Welcome to Gaia! ::

The steady pulse of clicking heels was the only sound reverberating through the empty hallway. The school was hardly a shell of what it had been in the previous month after the events of history class rocked the student body like a sonic wave. "Ah-ha. I get it! It's because the school was stuck in a battle between Musique. an-" Gwen worked to block out her sister's insistent mumbling to her inner thoughts. Yes. It was true; not one person in this school truly came out of that class unscathed, and witnessing all the turmoil was gloriously entertaining. But also so pathetic, their mournful grieving after having witnessed their peers dying and killing in war was foreign to the likes of Gwendolyn Tonnerre.

The only thing she felt was brothered. Many students were left on high alert, their emotions too racked with bitter guilt and depression to make feeding on their vitality an enjoyable experience. It was gag-worthy, honestly. So, she would get back to harvesting when she found someone who could offer a pebble of entertainment. Cross her black heart and hope to die. However, on days like this, the struggle was weighing on her. Being starved of energy while lacking in an abundance of entertaining lessons and wild events, and then adding the company of her choke-worthy brother... Well.

"Have we decided what do to about Sibble's request?" Her steps paused, turning gracefully on her heels to head back to her room. Oh yes, she just needed to crunch some numbers.." Noo, not yet." Her steps paused, "Let's relieve some stress and visit his room aga-" No.. Now was not the time to find physical release, she needed to-" I think a nap is in order" Class just released? Why would she waste?- "It's imperative we write back tonight." Right, she knew that, she'd get to it, she just needed a moment to.-"Oh? like you did last time? It's better we contact father about-" Wait, hold on. Her footing slowed. Let me think."I just think it's funny how-." Wait. "Jezebel that guy was a ******** tool?" Hold O-"But he was so funnn-" WAIT. Hold . On finally the roaring clawing through her head paused for a breath, just for Carmilla to slither in."Oh sissy, look at that one. He looks plump full of power; get your hands on that one." Her sisters were running absolutely rampant in her mind. Pulling her in so many different directions, Gwen would feel the threads of her perfect hold slipping.

Slowing her pace to drag her amber eyes to the side, she scowled at the shorter man Carmilla was stealing the spotlight to point out. What the hell was he looking at? "That. Is a servent." She bit out loud, baring her teeth at the lowly man who dared raise his eyes from the level of the floor to look at her. His round cheeks puffed, green eyes going wide as they took her in. "I-I am a P-p-p-prin." His annoying voice stammered out, ignighting Pandora's animalistic rage that sent Gwendolyn's eyes narrowing into slits as she cut him off. " P-p-piece of Trash." She finished for him.

Without the princess of Ulium laying a hand on him, her frustration alone electrically charged the air around her, a shock rippling its way down the man's spine that ignited a fire in his fat hide, aiding him in coming to the quick decision not to argue his lineage and get out of there. Roaring laughter erupted through Gwen's skull, her sister's voices bellowing their humor, sending her hands flying up to her temples.

Gods, please. She. Needed. Distraction.

~~~~~

That was how Gwen found herself in the music room after years of avoiding it. She sat poised, the train of her dress draped the ground around her as she rested the soundbox of a harp against her chest. Metal jewelry adorned and elongated her fingernails, hovering just over the strings for a breath before they began dancing along the strings. Father had always impressed upon her the importance of learning an instrument. A princess needed to be able to perform for the masses, part of her duty he said. When she was younger, she was excited to learn until she was placed in a stuffy room with a scraggly old teacher who informed her that Daddy demanded she learn to play the harp. Always a demand, no room for anything else. No matter how Gwen tried to draw him to other musical instruments, he decided Harp paired best with piano, and that was what she would learn.

Now, she was thankful for it; in her opinion, It was hard to slip emotions into such an instrument... No matter what she played, Music from the harp was always delicate, perfect, alluring, and harmonious. Like she was. And she looked beautiful playing it, a perfect doll just as father wanted.

Daftly, her fingers worked the strings, the song she played a million times over, its soothing sound twisting with the snow that filtered through an open window nearby. " We have so much to do. Is now really the time to be playing?" and it was still doing very little to aid in her situation. At least now, only one spoke at a time for the most part. Curling her fingers, she knocked the ball of her palm against the box between strums, pleading to lose herself to the reverberation it sent through her chest. When that wasn't enough, her fingers plucked harder, and her slaps and beats became fiercer in her attempt to drown out her sisters. Unbeknownst to her, the violent thrum of her supposedly soft song on the innocent harp seemed to have caught the attention of someone in passing.

On any normal day, Gwendolyn or her sisters would have picked up on an intruder's approach, giving ample time to slip back beneath her well-crafted masks. But today was not one of those days. So, the graceful click of stiletto heels that skillfully bounded in time with the steady thrum of Gwendolyn's playing went unnoticed for longer than usual. It was as though the wearer's body naturally ebbed and flowed in pace with the rhythmic playing that echoed down the hall. "We've got company." The sound of Hecate's voice ignited the raven queen's already too-shocked nerves, head snapping to the side with such force it sent her pointer finger slicing through two cords that screeched out their curling death just as a woman broke the threshold of the room.

As the music in the room hollowed, guided eyes slowly danced from the woman's shoes to the thick raven waves that adorned her crown. Gwendolyn had taken notice of the woman before, appreciating the way she expertly matched her poutful red lips to the color of her nails and heels, which garnered more than a glance from the soon-to-be queen on multiple occasions. " I wonder what they taste like." Jezebel mused, leaving Gwen to wonder if she were talking about the woman's lips, fingers, or heels... Using a soft shake to clear her mind that sent Gwen's braids dancing, she sighed through the rising silence. " If you wish to play, I fear this instrument is no longer in commission." Her voice was as dull as the poorly crafted toy she played with, unable to find the proper threads to slip her mask back in place.

Pressing the massive Harp forward with a resounding thud, Gwendolyn stood to her full height, her own heels widening the difference between them, forcing her gilded gaze downward to stare through the strands of thick bangs. It wasn't that much different from how she often looked down on most people. "If you planned to ask to pair up, I regret to inform you Im not much for group projects." She added when the plainest pair of brown eyes swept an analyzing gaze over the harp. "Noooo, you excel at them. Just not with others." Hecate added, and thinking back, she had never actually seen this raven-haired beauty pair up with others in the class. When forced to, she appeared to expertly paint an expected smile over her full lips, akin to her own well-crafted ones. Gwen could appreciate that nack for acing, at least. "Though, from what I've observed of you in classes. Im sure you share the same ideology." She added with the smallest cork of her lips. "Gwendolyn Tonnerre." Her voice was a hum that accompanied little more than a downward tilt of her head. "And If you wish to inhabit this space, I will be taking my leave. Enjoy."

OOC: I- am so extra I'm sorry ; u ;

For a split second, something burned behind the woman’s gaze. A subtle grinding of teeth as though what Gwendolyn had said struck a nerve. But in the easy flow of her following sentence, the woman's eyes dampened beneath a shallow smirk. Her lips pulled into a tight circle, sending pleasure cresting her sharp cheeks. Was it the fact Gwen had taken the time to notice her that sparred this reaction?

“Anika Alto, but I’m glad my reputation proceeds me. Yours, however, doesn’t do you justice."

The skillful jab was layered beneath Anika’s smooth compliment. Its subtle appearance sent the line of Gwen’s smile slowly creeping across her lips, intrigued to see the woman moving the first pawn in this chess game of royals. Good. A playful distraction, just what she needed. “Alto, eh? For someone whose last name places them far from center stage, it'd be kind of us to knock her down an octave.” Gwendolyn stoned her features against Lilith's commentary. She wasn't barbaric enough to lash out the way her sister urged her to, but the incessant pride made quick work of sending boiling water pulsing through her veins she’d be forced to breathe through. Recentering her mind, she sought the proper response in seconds. Like flipping through the pages of a picture book, the princess settled on a different response. Humor. That's what Gwen would call the emotion she filtered into her eyes as she wrapped her hand around Anika’s, careful not to give into Lilith’s desire to plunge the pointed metal of her talons into the beauty's soft skin.

It was instant. The second they touched Gwen’s energy extended, creeping beneath Anika’s fair skin like a virus, feasting on the bits and pieces of the vitality so willingly offered. The tart flavor washed over her tongue, bitter, with a hint of sweetness that thickly coated her throat. The same type that forced small children to pucker their lips and squirm. She was like sour candy.

" Despite what you may have heard, I have been feeling rather charitable lately."

"Heard? Darling, no, Observed. " Gwendolyn intervened. Hailing from a kingdom known for their keen listening skills led the Ulium heir to assume this princess could pick up common terminology. Though, maybe that was where the brilliance ended within their fragile walls. Nonetheless, Gwen made the direct move to correct the princess even if her short fuse and demand for respect were nearly as potent as the pompous air she permitted. " The way green eyes of envy are simply drawn to you in the classroom is a rather intoxicating sight to behold." She lied, her golden gaze narrowing into borderline predatory as they raked over Ankia's figure. Gwendolyn wasn't the type to shrink herself to heighten all those beneath her. She could, however, expertly coat her tongue in the honey this princess was so sickly starved of. The way that sweetness hinted at a longing to be loved. It was sad.

True, some eyes stuck to the raven-haired beauty when she bounded through the halls, but envy or love was hardly the correct term. It was something better that the inferior offered this woman. A twinge of fear, Gwendolyn could appreciate that.

"Perhaps I could give you some pointers.” Her voice was smooth, as if it caressed the air in the room instead of mixing with it. Receding her hand to motion to the harp, she continued. “It’s no fun to play if there’s no audience. Unless there is someone you are trying to avoid."

It wasn’t a question. No, Anika was prodding, like a spider casting little spindles of web in its attempt to catch some reaction. Oh, how fun she was. Obliging, Gwendolyn would offer one.
“Avoid?" A pointed laugh rolled from Gwen’s chest. As if any tangible being could push her to isolate. No, her company was hardly the type one could walk away from. When her laugh gave way to an exasperated sigh, her brows pinched pitifully together as she continued." I simply seek a moment’s reprieve from the mundane, constantly pawing for attention. Acquiring true solitude as the crown can be so cumbersome, can it not?" Surely she could understand that. However, not everyone held the same crushing weight. Maybe Anika, the esteemed heir apparent of Musique, balanced the type of tonnage on her shoulders that was said to form glittering diamonds. All the troubles and blatant disrespect their history teacher displayed of her kingdom would paint her as the up-and-coming, gleaming star who fought for her kingdom the way she was destined to. Gwendolyn didn’t believe in such wild fantasies. No, she believed it in its purest form. That crushing pressure that reformed you was meant to shatter you. into a million. little. pieces.

How pretty would this little diamond look scattered into dust? Such answers could only come with time. For now, those pointed amber eyes sought something from Gwen. Kinship, maybe. Someone to go toe to toe with. An awfully human role to seek that Gwendolyn was willing to mold herself into if more physical contact could be found for her to feed on.
“I'm sure you understand, there are…” purposely, she placed a stretching pause, as though she were hesitant to bring up a subject. “Boy’s galavanting about who are more akin to children, you know, require a constant eye, or they’ll go digging for things well out of their reach. It’s quite exhausting and might I say.. Embarrassing.” She sighed. “ Plus I greatly dislike being outnumbered. It makes for far too much stupid in one room.”

Hanging the lure worm of a rumor people likely whispered about. Gwendolyn spoke as if she was seeking comfort, or someone to lean on while simultaneously admitting how much she loathed the large crowds she was forced to entertain. Her impending marriage to the Windurian prince wasn’t a secret to the masses by any means, nor was it something that plagued Gwendolyn‘s thoughts on a daily basis. Only when the situation allowed did she delve into the role of needy princess who desperately pined after the pigeons attention — whenever his pink plaything was nearby, of course.— But the recent joys of watching the confusion glitter in her eyes and Oliver’s show of desperately trying to brush her off like some clingy friend had shifted as of recently. The prince had become more present. Annoyingly so. Never hesitating to come when she called, and willingly seeking her companionship. Annoying. He had even taken up training with his guard and some dreadfully depressed fellow. The thought of that shiny, scarred man made her stomach turn. One brush of her fingers in passing was enough for her never to want to touch him again.

Dragging her gaze from Anika to the harp, then slowly back, she searched the confines of her memory for more sweet nonsense. It was proving difficult when everything about her seemed so surface-level on the best of days. “It’s best if I not extend my stay, you see.” Then, a longing look abruptly stained her glass features, but not for the reasons anyone would think. Hecate had taken form, draping herself over Anika’s shoulders and lazily threading her fingers through her hair. It was a souring attendee, stirring the realization that some deep part of herself Envy’d the woman. But for what? Gwendolyn wouldn’t be sure. She didn’t give Hecate the chance to speak as she continued her thought aloud.

“ Someone here is so musically inclined that they harbor this space nearly daily. I find myself drawn to the sound most evenings, and recently, they have been absent. So I thought I might indulge But-” The completion of her sentence hung unfinished in the air, mouth popping open as if dawning a new realization.

“Oh Correct me if I’m wrong. It is you, isn’t it? Who plays that extraordinary music each evening?” Then her hands were back around Anika’s, eye’s wide with excitement as she fed on more vitality. “ How dull could I be? No wonder you'd been missing since the events of History class. I would be a fool not to accept such a grandiose offer from someone so talented.”


Humming through her feigned embarrassment, one step took Gwendolyn back to the dreaded instrument she was being requested to play. Once comfortably seated, she pulled in box back to her chest, and momentarily mulled over her music of choices. Since her unexpected guest caught her in a rare moment of distraction, two strings were now unusable, which would greatly hinder her options. “ Please, don’t hold back any criticism.” She informed, cracking her fingers against the wood. Ahe testingly scratched out a few strings, checking their tune. Then began her playing. A tame, less intriguing, or popular song. All in hopes the Princess would do as her hag of a teacher once had, and lean her chest uncomfortably into her back to correct her hand positioning, or nitpick what hand she used on the cords.

Gwendolyn wasn’t a horrible player by any means. But she grew bored with this instrument. She hoped Anika, would prove to be a more pleasing toy.

OOC:

A smile threatened Gwendolyn’s lips when Anika's painted smile faltered at the mention of class. Like a well-placed arrow to the knee, she’d struck another cord. Two for two she thought, swallowing the grin in an effort to keep her face neutral and not lead her little metronome off tempo.

The princess had some smarts to her, Gwen could offer that much. Breezing past the uncomfortability of the topic with a shadow of ease. The princess could understand the pain, she’d seen it once in her brother. However, now she could no longer grasp the weight of that grief for her people, much less another country's– Any people really. They were all simply fleeting life forms that failed to contain their spark. What did it matter if that spark were stolen by her hands or the hands of another kingdom? War brought growth– and growth was necessary for every business. There was no harm in utilizing the chaos that came from human brutality to achieve it.

Nonetheless, the Princess would entertain Anika. Stitch on a somber expression of all the whoas and boo-hoo’s for what her people had endured while the Musique heir drawled on about the hardships. She would play her well-practiced tune, hoping to edge ever closer to the smooth Musique power she could feel lingering on her fingers while she played. More often than not, Gwen found the power of music to be shotty on the best of days. Whether she could make a profit of collecting from it was up in the air.

Once the music in the air faded into a moment of blissful silence, Gwendolyn crossed her hands and rested them atop her lap, turning to face Anika with bated breaths. Yes, dare I say the princess was excited to see how the pristine goddess of musique would critique her performance. There was a moment she teased the idea to her sisters to string the wrong note, just to bear witness to the reaction, but Lilith wouldn’t allow such insolence to come from a craft they’d perfected.

" I don’t think you missed a single note, The harp is not for weak willed," The praise was expected… and uninspiring. A well-trained rule among royals to always lead with kindness, as her father would say. The ‘sandwich method’ he’d once called it. Slather the bad news between two tidbits of good to lessen the blow to the paper thin human ego. Such manipulation was easy to pick up on. Gwendolyn only expected more from Anika, that she would live up to the cut-throat rumors surrounding her and spare such pleasantries to get to the meat of it. "It’s impressive to hear someone nonnative to Musique play it so well," Again. It was getting increasingly more challenging to withhold her eye roll. The human thing, the typical reaction was due now. Smile Gwendolyn, nod. Be pleased by such kindness– it’s the proper thing. The boring thing. A shy smile grazed her lips, eyelashes fluttering down as she brushed her fingers across her cheek to sap the absent heat there. As though she just could not handle the weight of such kind words!

“Ms. Alto, you flatter me. Thank you.”now get on with the lesson.

" That being said, you seem to be missing something rather important. Something you can’t study. Heart. Do you even enjoy playing music?"


For a breath, a blank expression fell over the princess's features. Heart… Enjoyment. At times Gwendolyn wished she could remember what those meant. Or how it felt to someone like Anika. She didn't quite understand now, how people felt. She could tell you their taste, light and sickeningly sweet when coating vitality… but how it could tie into something as dull as music? It wasn’t the same rush she faced when balancing the undercity, or playing on the ground with Kieran. No… Was she supposed to play until her finger ran raw? Or her life blood slipped from the tips and coated the strings the same way the pump in her chest distributed it? Was that playing with your heart?

“ You realize the position your rash actions just put us in?” Pandora spat, their father's scornful tone seeping into each internal word. “ You placed a spotlight on all our shortcomings. Of course she could tell we have no heart.” This time heat did swirl beneath her skin. But not from embarrassment. No. At one of her greatest secrets being so blatantly exposed. As if she’d let a sliver of her machinery show through, and Anika knew.

Now her heart raced, the thrill of a threat coloring her cheeks in feigned embarrassment. “ I should have known someone with your expertise would notice. In Ulium no one has quite the same sense. They simply enjoy a sound different from the thrum of machinery. I must admit, this instrument brings little joy.” Lifting her gaze to stare at the oversized paper weight, she looked back to Anika with a longing smile. “It was my father who insisted on perfecting it. And I did, just for him… For palace performances. Though it’s much too soft for the type of noise I am accustomed to.”


OOC:

Anika seemed struck with pride the moment the admission of Gwen's musical shortcomings slipped past her lips. At least, that’s what Lilith explained it as, whispering tenderly into her vessel's ear. “Look now— Little Anika Alto is so very proud to have her musical empathy radar recognized." Gwendolyn couldn’t say she would have copious amounts of pride in being proven right each time she said monkeys were only good for loosening bolts. So why did Anika relish in knowing the Ulium heir was no heartfelt musical genius? Her true talent could only ever lie in the machinery she made, the connections she harbored. What pride could she feel in expecting Anika to be any good at those things?

But, she supposed that the princess was starved of choice, of authentic recognition. And if Gwendolyn needed to concede to such groveling to turn Anika into puddy in the palm of her hand, so be it.

" Fathers are idiots."

“That was quick.” Bellatrix mused, Gwen’s brow inching further up as the stress that bloomed over Anika's cheeks deepened. " I mean your father sounds like one." Then sprang loose the geyser that was Anika Altos' mouth. It was difficult not to laugh outright when her hand shot up to scrub down her face, realizing the can of worms that had sprung loose. But it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, not every royal had the same sense of control Gwendolyn did over her sisters. "No offense."

“Some taken.” Lilith laughed through her lips, bemused. " If only because I, reluctantly, am half of that idiot."

Yet it seemed whatever barrier held Anika in place shattered at its hinges, releasing the flood gates entirely. " Who does he think is telling you what to do? We should be allowed some choice. What’s the point of existing otherwise?”

A spark of humor glinted at the prospect of Anika so brazenly entwining their persons.

“ I mean you." She corrected, but It was far too late now; Gwendolyn had already swallowed down that one word in the outpouring of Anika’s desperate recovery. Running her tongue over her teeth, she took a moment to consider the princess's struggles. The emotional hardships that would result in such a lump sum inflection. Did dear daddy play puppet with you, too? It was a weak spot that Gwendolyn knew intimately, so boldly displayed. And one that she would certainly exploit when it came time to strike back.

“You should be allowed some choice, come on. Out with it. If you could choose any instrument, what would it be? I’ll teach you."

“Kings can be daftly controlling, can’t they?” Her agreement was sharp. Honed by the same raw edge of anger that Anika unleashed. Yet, entirely defeated by the upturned curve gracing her lips. Gwendolyn was acutely familiar with having her choice shorn from her. Every wire that didn't feed Ulium's image, her papa had stripped bare in his grandiose effort to construct the ideal carbon copy.

Bellatrix thought they could settle for unveiling a sliver of shared distaste for trust-building. If only it would soften the beast from Musique, who spelled her deep-rooted daddy issues out on her forehead. Bringing a delicate finger up to trace the curve of her bottom lip, Gwendolyn pondered her options, golden eyes cascading over the selection. The perfectionist in her was pulled directly to the other string options in the room. She couldn’t very well go and select an instrument that had zero relation to a harp, lest she look like some idiot.

“If the choice was mine, I would choose...That one,” she finally decided, casting a guilded finger to the guitar. “It looks intriguing.”
Already, her mind worked to deconstruct the tool, hypothesizing what each divot in the long neck could be intended for. The nobs and strings were understandable enough, but what could that gaping mouth in the center of it be for? Screaming? Gwendolyn liked screaming.

“But first,” Her attention swung back to Anika, a curious kindness softening her features as she extended her offer. “ It’s only fair for me to repay your generosity by extending the same kindness.” Gwendolyn hated owing anything. The playground would only remain balanced if both of them decided to rival their father's chokehold this evening. Gwendolyn may have already been a professional at it, but Anika didn’t need to know such trivial things to accept an invitation into her games. “Name something, anything, and it’s yours or you'll have my assistance retrieving it.”

OOC: