The party had ended and they were tired. Arm in arm, the sisters(how strange that new title was!) walked up the stairs and to their room. Erin turned on the light and set to their door locking ritual(second nature now). After a few moments it became clear Lydia was having some trouble taking off the pounds of new jewelry she was given. The first one came off, but the second had a more tricky clasp, and it caught Erin's attention. She strode over and unhooked the second of Lydia's three necklaces, placing it out in a straight line on the dresser.
"So, did you have a good night?" Her back was still turned to Lydia, fussing with the necklace, making it perfect. She knew she wanted to talk, to bring up something more serious than a simple recounting of the nights merriment, but she wasn't sure how.. or if it were right. A small sigh as she turned again.
Lydia had grinned and nodded faintly, "Yeah.. a great night. I don't remember the last time I had this much fun..." She took a moment to take off other assorted things while Erin worked on her necklaces, such as a bow tied around her wrist, and that broach given to her by Antonio. Both were placed aside carefully before she plucked an emerald and silver dagger (courtesy of Hawk) from behind her waistband and set it along side the jewelry.
"Me either..." Erin said absently as she worked to take off the third and final necklace. Her eyes roamed down her back to the frosting filled mess there, "Gosh, you're a mess..."
"Yeah.. that seems to happen to me a lot," Lydia said through chuckling. She tugged on her sticky dress. "I wasn't the only one though. I think everyone got messy." It seemed to happen every time she was around though. By this point, she was convinced she was a jinx of sorts.
"We did.. it was fun." She let out a long sigh as she leaned against the dresser. One foot came behind the other to liberate a shoe and then was repeated. "It was nice to forget about things for awhile."
"It really was... " Lydia smiled to Erin before slipping out of her grip and ducking into the bathroom. Erin watched, still leaning against the dresser. Eyes were on the door then, waiting for her friend to reappear. Now was as good a time as ever to have this talk... perhaps in better spirits it would go better. She closed her eyes, steeling herself for when her friend would return. And Lydia did, in some cleaner clothes. She headed for the bed, plopping herself on it. Erin walked over to the beds as well, sitting on her own cross-legged. She reached over to grab her diary, pulling it into her lap. A hand gently pulls it open, pen dipped in the inkwell waiting on the night stand, before she looked up.
"Could we...talk now? Or would you rather wait for a less joyful time? " Erin was about to pour herself, all these thoughts, into the diary again. But she didn't have the heart. The writing wasn't helping anymore, she needed a human confidant. Lydia laid down, staring at the ceiling. She was tired, but not sleepy.
"Of course we can talk." Said as she was nodding. Erin had mentioned they needed to talk about various things, but she would never bring it up whenever they were in public. If it were something really personal or important though.. probably for the best. And now was as good as time as any. Lydia wanted her to feel like she could confide in her.
This reminded Erin too much of a slumber party. That the talk should be of crushes and mean mothers rather than of death and jealousy. She closed the book, putting both it and pen back on the bedstand. Pulling her hips further toward the headboard she sat up, leaning her back against the cool wood.
"I'm sorry I've.... been the way I've been..." Erin shrugged lamely, eyes searching the sheets in front of her. "Things have been off." Lydia pursed her lips, still staring up.
" It's alright... things have been off for all of us I think... it'll get better. You just... gotta be more careful, yeah?" She spoke softly. Erin's behavior had certainly been alarming, confusing... It worried her, and at the same time it kind of angered Lydia. To see her 'big sister' acting so carelessly and recklessly, to see her kissing other men when she... it was so confusing.
"...yeah." Erin paused. Where to start? She took a deep breath and started from the begining. "You know that Brian came to get me, right? When I was in London?"
"Yeah... I know. He told me right before he left that he was going to get you.. I mean.. I didn't even realize you had left like that at first.. " Lydia said through a frown. She heard Erin left town, but didn't know there was any danger behind it.
"He told you?" She furrowed her brow. A sudden sense of urgency came over her. If everyone knew, what would they think? Her abandoning them like that..what would Grem think? The way he had said goodbye.. the way those words had acted to cause her return. "Who else knows?"
"I'm not sure.. we were alone when he did though." She nodded faintly. "He might not have told anyone else." Lydia couldn't be certain either way though, but if it were something so important, she doubted he'd go blabbing it to *everyone*.
"I wasn't going to come back..." Erin mumbled, eyes still cast downwards. She had only told a few people that fact. The only indication it was permanent that letter sent to Gideon. It was a hard admission. She was worried about its affect. If it would make Lydia doubt their relationship, if it would cheapen it. Would Lydia doubt her? That she would stay..
"Why not...?" Lydia spoke quietly, frowning slightly as her brows furrowed. Erin left like that, didn't tell her, and hadn't even intended to return? Well.. it's not like they were so close before Erin had left. Certainly friends though, Erin was even there to offer some support to her when she thought she'd lose it to Renna.
Erin shook her head slowly, first right and then left. Her shoulders moved up and down in a slow motion shrug. "I was...behaving like a fool. Like last night. And I got called out... Shylah did it.. So, I was going to go home. Get a divorce and come back new... but, Gideon left me, and Miles told Grem... it just seemed like a better idea to fix the first set of problems..." She sat up further, the frown still on her face. Eyes wandered to the floor studying the grain in the hard wood floor. It was more complicated.. how she had felt. What made her leave. The series of events all coming down like dominos one after the other until there was no choice anymore.
"Why did you come back then...? What changed your mind..?" Lydia's voice was soft, she was biting her lip again. Erin's knees came up to her chest. The nightgown tugged down till it looped over the top. Her mouth opened and soft words floated into the almost silent room.
"Brian came.. with Icer and Ty and they talked me into it... said that people loved me here. And everyone there....they were terrible. Nothing on their minds but duty and obligation... it was like i wasn't even part of the equation." And the words. They would be left out at present. How the for now rattled in her head. The feeling that it had some meaning starting to falter. She was happier here. But it was hard to put into words with all the pain that kept raining on them. That she belonged and was accepted and lauded for what and who she was. A misfit among misfits.
((This is part one of a thread adopted from live play. It's collaboratively written, so all props go to LydiaMun as well. :) ))
"So, did you have a good night?" Her back was still turned to Lydia, fussing with the necklace, making it perfect. She knew she wanted to talk, to bring up something more serious than a simple recounting of the nights merriment, but she wasn't sure how.. or if it were right. A small sigh as she turned again.
Lydia had grinned and nodded faintly, "Yeah.. a great night. I don't remember the last time I had this much fun..." She took a moment to take off other assorted things while Erin worked on her necklaces, such as a bow tied around her wrist, and that broach given to her by Antonio. Both were placed aside carefully before she plucked an emerald and silver dagger (courtesy of Hawk) from behind her waistband and set it along side the jewelry.
"Me either..." Erin said absently as she worked to take off the third and final necklace. Her eyes roamed down her back to the frosting filled mess there, "Gosh, you're a mess..."
"Yeah.. that seems to happen to me a lot," Lydia said through chuckling. She tugged on her sticky dress. "I wasn't the only one though. I think everyone got messy." It seemed to happen every time she was around though. By this point, she was convinced she was a jinx of sorts.
"We did.. it was fun." She let out a long sigh as she leaned against the dresser. One foot came behind the other to liberate a shoe and then was repeated. "It was nice to forget about things for awhile."
"It really was... " Lydia smiled to Erin before slipping out of her grip and ducking into the bathroom. Erin watched, still leaning against the dresser. Eyes were on the door then, waiting for her friend to reappear. Now was as good a time as ever to have this talk... perhaps in better spirits it would go better. She closed her eyes, steeling herself for when her friend would return. And Lydia did, in some cleaner clothes. She headed for the bed, plopping herself on it. Erin walked over to the beds as well, sitting on her own cross-legged. She reached over to grab her diary, pulling it into her lap. A hand gently pulls it open, pen dipped in the inkwell waiting on the night stand, before she looked up.
"Could we...talk now? Or would you rather wait for a less joyful time? " Erin was about to pour herself, all these thoughts, into the diary again. But she didn't have the heart. The writing wasn't helping anymore, she needed a human confidant. Lydia laid down, staring at the ceiling. She was tired, but not sleepy.
"Of course we can talk." Said as she was nodding. Erin had mentioned they needed to talk about various things, but she would never bring it up whenever they were in public. If it were something really personal or important though.. probably for the best. And now was as good as time as any. Lydia wanted her to feel like she could confide in her.
This reminded Erin too much of a slumber party. That the talk should be of crushes and mean mothers rather than of death and jealousy. She closed the book, putting both it and pen back on the bedstand. Pulling her hips further toward the headboard she sat up, leaning her back against the cool wood.
"I'm sorry I've.... been the way I've been..." Erin shrugged lamely, eyes searching the sheets in front of her. "Things have been off." Lydia pursed her lips, still staring up.
" It's alright... things have been off for all of us I think... it'll get better. You just... gotta be more careful, yeah?" She spoke softly. Erin's behavior had certainly been alarming, confusing... It worried her, and at the same time it kind of angered Lydia. To see her 'big sister' acting so carelessly and recklessly, to see her kissing other men when she... it was so confusing.
"...yeah." Erin paused. Where to start? She took a deep breath and started from the begining. "You know that Brian came to get me, right? When I was in London?"
"Yeah... I know. He told me right before he left that he was going to get you.. I mean.. I didn't even realize you had left like that at first.. " Lydia said through a frown. She heard Erin left town, but didn't know there was any danger behind it.
"He told you?" She furrowed her brow. A sudden sense of urgency came over her. If everyone knew, what would they think? Her abandoning them like that..what would Grem think? The way he had said goodbye.. the way those words had acted to cause her return. "Who else knows?"
"I'm not sure.. we were alone when he did though." She nodded faintly. "He might not have told anyone else." Lydia couldn't be certain either way though, but if it were something so important, she doubted he'd go blabbing it to *everyone*.
"I wasn't going to come back..." Erin mumbled, eyes still cast downwards. She had only told a few people that fact. The only indication it was permanent that letter sent to Gideon. It was a hard admission. She was worried about its affect. If it would make Lydia doubt their relationship, if it would cheapen it. Would Lydia doubt her? That she would stay..
"Why not...?" Lydia spoke quietly, frowning slightly as her brows furrowed. Erin left like that, didn't tell her, and hadn't even intended to return? Well.. it's not like they were so close before Erin had left. Certainly friends though, Erin was even there to offer some support to her when she thought she'd lose it to Renna.
Erin shook her head slowly, first right and then left. Her shoulders moved up and down in a slow motion shrug. "I was...behaving like a fool. Like last night. And I got called out... Shylah did it.. So, I was going to go home. Get a divorce and come back new... but, Gideon left me, and Miles told Grem... it just seemed like a better idea to fix the first set of problems..." She sat up further, the frown still on her face. Eyes wandered to the floor studying the grain in the hard wood floor. It was more complicated.. how she had felt. What made her leave. The series of events all coming down like dominos one after the other until there was no choice anymore.
"Why did you come back then...? What changed your mind..?" Lydia's voice was soft, she was biting her lip again. Erin's knees came up to her chest. The nightgown tugged down till it looped over the top. Her mouth opened and soft words floated into the almost silent room.
"Brian came.. with Icer and Ty and they talked me into it... said that people loved me here. And everyone there....they were terrible. Nothing on their minds but duty and obligation... it was like i wasn't even part of the equation." And the words. They would be left out at present. How the for now rattled in her head. The feeling that it had some meaning starting to falter. She was happier here. But it was hard to put into words with all the pain that kept raining on them. That she belonged and was accepted and lauded for what and who she was. A misfit among misfits.
((This is part one of a thread adopted from live play. It's collaboratively written, so all props go to LydiaMun as well. :) ))