to  be  starting  to  anyone  who  had  not  grown  up  with  water  magic,  and  he  imagined  that  was  the  fate  of  this  person.  he  nods,  not  put  off  by  their  reaction  and  simply  glad  he  was  able  to  keep  the  water  from  splashing  them,  and  the  books  they  carried.  “  of  course.  the  least  i  could  do  to  save  the  books.  ”  he  says,  a  playful  grin  on  his  lips.  “  you  were  just  a  bystander  to  the  rescue.  ”  teases  the  former  scholar.

[slivertm]

and in a sick, convoluted way, jia knew that the dragons were beautiful. it was a sick fact of life on the island. to partner with a dragon was to capture lightning in a bottle. watching her brother sat atop his stead was joyful. he loved his dragon. he was proud to claim one, having survived their threshing. they were proud of him. they hosted the entire island on their estate in celebration of him. at one point, jia might have even been jealous of him. if they were a century earlier, she might even be jealous of nari.

nari ran, and jia stayed. which was the better choice? she knew what the safer choice was. between changing and staying frozen in time... one was living, and the other was surviving. if one could call it that. isolation. misery. ensuring everyone else was miserable with her. grief made people ugly. it made weak people do awful things. it made privileged girls like them hardened. jagged.

which is what jia was. ugly. unkind. unfair. she gives a heavy sigh. “i don’t trust them.” jia rubs the bleary tiredness from her eyes, trying to extract the sudden exhaustion from her. any energy she had in her reserves for the evening was depleted. “to their credit, none have proved our theories right. maybe they’ll be just as good as the dragons are for us, mhm?”

understanding  that  things  would  be  tense  between  she  and  jia  had  been  an  understatement.  nari  had  not  expected  it  to  push  them  so  far  apart,  once  like  sisters  and  now  so  estranged  they  hardly  even  glanced  upon  one  another.  but  how  could  they  ?  nari  had  run  when  she  needed  her  family  the  most,  and  she  hadn't  been  there  when  jia  needed  her  in  return.  selfish  to  her  core,  the  dusk  lady  knew  little  would  ever  make  up  for  such  an  action.

for  years,  nari  had  put  off  her  return,  afraid  of  facing  what  she'd  left.  the  mess  she'd  made  in  her  grief.  years  gone,  she'd  become  a  perfect  little  weapon,  cold  as  ice  and  deadly  as  sin.  thalor  had  been  her  sole  supporter,  the  bond  forged  despite  her  unwillingness  when  an  ancient  dragon  saw  something  in  the  broken  young  girl.  a  century  later  and  she  still  relied  on  him  more  than  any  else.  but  still,  how  could  she  explain  it  ?

and  so  she  stayed  silent.  she  explained  nothing.  nari  came  home  and  embraced  her  life  as  if  she'd  never  left  at  all.  as  if  bonding  a  dragon  were  a  natural  right  she  was  due  thanks  to  her  surname  and  her  blood.  she  was  a  dusk  fae,  the  bonds  they  forged  with  the  dragons  were  as  ancient  as  their  dark  mother.  deep  down  she  knew  it  wouldn't  be  the  best  course,  and  yet  it  was  all  she  did  for  the  past  decade  or  so.

"  we  never  have.  "  agrees  she.  nari  ran  from  it  rather  than  embracing  it,  and  even  now  the  instinct  to  simply  leave  was  a  constant  battle  in  her  mind.  "  i  think  many  will  wish  to  copy  the  beauty  we  have  here,  but  none  shall  surpass  how  authentic  and  deep  our  customs  run.  "  how  could  they  not  wish  to  replicate  such  fun  ?  nari  wouldn't  be  surprised,  but  she  certainly  would  not  approve  either.

[slivertm]

"no, no. stay." typically guilty of being churlish, she felt solemn. for once, jia didn’t really want to be alone. “hi, ellie.” the name tastes foreign in her mouth. jia didn’t know if she liked it, in turn. it sounded like a nickname. but it was cute, like the fae before her. fitting. “if i may ask you another question, what questions do they ask you?” something in her lovely features reminded her of the day court delegation, but she couldn’t recall what role ellie played in it. ambassador? lady? if she was a spy, thankfully jia knew nothing of interest that might affect the stability of their court.

☆ﾟ*·ﾟELLIE STOOD THERE for a moment, suddenly feeling bad for being around the girl's space. she awkwardly twirled one of her curls as she looked at her. "i can go if you'd prefer," the littlest day court member said softly. nodding along with her, ellie found herself agreeing with her, feeling strange for wishing that she didn't want to always be around people. "they all have so many questions and i don't have answers," she explained, smoothing out her dress to sit down on the grass. "jia, i like that. it's fun! i'm ellie!"

[slivertm]

she gives a tight smile as frail fingers delicately move away from the crisp pleats. she should feel embarassed that her only company these days are her parents, but there was no one else for her. no one came to peel back her bed sheets as she cried until the days turned to years turned to a decade. no one had been around to remind her how to breath.

for years, she hated her cousin. resented her. how could nari leave? how could she run off without so much as a word to her? they were all grieving the loss of their family, but they had also been forced to mourn nari with a selfish heart still beating in her chest.

how could jia fault her now? she understood grief a little better now, but she understood nari less. dragons had killed her brother. they had killed her aunt and uncle, nari's own parents who embraced her as their own. to see both of her cousins parading around with dragons felt like an insult.

“change is inevitable,” jia says, any bite to these words are subdued, intended to be some sort of strange comfort instead of a cold truth. "but, our family doesn't do well with change. we're proof of that. what will we do when the outsiders decide that they want more than to just celebrate our customs? what if they want a piece of them?"

"  she  has  a  very  good  eye.  "  nari  agrees,  she  didn't  know  much  else  what  to  say.  in  her  mind,  nari  can  feel  thalor  grumbling.  he  dislikes  most  people  who  make  her  sad,  and  the  emotions  in  her  mind  swirl  into  his  own.

but  how  could  she  think  of  anything  but  the  past  ?  mind  swirling  with  the  times  prior  to  when  they  had  faced  such  tragedy,  and  nari  had  run  rather  than  face  her  grief  with  her  family.  tragedy  struck  jia  as  well,  and  nari  had  not  been  there  to  help  the  other  through  it.  only  to  return  with  a  dragon  bond  of  her  own,  something  she  knew  would  be  a  difficult  pill  to  swallow.  rather  than  explain,  nari  had  remained  distant.

"  it's  different  this  year,  but  the  visiting  fae  seem  to  be  respecting  our  customs.  "  which  was  somewhat  promising.  the  question  earns  a  loaded  answer,  but  nari  isn't  sure  if  she  should  spill  everything  like  she  once  would  have.  "  i  do  not  enjoy  the  change  on  our  island,  but  i  am  trying  to  keep  an  open  mind.  "