Faction Capital Letters [DCN + Friends]

[Judah Dashiell]

"It was the most gentlemanly thing I could do - be your scapegoat. Fall on the sword, I believe is the phrase?"

True to his word the dance remained a very basic, wide box step. The best solution for the both of them, especially considering he had not danced in some time. Making them both look a fool at an important wedding was not something he was eager to do. Beyond the simplistic dance it gave a chance for better and sustained conversation.

"Life outside business? Sounds preposterous." Hand flexed against her hip as they turned, lost in thought. "I am assuming your niece means hobbies? Vacations?" Tone was playful, aghast even. "To suggest such a thing while Primo Victorian is in a critical stage. It is near blasphemy."

A small smile broke out on his features. He was a mix of playful and serious all at once. If anyone could understand the pull between two worlds it was him.

"Congratulations on the growth however. I know how difficult it can be to not only obtain but sustain."

Talk turned to his life and he shook his head as they made another sweep with the music. By now it had changed but they were marching to the beat of their own drum, off in their own little corner of the party.

"Every father with sons reaches a point where the son outdoes him. It is a point of pride but also a signal I need to do more. So I have. A decade or so ago I was heavily focused on the Tingel Arm. The Corporate Sector. Parts of the Slice. I'm redoubling my efforts there in various forms. While the salvage is where the wars are at, doesn't mean other parts of the business can't flourish where they once did."

Shoulders shrugged slightly.

"It is best I stick to work these days."

Ryssa Yvarro ​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

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Aurelian Veruna

Sibylla had been watching Aurelian.

Not the room or the celebration still roaring behind them.

Just him.

She saw the flicker in his amber eyes when she stepped beside him. The brief turn of his head, those inky dark forelocks falling over his brow in the way that made her fingers itch to brush them back. She clocked the way irritation still lived in the tight line of his jaw, even as that connection she felt with him that made her gravitate towards him slipped through the moment their shoulders touched.

It made the guilt worse.

By the time he was done, the apology already sitting on her tongue faltered, her lips parting slightly as words failed her -- because simply recounting and relaying how much fun she had on Denon hadn't been the entirety of what she had been doing. She had been trying to provoke him, to see if he would be jealous....and she knew that.

"Aurelian…" she began in a quiet murmur, even as her drink sat forgotten in front of her. Instead, her hand slid down from his sleeve to gently cover the hand resting against the bar, her thumb brushed lightly over his knuckles.

"I am sorry. I was being petty." There was no pride in the admission. No defensive humor. Just honesty. They were both learning and trying to navigate this. How to be with each other. How to interact and deal with all the emotions that come from it. From the present... from the past. The future. And all the irrationalities and complications that come from that.

"You were not the only one unsettled about parties and what may occur within them," she continued quietly so they wouldn't be overheard, glancing briefly toward the dancing crowd before returning her gaze to him. "And I am aware, quite painfully so, that it is not entirely rational of me....but the thought of your grand parties and how..." she paused, then took a breath, exhaling slowly.

A faint, rueful breath left her.

"I do not want to dance with anyone else either. " The words were simple, but they landed with quiet certainty. "Nor, if I am to be perfectly honest, do I much care for the idea of anyone else dancing or doing anything else with you."

There was a tightness to the delicate features of her face. A vulnerability there in experiencing jealousy, even knowing that Aurelian loved her. A faint smile touched her mouth, gentle and apologetic at once.

"... I find myself working through emotions that at times make me feel irrationally foolish, while the more sensible parts of me assure me otherwise."

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Tags: Sibylla Abrantes

Her apology hit him harder than anything she had said on the dance floor. Aurelian felt it settle almost immediately, easing the last of the tension in his chest. The look in her eyes, the way her hand covered his. He exhaled slowly, realizing just how far he had let himself get carried.

He had been irrational. Worse than that, he had made it her problem.

He turned toward her fully as she spoke, studying her face, the honesty there. When she finished, his arm slipped around her without hesitation, drawing her closer against his side as he leaned back against the bar.

"Irrationally foolish?" he repeated, quieter now. A faint huff of amusement left him. "If that's what you are, I am something far worse."

His thumb brushed lightly against her arm as he looked at her. "I find myself working through new emotions when it comes to you," he admitted, nudging her gently. "Jealousy being the worst of them."

Aurelian let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "I have never been a jealous man. People are usually jealous of me." He tossed his hair back slightly, tugging his shirt open a fraction more in mock emphasis, though the humor softened quickly.

His gaze steadied on hers. "You make me feel things I have never felt before," he said, more quietly. "Most of the time that is a good thing. Sometimes…" He exhaled. "It comes out wrong."

His hand tightened slightly around her arm before easing again. "For what it's worth, that Aurelian is gone," he added. "I changed when I fell in love with you."

He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the side of her head. Then, softer again, a hint of mischief returning, "But next time you go clubbing on Denon… I'm coming with you."

A small smile tugged at his mouth. "I want to see this 'rougher, more alive' version of my Sibylla."

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