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Tweak says, "You're my soul train!"

Lady Reyne Mordha (heldbytheblade) wrote in watchers_rp,
@ 2017-05-21 23:36:00

Entry tags:

#day 006/06 may, calista, reyne

Who: Calista & Reyne
Where: Elkwood Castle... somewhere
When: Late Morning

A hunt had been planned -- perhaps in progress at that moment -- and while Reyne would usually be at the centre of it, she found she did not trust herself. The Lady Hand herself was in Kingswood, and really, just asking Nevina would confirm that potentially arming the Bringer among all of those fools was just far too much like the time their little brother had followed them out hunting. It painted a target on someone’s back. The last time that happened an arrow had gone through her brother’s throat. Reyne never had been known for her impulse control. She had still been considering whether it was worth the risk until the maid helping her dress -- much to her puzzlement -- couldn’t confirm or deny what she was expected to wear. Ideally it was a question meant to be aimed at Nevina, but she wasn’t there, so Reyne had given the maid a withering glare and donned the first dressed handed to her.

That first dress had brought her internal debate over attending the hunt to an immediate end. Apparently the garments she owned that were classed as ‘simple’ or ‘casual’ and did not involve any form of armour were somehow fussier than the dresses (gowns?) she wore for dinner. Oh, the latter were more eye-catching and obviously there to showcase the woman wearing them, but these...

Her sleeves were all swishy. How was a blade supposed to slide out of these? Keeper willing, I won’t have to kill anyone in this ridiculous garment.

Adjusting her belt (basically silver jewellry for her waist, but nothing like the fake silver-steel bodice on much of her eveningwear) she stopped to fidget in a childish manner she knew would get her that look from her sister, then realised she had walked in on someone else’s privacy. Which was to say she had been wandering around the castle, looking more and more like a feral thing from Ardghal, unaccustomed to attire with a low hemline, and someone happened to be around the corner. While her natural reaction was to curse the Watchers for being fickle cretins, the Bringer’s mouth opened to drop a bizarrely ladylike “Oh.”

Dramatic pause, polite pause, pause while she apparently stopped to think about what to say next even though she didn’t quite need to because if the woman’s dress colours were true to her House, then she recognised them. “Forgive my intrusion--” Reyne’s face was the illusion of a faintly hesitant smile; not that far off from the truth, mostly because she wasn’t sure if she wanted to smile yet. This may yet be the wrong woman and then she would be of no use to the Lady Hand whatsoever. “--all the best hiding places seem to be taken.” Had she really just said that? No matter, she dismissed the thought as she added what could have been a flush of embarrassment to her illusion, then ducked her head to slow any attempt at departure by quite genuinely fixing her stupid belt.

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heldbytheblade
2017-05-26 06:29 pm UTC (link)

“How terribly disappointing when your reputation doesn’t precede you,” Reyne quipped with an entertained smile, since a great deal of her own reputation had a tendency to remain utterly disconnected from her for the most part. “I believe she is strong-willed enough to create one for herself, if she must.” We make our mark, indeed. “I was fortunate; my place fell into my lap.” Well, the Hand at the time told her what it was. Same thing.

No, Reyne still did not think it that complicated. She did think that the Lady Hand was going to have fun with this one. “I assume most are accustomed to hearing it from me, certainly. I cannot speak for the others.” But she would love to. “And it has been a while since I’ve met a man aware of myself or my family name who will say such where I can hear, and definitely not to my face.” She gave a light shrug. “The most common reaction is to stare at whatever skin my armour leaves bare or to goad me into a duel -- which only boosts my ego, because I never lose those fights.” Men who deliberately provoked a woman when they knew she’d been trained for combat were usually idiots. It was fun to be underestimated, however. “Nearly the same,” Reyne confirmed with a nod. “It is still important.” She paused. Was it really? “If you’re the firstborn daughter or whichever daughter has become the family heir… And I suppose we have more of a say in who we marry.” Thoughts on her twins, Reyne tipped her head. “Where the rest of the realm will sell their souls for sons, we would really rather have daughters, so illegitimacy is not exactly uncommon. Who would know?” Save any husband. “The child takes the mother’s name after all.” She gave a soft chuckle, as though she had only just realised something about her own countrywomen. In truth, she understood them perfectly well. “And as you say, we are a matriarchy.”

Truly not giving a fig if the servants were listening -- they always did and she loved to play up to that fact -- Reyne grinned. “Hel Mordha was originally built as a coastal lookout -- a fort, really -- so the villagers all have a healthy dose of mariner’s superstition about them.” That was true, but that she had helped it along over a century or so would remain unsaid. “Any man who marries a Mordha is apparently doomed to die an early death. No man has ever paid any heed to that. Probably because the doomsayers leave out the part where pirates were likely involved and the respective Lady Mordha died not long after in similar circumstances. As I said: coastal lookout.” She paused, then added: “Pirates are fun.” Anyway, where was she? Ah. “Our church is, I have been told by multiple sources, cursed by druids. Or the Keeper. Or we incurred the Creator’s wrath. Pick one, they amount to the same thing: we have no church. They keep getting destroyed.” Reyne shrugged it off like it was nothing, but then the stories she spoke of technically occurred long before her time as far as Calista would be aware. “A century ago... or two or three -- who knows these days?” She did. “The whole residing Mordha family was apparently killed inside it. Or so the story goes.” The idea was waved away. Clearly, it was ridiculous. “Whatever the truth, it’s not been rebuilt. The clergy don’t stay long either.” And she even managed to say that without sneering.

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