Avalon Inbox

[silvergarden]

❝ Hello... you have reached Rinea.❞

text ❀ audio ❀ video ❀ delivery ❀ action

Comments

Text, UN: MadeinHeaven. Late May/Early June (whenever works best for you!)

[cameprepared]

Hey Rinea.

It's Claire! It's been a bit, and i'm sorry! I was getting things settled in the move with Sherry, and then the Celliwig trials started and things are insane.

I was wondering if you were busy this afternoon? Maybe for a late lunch or early dinner?

text; un: Rinea_378

[silvergarden]

[Whoa! this is the first time Rinea has gotten a text sent directly to her, as opposed to a reply on the network.]

Dearest Claire,

Thank you so kindly for the letter! I am pleased to hear from you again. Do not worry yourself one bit for any absence at all; goodness knows enough happens here in Avalon. I am simply happy to hear you are well.

[Not hearing from people for long stretches of time was fairly normal back home, at least if anyone did any sort of traveling whatsoever. Avalon is certainly quite different in that manner!]

I would of course be honored to take you up on your offer! Please let me know what time and location you would care to meet, and I will arrive posthaste.

Your friend,
Rinea

[is.... is "posthaste" even used as a saying these days??? It doesn't make much sense with how fast letters are sent, but aaaagh.... after fussing over it for a minute, Rinea decides to send the message regardless. Claire will understand what she means, or at least be nice about it if she doesn't. IT'S FINE!!!!!!]

[cameprepared]

[Oh heck! Why is she so formal?! Did I mess up? is Claire's first thought, but then after thinking, she realizes Rinea and IM etiquette are probably a few hundred years out of sync.]

I'm glad to hear it, Rinea.

Please meet me at 4pm in the square near the Newcomer's Inn. I'll be there, and we can decide where we would like to eat from there.

[silvergarden]

Friend Claire,

Thank you for the specification! That sounds like a wonderful arrangement.
I dearly look forward to seeing you very soon!

Sincerely,
Rinea

[Sure enough, Rinea will be at the Inn on the dot, dressed lightly with an umbrella for the unpredictably wet June weather. The cheer on her face makes it very clear that Claire was right on the money with the IM etiquette being the issue, and not any grievance.]

Claire!

dec 25th gift delivery

[beaumains]

[ A new friend, but that made them no less eligible for some homemade chocolate truffles! Also included is a hand-stitched fleece scarf. It's very lightly perfumed...

A card comes with the package, reading; ]

"I hope you find these treats as sweet as the serendipity that brought us into each other's company, my lady. May the next year bring you glad tidings, and I hope to see more of you, then, as well!"

backdated to 12/21

[luciing]

[ On the morning of the 21st, a package with a blue ribbon on top will be delivered to Rinea by way of an owl.

A pair of earrings and a bracelet is within, the primary stone being a pearly laboradite from the Lotus Pod Mountains. Along with these are a pouch of raw ores of the same stone, perhaps to be used for any alchemical purposes. In certain lighting, the gems shimmers with the visage of an aurora borealis.

Handwritten is the following:

Celestial lights are candles. Thy wealth of compassion and grace are the stars. Yuletidings. ]

[silvergarden]

[Labradorite... how lovely. Rinea admires the gift with a pang of nostalgic fondness. So kind, and the letter so meaningful-- and how long has it been since she was gifted jewelry?

A handful of days later, near the new year, Somnus will receive a package in return-- delivered by a simple flying child's toy enchanted with a bit of the stone, a cognitive mage's help, and Mari Lwyd's new gifts to totter its way to the labradorite's previous owner.

Inside the package is an elaborately designed cloak pin, glittering with a polished, cut gem from the labradorite ore. With it is a letter:

Should the new year see fit to hold us in Avalon, I am honored that it is with you.]

[natsupiko]

❄️Log!❄️

backdated a few days

[luciing]

[ It has been days since his revival, and still he has not contacted the one other he had attacked while cursed by the Knights. Knowing that the longer he delays, the more difficult it will be and the more insincere he will seem-- he puts a quill to parchment.

She will receive the following letter, delivered by owl. ]

Lady Rinea,

You have my sincerest apologies.

Somnus Lucis Caelum

[ That is it. No explanation, for even if a curse absolves him, he should have been stronger in resisting it. No suggesting that they should meet again, for to someone he has frightened, she may not be ready, and any future contact should be her choice.

Rinea should never have been put through meeting him while he had been cursed. She deserves peace in her afterlife, not strife. Not combat. Not fright. ]

[silvergarden]

[Rinea reads the letter once, twice. The parchment wrinkles where she holds it too tightly.

So, he's alive. And sound of mind. She can let go of the guilt that wasn't hers to hold in the first place.

She tries not to-- the little owl is waiting patiently on her reply in order to return--but Rinea cries for a little while, out of relief and out of some emotions she cannot quite place.

Her letter of response is even shorter than his.]

Were there kernels of truth in your angry words?

[luciing]

[ He's surprised to receive a reply. Surprising even himself, he writes her back fairly quickly. His penmanship is tighter, as if he's urgent to reply-- to dispel any notion of her wrongdoing. As such he's a bit wordier, and he sends the owl off before he has the chance, or clarity of a less burdened mind, to restrain the impropriety of the earnestness of it. ]

You have done nothing to warrant the words spoken that day and the actions against you. All words were venom, wrongs and untruths. The egg and fae are responsible for both curses and enchantments. I begrudge you for naught.

If my words have caused you to doubt the strength of your kindness and grace, then let them rot. I pray you neither lose such virtue nor feel the need to restrain your own will or words, for I would hear all of what you wish to say.

Let these truths be known instead:

Your goodness inspires in incomprehensible ways.

Our time as "family" beneath the egg's enchantment was a precious dream.

[silvergarden]

Oh...

[There he is. This is the Somnus she knows.

Rinea scrubs at her eyes, feeling a little silly. Goodness, but she's been quite weepy these past few days! It's unbecoming, but at least it's cathartic instead of burnt-out and miserable.

To be honest, she's still a little scared. Not of Somnus, exactly, but of what his outburst (and Berkut's) represents: the violence of unheard resentments and misunderstandings. How quickly a relationship can erupt in uncertainty! How quickly can one lose their life! An easy lesson to take from it would be don't trust a soul. Guard your head, guard your heart, and save your own skin.

But Rinea won't choose that. She will choose instead to trust, to offer good faith. Some may find her foolish or stupid for it, and perhaps they're right. But after closing the door to human connection... what kind of a life is left to live?]

Thank you. I will hold this letter in my heart always.

I will see you again.
Rinea of Rigel

Backdated to mid april

[luciing]

[ Delivered by owl, Rinea will receive a bouquet of roses along with a handwritten letter. ]

For your performance at the theater, you deserve no less than flowers at your feet. Your poise was unparalleled, and your grace shone throughout.

Somnus Lucis Caelum

[silvergarden]

[Oh, Somnus... what is she to do with this? Rinea is so touched by the sentiment that she has to take some moments to compose herself.

Her reply comes a few days later. Most of the bouquet has been happily relocated to a vase in her bedroom, but a few flowers were dried and pressed; one such bloom was made into a bookmark, tucked into her return letter for him.]

Lord Somnus,

Thank you greatly for your gift, both of flora and of praise. It means so very much to me... I do not have proper words to describe. And for all of the trials we endured, it relieves and refreshes me both to know our time in the cavern was perhaps not all burdensome.

If I am given another chance to dance in Avalon, I hope I will again be able to enjoy the privilege of your audience.

With sincerity and gratitude,
Rinea

[luciing]

[ A dried flower in return?

Faintly, he recalls a memory of the distant past, where his soldiers would have such mementos gifted to them before they marched. To have one of his own after two thousand years is novel, indeed.

She is far too generous. ...But he will make time for any other performance of hers. ]

TDM

[luciing]

[ (From the TDM.)

The tournament has come and gone, finishing with an invitation to the Isle of Dreams for both participants and spectators alike. Somnus attends this banquet not out of curiosity, but with the notion in mind that, should those he knows are there and something happens during this banquet, he will be ready. That, and his brother seems to no longer be within this realm. The Isle is a sure, final check for his presence, as Ardyn had been here once before for the wishful illusions.



Somnus' search concludes, and he stands beside one of the tables of the illusion of a banquet hall, holding a modest glass of an earthy, red wine. The taste is bold, but it soothes the conflict regarding Ardyn's departure. Lowering the glass from his lips, his gaze finds, and follows, someone else who is familiar. If there is one thing good about his brother leaving... she is much safer, now.

(Because of a previous curse, she had been one of the few who ever knew they were related, and the danger he had posed. Perhaps she ought know she needn't worry any longer.)

When she is done socializing with others, he approaches her. ]

Hail, Alchemist.

[silvergarden]

Lord Somnus!

[Rinea's smile in greeting is as bright as always. Avalon's fairyland always makes her a bit nervous--nothing activates her anxiety quite like the fear of missing an unfamiliar culture's social cues-- but tournament seems to have ended safely enough. The banquet meal is certainly fine, and Rinea is especially enjoying the ethereal, atmospheric music drifting through the air from an unknown source. The earrings she wears (the ones Somnus gifted her, should he look close enough to notice,) twinkle faintly in the banquet table's candlelight as she keeps rhythm with one finger against her wine glass.]

How nice it is to see you! Did you fare well in Elphame's trials?

[luciing]

Indeed. You as well, I see. [ To those who have been in Avalon long, completing the trials is more of a tedious task than not.

A glint of light near her ears catches his eye, and it is then that he notices the jewelry, the ones he had gifted her months ago. He hadn't given it more thought than necessary to what style would be appropriate back then. Even now, he's not so sure-- but not because they clash. Rather, they flatter her, ...but perhaps too much, for the earrings create a natural path down their length, drawing his attention to the curve of her neck.

He is a touch too slow to correct his gaze back to his glass, at which he takes another sample of wine and covers his delay with a mild question. ] Are you enjoying yourself?

[ The wine helps to smooth out his voice, which she may or may not notice is an over-correction of his delayed reply. ]

[silvergarden]

I am! [Was he... staring at her? Perhaps there is an embarrassing smudge on her face, or her hair has fallen out of place? And he is too polite to mention it?! Rinea brushes her knuckles against her cheek in an absentminded gesture, but finds nothing.]

I find Elphame's invitations are always so sudden... and I can hardly stand to watch fights. But it is reassuring to see the plight of the land improve after the Fisher King's untimely revival. [They've been haunted by the spectre of that veil-lift for months, now.] I wish to hold out hope that the Lady Queen knows what she is doing.

[luciing]

[ His brother had danced with her, and she had appeared as if she had floated over the ground. She had smiled, she had beamed, and she was as radiant as Somnus had ever seen her-- not even with any dance he had with her himself. As loathe as he is to admit it, seeing his brother dance, if only for the few minutes the dance had lasted, reopens deep-seated insecurity of Somnus' own.

How foolish. No, apparently he has not outgrown this, and realizing that he still harbors this insecurity does nothing to help the fact that it yet remains, twisting within his heart like viper. His brother, who was always the more talented one, who mastered skills so easily, who was always better at bringing smiles to others' faces, is better at bringing Rinea joy in a way she truly likes.

Rather than forfeit, though, Somnus has spent days practicing, going to far as to hire a tutor for himself, to refine his steps every day until he's mastered (or believes he's mastered) what's needed.

Today, he's determined to prove himself. He writes her a message via owl: ]

Lady Rinea,

At your earliest convenience, I wish to dance with you.

Somnus Lucis Caelum

[silvergarden]

[How lovely! Rinea's reply is dashed off quite quickly, tied back to the owl as soon as it finishes its awarded snack. (She might spoil the creatures, just a bit.)]

Lord Somnus,

A nearby fief's lord is hosting a ball this very evening! Shall we attend?

Rinea

[luciing]

Let's.

[ And he also sends the time he'll send for a carriage. He's dressed in attire perhaps too dark in colors for an early autumn ball, but that is nothing new considering his wardrobe consists of mostly blacks and royal blues. During the carriage ride, she may notice that he may seem stiffer in conversation, as his serious expression makes for a natural cover for any nerves-- he has to impress her, after all-- but he does engage in asking about her day and how she's been. Why, speaking with her may even seem to relax him, somewhat, but by the time the lord's manor appears in view, he goes quiet once more.

FAST FORWARD to that evening at the ball, he extends his hand for her to take, drifting with her to the dance floor. Naturally, he begins with a bow. ]

on the day that Somnus tries to message Ardyn

[problemsoncauthess]

((aka this disaster))

Rinea suddenly receives a message from someone with the username therightful. Who could this possibly be!]

If you are not as inept with this technology as your "lord Somnus", do us all a favor and teach him to use it. If you are, then at least tell him not to contact me like this.

[WHO COULD THIS POSSIBLY BE!]

LMFAOOO oh god

[silvergarden]

[AH.............. "THE RIGHTFUL"???????? WHAT KIND OF DRAMATIC SUCCESSION ANGST ASS NAME IS--

Rinea's reply is thankfully legible. Her username Rinea_378 gives the impression that the system set it up on her behalf, though.]

Chancellor Izunia,

I apologize; lord Somnus and I rarely if ever communicate by phone. Because of that, I would consider his attempt to do so with you a mark of sincerity...

[Rinea's brainrot is terminal and she privately finds Somnus's ineptness kind of charming unfortunately. The lady is a sucker for gap moe.]

I must also express my surprise that your affinity with technology is so markedly different!
But regardless, I shall endeavor to do as you ask so that he may correspond with you properly.

Sincerely,
Rinea of Rigel

bless rinea for being nice about it omfg

[problemsoncauthess]

[listen do you think he WOULDN'T have a dramatic succession angst username after obsessing over the succession for two thousand years!!! he's a professional revenger!!

Rinea's reply is... surprisingly composed and barbless. Ardyn would have expected her to be more defensive of Somnus and displeased towards Ardyn himself, but she's doing a good job of being polite, even seemingly almost genuinely. He feels a pang of... well, it would be wrong to call it feeling bad, but it's something. She's definitely being more gracious about things than he is, and he dislikes feeling as though he's lesser.]

My thanks. Where would we be without you, miss Rinea. :)

I have spent longer than him in the modern world. Regardless, I would have expected him to have learned to use these devices, if only out of self-respect. Alas, even in two thousand years he seems to not have gained any.

[It's not that he CARES about his brother but the ineptitude is annoying and infuriating and he's sick of it!!! Maybe if Somnus wasn't such an insecure bitch none of the succession drama would have happened!!! >:(!!!!!]