|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2025 3:19 pm
Quote: When two lonely hearts meet through reading lessons.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2025 3:20 pm
  Nerves were fluttering around in her stomach. Delicate little ice butterflies that tickled her stomach from the inside and left her feeling off balance, unsettled, as she found herself attempting to wander the halls of the school to find the classroom she was supposed to currently be in. The classroom that was making her feel cold and hollow and nervous.
Lady Beckett knew part of her secret.
Well, that may have been an exaggeration. For when she’d been approached it was about how she seemed to be struggling in class and wanting to check her notes to make sure that Nerys was writing down the correct key points. Notes that had snowflakes clinging to her lashes as Lady Beckett offered her a sympathetic look at her doodled circles and lamented the education of noble women in Hyouden. She’d blamed the country, not Nerys’s status as false nobility, and that left a small comfort in her chest that she was clinging to. Then she asked Nerys to return for supplementary lessons with another student that was struggling.
There was some relief in knowing she was not alone in the struggle as well. The other students here were far more deserving of their titles and yet someone of noble blood was in a similar boat as her? While she knew it wasn’t entirely unlikely - she still remembered how her Lady in Hyouden’s son acted when it came to lessons - the knowledge still wrapped her up like a large, warm blanket that left her feeling less alone and like the people she was supposed to call peers were more human than she had ever seen them before.
But it didn’t lessen the thrumming of her heart as she approached the room and realized she didn’t know who this mysterious other student was. Was it another woman who grew up in a culture that didn’t value educating their women? Was it a man who had shirked off his studies and was now paying for it? The fact that she didn’t know was making a mixture of shame and fear grow to lead in her belly with every step she took, regardless of the fact that more than a few of them took her in the wrong direction and more than one very helpful maid in her path had to help her course correct.
Finally she was pushing the classroom door open hoping she wasn't late. Thank the gods she wasn't. A small sigh of relief left her in a visible puff as her cold breath hit the warm air. One that immediately had her realizing she wasn't alone.
Wide eyes drank in the figure before her. They were tall. Tall and... feminine. Relief flooded her as she dipped into a low curtsy. "Good afternoon, My Lady. Would you also happen to be here for lessons?" The question felt silly on her tongue even as she asked it. But then a new fear erupted behind her sternum. "Um... You are here for additional lessons, yes?"
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
classroom ❅ evelyn n. ❅ outfit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2025 8:24 am
 
Evie stared at her reflection, stared until her own image began to blur. A mockery of a princess looked back at her, brows furrowed and shoulders slumped. What an absolute embarrassment. A waste of a title, truly. Her gaze dropped to the porcelain sink, it was her fault, really, it always was. She refused help when it was offered, waved people away with a smile, as if pretending everything was fine could make it true. Too ashamed to admit she struggled, too proud to say she could barely make sense of the letters on a page. A ”princess” who couldn’t even read a novel. Not even a children’s book. Aleithia had to read to her, her little sister, voice sweet and patient, holding the storybook open while Evie sat beside her. She’d loved those moments, their laughter and the warmth of Aleithia’s shoulder brushing hers. But the sting that came after lingered long into the night. Every syllable she couldn’t read felt like another crack in who she was.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the sink, knuckles whitening. If she gripped any harder, she might’ve shattered the thing in half. The thought of it almost tempted her. What would people say if they knew? If someone caught her practicing her letters like a child learning for the first time? The thought alone made her stomach twist. The shame would be unbearable. She could hear the whispers already- one of the beloved princesses of Phronese, the Kingdom of Knowledge… illiterate.
Thankfully, she didn’t necessarily look like a princess, not really at least. Maybe that was her saving grace. Maybe people would never suspect it of her, the one who smiled too easily and laughed too loud. The carefree one who didn’t seem to give any shits.
With a sharp breath, she turned away from the mirror and shut the restroom door behind her, scrubbed her hair with a towel, shook it free of excess water and then tossed the towel onto the back of her desk chair. Her eyes flicked to the clock, she was going to be early, “Good, maybe she’ll let me leave early too.” Goosebumps prickled her bare skin, pulling her from thought. She sighed and dug through her drawers for something warm, something soft enough to make her feel at least somewhat better about the day.
The walk down the hall stretched longer than usual, maybe it was her dread making it so. Each step echoed against the stone, and although she felt pretty ******** low, she kept her chin up. As she always did, ’Shake it off, it’s no big deal.’ That was the lie she fed herself on repeat. But it was a big deal, it felt like the biggest thing in the world. When she passed others in the hall, she smiled warmly, the mask slipping into place as usual. No one got to know what lingered beneath. All the insecurities, the depression, the anxiety. No way did they have that privilege. By the time she reached the classroom door, her hands were cold again. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she’d be alone, she never actually asked Instructor Beckett if anyone else would be there. She just assumed it was a private thing. It should be private, shouldn’t it?
She pushed the door open and the room was warm, a relief that melted into her shoulders instantly. Even better, it was empty of her peers, “Thank the Gods,” She breathed out heavily, a small grin tugging at her lips. Her arms stretched high over her head, releasing some of the tension coiled inside her. The classroom smelled faintly of chalk and tea, it was somewhat comforting. Finally, she could relax, let herself be a little vulnerable, and maybe even learn something without feeling the weight of her own embarrassment pressing down on her chest.
But then, the door opened and Evie froze.
She turned toward the sound, and her breath caught before she could stop it. Another student? Her heart sank, then immediately flipped into a strange flutter when she saw who it was. The woman who stepped inside was shorter than Evie, with dark, sleek hair that framed her pale face, and eyes so light they almost glowed. Evie blinked, her mind went blank as the woman looked up at her. She wasbeautiful. That was the first word that registered, and second was the terrible realization that now she had to share a lesson with someone, an attractive someone.
“Um… You are here for additional lessons, yes?”
Evie blinked again, realizing she had been staring, and worse, not breathing. She swallowed, forcing air back into her lungs. Right, she might not be able to read, but she could at least speak, couldn’t she? “Y-” Her voice cracked, earning a small grimace from herself, so she coughed, straightened her posture and slipped back into her well practiced coolness, “Yes, I am.” The warm smile returned, then she gave a small bow toward the shorter woman, “No need to be so formal,” A light laugh escaped through her words, “I don’t think I’m much of a lady. Just Evie is good with me.” She took a few steps closer, unable to help herself. Up close, the woman was even more striking, there was something about the way her eyes held her gaze. Evie tilted her head slightly, then offered her hand, “And who might you be?”
OOC: Location: Classroom Company: Nerys Outfit: Wearing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2025 10:23 pm
Relief flowed through her veins that she was in the right place. Then it was very quickly replaced with shame. Hot, burning shame in her sternum. Yes, they both needed supplementary lessons, but even if this woman wasn't a skilled reader - which given her muscles maybe she came from a country that didn't value the skill highly? - she still likely knew what each letter was. Something Nerys didn't know. Something that would become extremely evident the moment they attempted to learn.
Was it possible to be preemptively embarrassed?
If it was, she had little time to wallow in it. Not when the taller woman was talking to her. Laughing in a way that sounded so nice. So friendly. Nerys blinked. Then she blinked again. To be less formal sounded almost like a trap. Could she possibly drop formalities? Would it truly be fine?
"I am... Unaccustomed to speaking less formally." Her cheeks felt tingly in that way that told her she was blushing. Like they were a few degrees hotter than the rest of her. For a moment she bit down on her lower lip, her face furrowing in thought. She couldn't explain why. Not without risk. A risk she had already taken once. And while it had not come back to harm her, she'd only known Evie for a breath.
"I suppose I could try, La - I mean, Miss -" She paused, once again worrying her lower lip. This was going to be hard. Harder than she expected, at least. When her mind kept reminding her that she was so many stations below the people were supposed to be her peers it was incredibly easy to slip back into being a maid. "- Just Evie." This time when she spoke, she looked up with an apology written on her face. One that she was trying to suppress with everything in her being.
"Although, I would argue you are plenty a lady." The thought tumbled out of her mouth unbidden, making her eyes widen as her hands flew together so she could nervously pick at her nails. Like twisting her fingers would make the comment dissolve into the ether. But it was out in the world now. If only she could create ice to swallow her whole and make her look less like a bumbling commoner.
Instead she was stuck here, with a lovely noblewoman who wanted her to be less formal as she spoke who was about to watch her trip over every word she attempted to read. "I am Nerys," It took effort not to call her my lady. Almost as much as it took for her not to curtsy. She couldn't stop the way her head bowed down in polite reverence. "I also think it is best I apologize now. I know we are in these lessons together, however I fear I will make them harder on you as I will need the most basic instruction." This was better, ripping off the bandage before they even started. If only it could make the words easier to say. "I have never been taught to read any language."
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
classroom ❅ evelyn n. ❅ outfit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
