#sparkledcrowns.

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @ethercvl and @sparkledcrowns' DAY COURT MUSES

considering the treasure she'd left buried in their court, iphigenia felt that being around the fae of the day court was unsettling. while once, she'd known a friendly face or two, she made an effort to steer clear of their paths lest she be forced to engage in an uncomfortable situation. they were plenty lovely, but served as too much of a reminder of her shirked responsibility. today, she felt like a cornered dog, tugging on a taut leash.

"excuse me," iggy says, announcing her presence. "i have a message from lady ulka... she asked to pass along the message that she will be in the infirmary for an extended period of time."

[slivertm]

iain laughs off the compliment. he'd get used to the whitening eventually. surely it'd go back to normal when the weather did. if it did. if they made it home.

"it's only a matter of time before you do. we just need to be consistent." thankfully, the lady had nothing but time. what else was there to do here? "i will say, it's great to see you learning something new, sienna. most fae wouldn't bother with new skills." the fae gives her arm a firm pat in a subtle assessment. oh. yeah. really shrimpy. he'll make a meal plan. iain doesn't let on though, his smile staying pleasant. "listen, i have a meeting with the dawn emissary soon. let's meet here tomorrow for your next lesson, alright?"

☆ﾟ*·ﾟSIENNA LOOKED DOWN at her arm, shaking it up and down a little bit. "wow, didn't think it was that bad. but to be fair, sewing doesn't build up a lot of muscle," she explained, knowing that she spent most of her time in comfortable positions, even her arms. the redhead knew she wasn't strong, but that didn't mean that she couldn't build up to it. and she didn't need to be super strong, just enough to feel like she could save herself if something happened. "i trust you. so, what do we need to do to work up to this? i know it's not going to happen overnight. i just want to prepare myself for the work." sienna wasn't sure she was completely ready for it, but she wanted to try.

laughing, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and shrugged her shoulders. "nah, not bad at all. in fact, it suits you, just alarming and different is all," she stated, taking a step closer, looking at his hair. "you should embrace it, babes."

[ethercvl]

closed starter for @n1ghtsongs ( lydia ) | @sparkledcrowns ( aoife ) | @shvdwscng ( lailah ) | @dcwnthercad

"i   have   a   proposition   for   you."   samara   spoke   as   she   walked   alongside   the   other.   "winter   is   in   full   swing   now,   plenty   of   snow   covering   the   ground   now."   it   had   been   a   long   time   since   the   scholar   had   thought   about   trying   to   get   out   on   the   snow   as   they   had   when   they   were   children.   "perhaps   we   could   find   some   materials   and   craft   us   a   sled.   i   haven't   gone   since   i   was   a   child.   and   these   are   all   new   hills   to   me,   what   do   you   think?"

[feathcrcd]

@sparkledcrowns

the wooden floors were glowing in a thousand small shards of glass, illuminated from the light of fire from the grand fireplace in one of the common areas of the wing celeste had a chamber assigned in. there was a girl visibly distressed bent down and rushing to cleaning up the mess on the floor. was it an accident? a mistake? what did it matter. celeste overlooked the girl's work, content to see her inch as far away from her as possible, inspired by fear of annoying her any further. the sound of glass against the wood was interrupted by steps loud enough that made the peregryn turn on her heel, glass crunching under her heels, reminding her of the sound of snow crunched on the pavement outside. " elias, " she spoke, her eyes sparkling in the small amount of light that made itself available in this space. " we did not wake you with this mess, did we ? "

[shvdwscng]

CLOSED ⟳ @cetusxcetus , @sparkledcrowns , @stxrslisten , @crxssdhearts ( not a group thread ! )

if  these  tides  of  change  had  not  raised  far  greater  concern  for  all  of  prythian,  the  high  lady  of  summer  would  be  somewhat  impressed  that  the  sickly  boy  king  truly  grew  a  backbone.  however,  it  was  not  the  moment  to  appreciate  a  stronger  king,  not  when  the  power  he  held  was  that  of  nothing  close  to  what  they'd  ever  seen  in  his  late  father's  rule.  the  high  kings  had  their  own  set  of  abilities  throughout  history,  but  nothing  that  surpassed  that  of  the  seven  high  rulers.  alina  had  not  seen  much  of  kabir,  a  bit  too  preoccupied  in  matters  that  were  now  entirely  out  in  the  open  since  the  night  of  the  festival.  truly,  she  had  mentally  prepared  herself  in  the  days  that  followed  for  all  sorts  of  talks  and  whispers  of  her  and  ced,  and  two  types  of  inquires  that  would  be  hurled  in  her  direction.  now,  this  new  situation  at  their  hands  concerning  their  boy  king.  what  she  had  learned  from  her  spymaster  and  various  accounts,  of  the  king  and  his  rather  prominent  absence  had  her  mind  pulled  in  all  directions.  "i  am  not  certain  how  or  why,  but  this  court  has  to  be  providing  him  these  abilities."

[stxrfclls]

desmera  didn't  pretend  to  understand  what  it  felt  like  for  illyrians.  she  expected  they'd  not  been  effected  much  at  all,  wings  not  relying  on  magic.  but  she  was  distinctively  high  fae,  it  wasn't  as  if  she  had  experience.  "  i  agree.  "  she  says,  not  wishing  that  on  her  worst  enemies  or  least  liked  fae.  "  careful,  general,  those  are  dangerous  words.  "  she  says  lightly.  in  truth,  she  always  tells  people  never  to  think  or  say  such  things  for  the  fates  will  find  a  way  to  answer  the  question.  "  i  shall  leave  that  up  to  you,  i  prefer  to  remain  far  away  from  them.  "  she  understands  the  draw,  the  interest  and  the  desire,  but  desmera  simply  does  not  wish  to  befriend  a  drake  in  her  lifetime. 

☆ﾟ*·ﾟELIAS WAS MORE than thrilled that he could fly again, that those wings could get the stretches they needed when he needed them. "don't think i ever want to feel that again," he stated, chuckling softly. wanting more than to believe that everything would work out, elias was still unsure that nothing else would happen. they were still in a different court and life was still different than anything they'd ever experienced. "i sure hope so! how much worse can it get?" he looked out at the court before him. "i would like to get close to one of those dragons though. they're so incredibly fascinating. i'd love to see how their wings work."

[lichtundschattens]

to: @n1ghtsongs, @ethercvl, @sparkledcrowns, @stxrfclls, @slivertm, @arashway

"Of course it had to be summer," Ares muttered, irritation thick in his voice. The heat clung to him like a second skin, stifling and relentless, and he had never been the type to bear it well. His patience had already been worn thin, but this? This was just cruel. Yet, as much as he wanted to curse the sun itself, he supposed there were more pressing matters at hand. Aerin was safe, that was what mattered. Everything else, the negotiations, the politics, could wait. But the heat? The heat was immediate. And unbearable.

"Death by heatstroke. Must be the plan," he grumbled, swiping at the beads of sweat trailing down his temple. His wings flared slightly, an attempt to offer himself some shade, but it was useless. A pathetic excuse for relief. The sun had already declared war, and it was winning.

"Tell me people around here do something other than just throw themselves into the ocean to cool off," he added, shooting a glare at the shimmering waves in the distance. "Because if that’s the only solution, I might just let the heat take me now."

[crxssdhearts]

@silverflcmes @n1ghtsongs @sparkledcrowns @ethercvl @liuyan(any muse, not a group thread)

Xavier was doing his favorite activity. Well not his favorite activity but one that he found he was able to use in so many ways. That activity, drinking at the local establishment and meeting new people. Now maybe that sounded so mundane and boring to most, but for Xavier it was how he had become so good at his job and why he was able to charm most people into doing what he needed. With a drink in hand, he approached the patron from the right, his gaze initially lowered before lifting to meet the other person’s eyes directly. “Wow,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly and letting out a soft exhale.

[alaradraven]

location: dusk court. isolated part of the library. time: midday. with: @sparkledcrowns ; damon.

BEING a scholar for the Night court was hard. Read this, translate that, it was hard work for a lady of her delicate constitution - but, she loved it. She loved being surrounded by books & papers & pens, & she made all her little notes in various glittered colours. Whoever said scholars had to be dull, obviously never met her.

The worst thing about scribbling things down was the posture - her neck & back were killing her, & not to mention the cramp in her right hand from continuous writing. Sitting back on her chair, Alara rolled her neck & massaged her palm for the tension to leave, when she suddenly got the sensation she was no longer alone in that part of the library. She could hear various fae traipsing around the more populated area, but she came here for solace & work.

Still, she was never the one to pass up on an opportunity to meet new people. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, loud enough to the newcomer to hear, but not loud enough for every other arched fae ear to catch.

"Are you looking to spy on our hosts & their obscure lives as well? Here I have a rather interesting scroll about their Dark Mother & I'm confused. It's similar to ours, but her character seems... well, dark. Not much of a mother in my opinion."

[cetusxcetus]

location & time: adriata, royal palace. night time. with: @sparkledcrowns , calista.

WELL, WELL, THE LITTLE KING WAS NO MORE. It was all so very anti-climactic. So very simple & easy, bordering on both laughable & suspicious. Little Poppy had perished... for this? While it was certainly a good thing that no one else had shared her fate, it was a little... suspicious no one else had shared her fate. Not a single fae had left the Prythian's land of the living, not a single animal, even. Only the poor little king that flew far too close to the sun as well as the Dark Mother had paid the price of their treachery. It was far too good to be true & he was far too old to believe it.

he didn't trust the sudden peace - but, then again, Cetus hardly ever trusted anything.

Sitting by the fireplace - emitting the cold instead of the heat, the Commander of Summer fixed his murky, yellow-green eyes into the blue flames cracking against the wood & stone. The presence of another in the room would have been an annoyance, had it not have been a welcome guest - dear Calista, the third of their feisty Inner Circle. At least no Summer fae took a hit this time, but for no fae to take it?

oh, suspicious indeed.

"How very interesting. The little king is no more & if the rock solid tension in the air is anything to go by, monarchy is also no more. Yet, I cannot say I'm not a little... disappointed." he clicked his tongue, spindly fingers curling around the silver sea-serpent head of his cane. "It went so smoothly for Prythian. Too smoothly. I don't know if I should be thrilled or apprehensive of the liberty of our coming days. Whatever shall we do with all these fae traipsing about our lands?" that was yet another thing that had irked him.

when will they all, respectfully, finally fuck off to their homes?

[wcngxue]

location & time: adriata, garden. very early evening / dusk. with: @sparkledcrowns , calista.

THE KING WAS GONE. Truly & completely - & very permanently gone. Despite the fact that her greatest threat had been eliminated, Xue still couldn't quite relax. Knowing it was all over... it wasn't nearly as good enough as she had initially thought. The fear had still lingered. With Sitara now gone as well, removing herself from any courtly connections, who was left in there to shield her, protect her? No one. She was, once more, left to fend for herself, terrified & alone. But, at least her head was no longer on the line for being a lightsinger - not that anyone had known, save for the dowager queen. Xue felt like she was going mad in the Gaean suite so she ventured outside, to the gardens, to clear her head in the dying sunlight.

ironic, for a lightsinger to seek the darkness to soothe her.

Sitting down on a bench overlooking the flowers in full bloom, Wang Xue let out a long, far overdue, exhale, rolling her shoulders to relieve herself of the tension gathered in her slender frame. She had wanted to catch a break from the eerie atmosphere of the Gaean quarters & she figured solitude would do her well - but, when she spotted a familiar Summer fae, the third commander she had met back in Dusk, Xue's lips pulled into an immediate smile.

"Lady Calista, fancy seeing your strolling the gardens." she softly called out, then asked, "How do you fare?"

[slivertm]

CLOSED ; for @sparkledcrowns and @n1ghtsongs' MUSES.

in a very strange way, iain was starting to grow comfortable in their current arrangement. it wasn't home exactly, but he was starting to learn shopkeepers names. the blueprint of their lodgings were sticking to the back of his head and he was able to trace it with his eyes closed. considering that he had never truly left the spring court except for vacations to the other courts while growing up, it was strange to even start referring to a different building as 'home'.

"i never understood what it meant to be homesick..." iain muses outloud, "but i think i'm sick of missing home, you know?"

[slivertm]

it feels like he’s closing in on her now, even if his feet are planted. jia backs away anyway, putting any welcome amount of distance between them. "don't apologize," she says. she means it in an honest way, as if she truly doesn't want him to concern himself with resurfacing her truest nightmare. she hopes they never cross paths again. it was all his fault for asking, reminding her how poor the night had been thus far, but she doesn’t want to make him feel guilty for it. for a casual killer, he seemed to have a conscious. "no. i'd like to return home if you don't mind," jia says, her stomach in fragile knots. without waiting for a response and with a lurch, jia winnows back to her estate, just in time to puke into the bushes.

END.

☆ﾟ*·ﾟTHE SPYMASTER WATCHED her react, watching her body change from a joking manner to looking sick. her words worried him. he wasn't much of a comforting person, but that didn't mean he didn't care about the well being of others. "hey hey, i'm sorry," damon stated, well aware he didn't usually apologize for much. he wasn't sure if he should move closer to her or if that would frighten her more. "look, it was an accident and rightfully his fault for jumping me. it'll all be okay. i can go put him somewhere else if you'd prefer."

[ethercvl]

closed starter for @sparkledcrowns ( aoife ) | @silverflcmes ( roslyn )

"unfortunately   my   hunting   bow   did   not   come   with   me   to   the   dusk   court."   he   started   to   explain   to   the   other.   he'd   been   trying   to   find   one   that   would   suffice   while   he   was   stuck   in   the   dusk   court.   but   he'd   not   had   the   best   luck   yet.   maybe   asking   his   older   sibling   was   not   the   right   choice.   there   had   to   be   somewhere   else   that   he   could   get   his   hands   on   one.   "have   you   perhaps   seen   a   shop   that   sells   something   that   i   could   hunt   with?"

[shvdwscng]

𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 ⎯ @brckenrctual , @ethercvl , @sparkledcrowns , @crxssdhearts , @karmillaalvez, @n1ghtsongs, @stxrfclls, @escteric

contrary  to  beliefs,  an  emissary's  work  was  hardly  ever  done  and  in  the  aftermath  of  what  has  occurred,  aurora  had  a  feeling  their  work  would  double  the  questions  remained,  what  would  happen  to  gaea  with  it's  monarchy?  somehow,  she's  certain  the  fae  of  gaea  felt  what  dusk  has,  in  some  manner  all  this  time  as  they  thought  of  where  they  might  fit  in  prythian.  it  was  bittersweet  emotions  for  the  blond,  of  witnessing  her  creator  reveal  her  true  face.  aurora  has  never  mistaken  their  dark  mother  for  a  saint  -  still,  it  comes  as  a  shock  of  what  lengths  she'd  go  to  for  her  revenge.  that  her  revenge  consumed  her  so  greatly,  the  dragon  rider  wonders  would  she  have  placed  dusk  in  further  danger  as  well  for  her  goals?  her  emotions  were  somewhat  mirrored  in  her  dragon,  rhylar,  of  course,  felt  no  true  emotional  loss  for  their  deity,  though  the  sense  of  betrayal  he  feels  could  not  be  hidden  from  her,  either.  the  difference  was  most  drakes  did  not  linger  on  emotions  as  often  as  fae  did,  alt  through  their  bond,  aurora  also  senses  his  relief  as  well.  he  has  been  quite  vocal  in  his  desire  to  take  care  of  the  king  himself,  his  displeasure  of  the  high  lieges  taking  this  opportunity  for  him  equally  prominent.  in  her  own  way,  aurora  mourns  the  mother  of  dusk  -  of  what  she  had  been  once  to  all  of  her  children.  in  the  end,  she  cares  for  dusk,  for  her  home,  than  a  selfish  deity.

it  was  a  several  moments  the  blond  emissary  sat  in  the  tea  parlor,  being  pulled  out  of  her  thoughts  when  the  she  door  open  and  close  a  few  times  causing  her  gaze  to  move  to  familiar  face.  "i  insist  you  join  me.  i  will  ring  for  new  tea  as  this  is  has  become  cold."  iced  tea  was  also  a  popular  drink,  it  seemed,  but  she's  certain  it  was  made  cold  intentionally,  not  hot  tea  sat  for  minutes  on  end.

[lichtundschattens]

to: @n1ghtsongs, @ethercvl, @sparkledcrowns, @shvdwscng, @slivertm, @vivianvaldemar

"I had never seen the sea before." The words left him quietly, barely above the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore, as if spoken more to himself than to anyone else. It was a confession uttered to the wind, to the vast, endless stretch of water before him. At this point, he had grown used to being his own sole company. And yet, with another standing so close, perhaps it was an invitation, however unintended, for conversation.

Viego stood motionless, toes buried in the damp sand as the tide reached for him, then slunk away just as quickly. The sensation was strange. How could something so powerful, so relentless, also be so fleeting? He let the sand slip between his fingers, watching as they scattered with the wind, disappearing before he could grasp onto them fully.

"The ocean," he mused after a moment, testing the word as if it were something foreign on his tongue. "Something said to be endless. Salty. Mysterious."