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((For Bella/Draven))All was painfully still in Izzy's bedroom, like the room was holding its breath waiting for something. Waiting for her to disappear, perhaps. Did her room sigh in relief when she left it? She wasn't sure. How could she be? Once she had left someplace, she couldn't know what happened in her absence by virtue of being... well, absent. But she liked to imagine that whenever she escaped the luxurious comforts of her room that the whole space groaned and sighed after her, as if her departure functioned as a pressure valve, allowing the space to settle and rest in peace until she returned. At this very moment, she even felt pressure building up in her head, but upon further examination, she concluded it was probably due to the fact that half her upper body was dangling upside down over the foot of her bed.
A light breeze broke the stillness, dancing through the open window in lazy swirls. The lavender curtains fluttered in the wind, reaching for Isley, beckoning her outside. And was that...? Izzy inhaled deeply, detecting the smell of rain. Delighted at the prospect of dancing in the rain, she threw her legs over her head and landed upright on the fluffy rug at the foot of her bed. There would be no point in trying to go back to bed and fall asleep now that she knew rain was imminent, so she hurried about the room to make preparations to leave. Thunder rumbled lowly overhead as she threw on a a dark ocher shawl over her ivory nightgown with pale gold trim and alabaster crochet lace at the hem.
Upon reaching the window, she paused. The evening was too promising to come straight back after dancing. There must be something else to do while she was out... A-ha! She'd go visit her best friend. Hopefully he'd have a good laugh at her silliness in prancing about in the rain on the way to his estate. Earlier in the day, she'd considered going to visit him anyway but hadn't wanted to risk running into Aunt Esmeralda, who was unquestionably one of her least favorite family members. A shudder - which was not in any way to be mistaken as being from the cold - ran through her at the thought of her aunt.
Fortunately, the rain began to fall, effectively distracting her from less pleasant thoughts. Forgetting her shoes, she stepped out of the window into the drizzle and made her way to the Delacroix estate under the cover of darkness. She didn't run into a single soul on her way, not that it would have made any difference of course, and finally, somewhere between a heel click and a pirouette, she arrived on the Delacroix property.
By this time, the wisps that had come loose from her braid were plastered against her face and neck from the rain, and water was beginning to seep through her thick shawl. She probably looked a mess, but it was only Draven and Alex who ever saw her this way. Besides, she was so filled to the brim with glee that she hardly cared what state she looked to be in. If the wind ever picked up, she had every confidence that she would be swept away with it, hopefully to somewhere far away and exotic.
The gardens provided some shelter - though her clothing was more likely to appreciate it than Izzy was. She strolled fondly through them, stopping every now and then to admire a flower or stroke the bark of a favorite tree, until she arrived below Draven's window. Using the few, small stones she'd collected on her winding path through the gardens, she launched them at his window, each one pinging lightly as it bounced off the glass. Her eyes, well-adjusted to the dark, spotted a tendril of ivy curling its way up the wall, and she rubbed her index finger over it, coaxing it to reach up to Draven's window. There, there. I'll help you grow nice and tall if you do me a small favor. Once the ivy was level with Draven's window, it began to tap on the glass softly, to the tune of one of Isley's favorite songs. Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat-rat...
((I'm not the best at starting posts, so hopefully this works okay!))
𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓓𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓲𝔁
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Draven stepped into his room and let out a sigh. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. Eleven. Well, it was actually rather early. For him, that was. A bit late to finally be escaping Mother, but after he had avoided her so much all day, he didn’t know what he had expected. The stupid incident at the diner this morning had thrown his whole day off. Or, alright, maybe it was the potions that had done that. He shouldn’t have given in to the urge to take them so early yesterday, or to take so many. Although to be fair, he hadn’t realized how many he had taken until later. Or if he had, he had forgotten.
That should probably concern him more than it did. It wasn’t like it didn’t concern him, but, really, he couldn’t bring himself to worry all that much. He already had so much to worry about, which was kind of the whole point of taking the potions in the first place. He thought back over this morning. Hopefully word wouldn’t get out. He wasn’t sure what he would say to Mother. He wasn’t sure how she would react to the situation. He hadn’t done any damage to his reputation right? He was already considered cruel. He’d been working on that image since Cogworks - which granted, hadn’t been long ago.
He shrugged out of his jacket, and strode over to his wardrobe. At least there didn’t seem to be any new developments with his inevitable engagement. He would take as much time as he could get before having to marry. And Melody Seavey? A part of him had somehow managed to hope, when Mother had first brought up marriage, that maybe, possibly, it could be Izzy. At least he loved her, even if it was in the wrong way. Of course, a part of him was glad it wasn’t her, because that would be awkward, but, still, he would be a lot more comfortable living with her. He hung up his jacket, then closed the wardrobe, and turned away, wondering if he should just down a couple of potions and fall into bed. He had been up so early this morning, but then again, when did he ever get enough sleep? He couldn’t remember the last time.
Something clattered against his window, louder than the rain that had started falling while he was still downstairs. There hadn’t been a loud gust of wind, so it couldn’t be that. He froze, glancing over at the window. The curtains were drawn, and he didn’t suppose he’d be able to see out anyway. Maybe he was just being paranoid. He began playing with his rings, eyes locked on the dark green curtains. Suddenly, a tapping sounded against the glass.
What - Wait, was that..? Oh, he recognized that song. He shook his head, feeling a smile tugging at his lips. He strode over to the window, and threw back the curtains, squinting out into the dark, but he couldn’t see much other than black and the raindrops rolling against the windowpanes. He opened the window, a cool breeze floating in. He threw up a hand, sending out a gust of air to throw the raindrops away from him, and looked down. There she was, dressed in - was that a nightgown? With only a shawl over it? Soaking wet, too. Izzy was crazy. And he loved her for it, but seriously.
Hands planted on the windowsill, he leaned down a bit, making sure to stay mostly inside. “What the hell are you doing?” he called down.
((haha yeah, I can see that, it would be hilarious. no rush! good night :)))
Isley waited semi-patiently underneath the window for Draven to appear, humming along the melody that corresponded with the rhythm tapped out on the glass. Picking up her braid while she considered whether to undo it or not proved to be a mistake as drops of rain hit the back of her neck and slid down her back, causing her to clamp one hand over her mouth to muffle a squeal. Whoops... More water trickled down her back before the messy plait was back in place, but at least now she was accustomed to the cold water - albeit on the verge of shivering. Not long after the vine had begun tapping on the window, she heard Draven call down to her. A wide grin immediately spread across her face. "Did you know the rain is a remarkably effective cure for boredom?" She called back up to him, punctuating her answer with a giddy heel click to demonstrate the point. "Although, pity, I think it's going to let up soon. I was hoping for more of a torrent before the night's over."
The chill was beginning to seep into her bones, but she hardly noticed, feeling over the moon with the whole night still unexplored before her. "Are you going to come down, or am I going to have to come up there?" She teased, though she was prepared to climb up to the window if Draven didn't want to come down. There had been more than one instance in the past where she'd had to make a quick escape and exit through the window, not to mention all the times she'd climbed up as a little girl because she was bored and wanted to see if Draven was home without having to interact with Aunt Esmeralda. There was also something innately more fashionable about entering and exiting through windows. She wasn't sure why and didn't question it hard. It was more fun that way.
((Apologies for the wait! The weekend definitely got away from me oof.))
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Draven squinted down at Izzy. She was a soaking mess, her nightgown and shawl practically plastered to her body. “I know it’s cold and wet.” He leaned forward a bit more. “So I suppose the discomfort could take one’s mind off of boredom.” Raindrops were already splattering him, hitting his face, landing in his hair. It was frigid. “Hoping for a torrent? Whyever would you do that?” It wasn’t that he disliked the rain, it was just that it was late and cold, and Izzy was out in it in nothing but a nightgown and shawl, and expecting him to join her. Which… fine, maybe he wasn’t entirely against that idea just now. There were times when he thoroughly understood what Elliot had meant when he had complained about feeling trapped in this house. Although, in a way, Draven was more trapped than Elliot had ever been. Over the past two days, he had been feeling that more. It was bound to drive him crazy if it continued. He had to go back to not caring. To numbing himself to it all.
Or maybe he just needed a distraction. That was probably dangerous thinking. Worryingly Elliot-like thinking. But the potions hadn’t been exactly helping as much as they should, and the extra strain was really getting to him. And Isley may be… chaotic, at times, reckless, but she wasn’t going to do anything dangerous. Or… alright, he was the one who tended to steer them clear of more dangerous situations, although Izzy didn’t have quite the knack for finding trouble that Alex did. But he could do it now. And, really, maybe Izzy would be fine to stay on the property tonight. What with the murders and all, maybe even she’d be a little more cautious about traipsing around at all hours of the night.
He shifted to lean on his elbows instead of his hands, a cool breeze blowing in, lifting his curls, and slipping into his room. He didn’t doubt that Isley would indeed climb up if he didn’t agree to go down. She had entered and exited his room through the window plenty of times. It was always a bit risky, and not just because of the whole climbing through a second-story window thing, but also because Mother - and when he had been alive, Father, as well - would never approve of such things. Izzy was his cousin, and his parents had never had an issue with their being friends, but climbing through windows would no doubt be frowned upon, and having girls in his room, especially at night, was considered scandalous. Even if it was his cousin, which, really, would anyone actually think - but, she had been on the list of potential brides, so why wouldn’t they? All things considered, Draven couldn’t help but wonder if Mother might prefer that to the truth. Not that Draven was going to let it have any effect on anything. At any rate, besides all of that, there had always been pretty strict rules on when Draven was allowed visitors, not to mention the punishments of being locked in. And Isley had never seemed to care for either of his parents anyway.
“Give me a minute to check if the coast is clear.” He wasn’t going to be climbing out the window, so he’d have to slip through the house without getting caught by Mother. Which was rather ironic when you considered that technically, he was the owner of the house, but alas.
He turned away from the window, and padded over to the door, checking to make sure the hall outside his room was empty, which he knew it would be, then slipping halfway down the stairs. He wasn’t sure where Mother was, but she didn’t seem to be in sight.
He returned to his room to grab a jacket, then went to close the window. “Be there in a moment,” he called down.
Isley shot Draven a cheeky grin. She wasn't sure if he could see it or not in the dark, but either way, he probably knew her well enough by now to assume that's what she was doing whether it was visible from his window or not. "That is hardly the point, and I think you know it." She admonished him lightly, teasing as she always did. There was rarely anything she took seriously enough to actually chastise anyone over. That sort of thing was better left to snooty elders and busybody relatives, in her experience. She wasn't so weak-willed that a brief, pessimistic remark could dampen her fun-loving spirit (apparently not even the rain could do that), and since it was Draven delivering it, of course she didn't mind in the slightest. The point was that it was raining. It was a given that she would be out in it, and there was nothing more to it. No learned or well-read person would ever call Izzy a philosopher, but that was also sort of the point. "Well whyever do I do anything?" She called up to him, as if the answer were obvious. "I thought it sounded like the perfect backdrop for an adventure!" The rain was a romantic thing to Isley. It could be both the adventure and the symbolic scenery. There was nothing she hated more than to be cooped up indoors during a perfectly good rainstorm. Many of her outfits had been sacrificed to the rain and mud, but it was all in the pursuit of higher ideals: courage, joy, freedom. Most people only saw a silly, capricious little girl with more air than brain in her head, but Isley didn't expect them to understand and was more than used to them not.
Before Alianna had disappeared, her eccentric habits and personality hadn't seemed to unsettle other people so much. Sometimes the adults might 'tsk' her or murmur their disapproval when they thought she was safely out of earshot, and there was only the occasional reprimand from some obtuse noble. But now, she was supposed to be the heir since her sister was gone, and suddenly it mattered how unladylike and inappropriately whimsical she was. Gone were the days when she was just another backup, nothing much expected of her, her future probably to be married off into another noble house where she could spend her time however she pleased - honestly, she doubted anyone could force her into a marriage, but that was another matter entirely. The aura of disapproval from the elder generations felt stronger now, but she rarely gave it the time of day anymore. She did what made her happy as she always had, and whether other people liked it or not was their own problem. She was too busy enjoying her life to be bothered with other people's approval or disapproval. There was no uptick in her adventures or bizarre perspectives. She existed as she always had, as just Isley. Not Isley Calico as she was not bound by her family name. Always Isley - Izzy to her confidantes.
"Alright, I'll wait here." Izzy said, feigning a resigned posture. "Probably."
While she waited for Draven to reappear, she flung her shawl over one shoulder. There was no use in wearing it now since it had been drenched and could no longer protect her nightgown from being soaked. For a moment, she considered climbing the tree behind her and dropping the sopping wet garment on top of Draven when he arrived outside, but that seemed a tad mean when he probably didn't even want to get rained on in the first place. It was more like something she would try on Alex for kicks.
She knew it wouldn't take long for Draven to come down, but standing around waiting for any interval of time was almost overbearingly tedious for her, which was probably why she wandered a short ways to one of the flower beds and decided to change the colors of some of the flower petals. Nothing too drastic or unnatural of course, just a few changes here and there. A yellow rose became a pink one, the stargazer lilies were more vibrant than before, and so on. When she was younger, she used to reshape the hedges for fun, not just at the Delacroix estate but at her own and other, random families' homes as well. It was sort of like a large-scale version of playing shadow puppets if she had enough concentration, which she usually didn't, but every now and then, it made for a fun way to amuse herself or her younger siblings.
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Draven couldn’t see Isley from up here, but he could tell she was grinning. Not only did he know her so well to be able to guess anyway, but also he could hear it in her voice. He smiled. “Of course not. Your point would never be so pessimistic. You’re the optimist in this friendship, pessimism is my job.” He shook his head. “Fair. I suppose I should have known better than to ask.” Her use of the word adventure was by no means unexpected, but still, it made him a little wary. He wasn’t so keen on adventures as Izzy as a general rule, and with the murders, he had to admit - to himself, no one else - that the prospect of leaving the estate scared him. He wondered if Izzy would find coming here and running around in the rain enough of an adventure for tonight. Well, he could hope. Hope wasn’t really his forte, but he was going to do his best to keep them on the grounds.
Some people might look at Isley and take her for ditzy or naive, but Draven knew better. Isley was plenty smart, and alright, maybe she was a tad naive, but really, was that such a problem? She was mostly just… different. Eccentric, in a way. But a good way. He could almost always count on her to make him smile when no one else could. Also, get him to leave the estate, go on those adventures she so dearly loved. Which might not be his favorite thing ever, but he often did end up enjoying them to a certain extent. Maybe he tended to be more in need of escape than he realized. But not tonight. Not with the recent murders.
He rolled his eyes, as he turned away from the window. He knew full well that Izzy would be waiting for him. She hadn’t come over here for nothing. He headed out of his room, tugging on his jacket, and slipped silently through the house. He was good at being quiet. And thanks to Isley and Alex - and alright, maybe also Elliot, but that was different - he had experience with sneaking out. Once outside, he was immediately hit with a cold breeze, and rain striking him in the face. A bit cold, but oh well.
He made his way around to his window. Isley was no longer under it, but, again, that wasn’t unexpected. He knew Izzy hated to stay in one place for very long. Or for practically any time at all, really. Glancing around, he spotted her by one of the nearby flower beds. She seemed to be playing with the flowers. It was kind of hard to tell what exactly she was doing from here, in the dark, but she seemed to be changing a few colors. He threw up a hand and tossed a gust of wind at her.
Isley's grin widened when Draven admitted he ought to have known better than to question her motives. She loved that he still asked her why she did things sometimes, even though it was generally always the same answer. For fun, for an adventure, for novelty's sake, for no reason at all, and so on. In the end, they all fell under the same category anyway - Because Isley Felt Like It. It never failed to amuse her how many times people had overlooked that as the driving force behind the things she did and said. There was something to be said for simplicity, and even though she wasn't the person who was going to state it very eloquently (that would probably be a contradiction to the whole point if she did), she thought she embodied it fantastically. At the very least, it provided some sort of entertainment and gave her something to laugh about. It was a relief to simply be herself and do what she liked amidst the swirl of drama and complex politics in high society, and although it had never been her intention, it even gave her an edge in some instances. People tended to either underestimate her or overestimate her, both of which served to amuse her.
So engrossed in her task, Izzy didn't notice Draven's presence until a gust of wind smacked her braid into her face. "Took you long enough!" She hopped to her feet as soon as she saw his silhouette in the darkness, abandoning the bed of flowers she had been manipulating. By changing the colors of select flowers, she had managed to outline a rough heart shape.
"Why don't we have a treehouse?" She asked, her footsteps light on the ground as she walked towards Draven. "You and Alex and me - we really need a clubhouse of some sort. I can't believe we don't have one. It'd be perfect for nights like this." She swept her arm out in a large flourish to emphasize her point. "I don't know how, but somehow I think this is Alex's fault." She joked, barely able to hold in her laughter long enough to make her point. "He ought to have thought of that ages ago."
((Sorry it's a bit shorter this time! I didn't have a lot of time to write this oof.))
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Draven smiled as Izzy whirled around to face him. He hadn’t exactly been intending to smack her in the face with her own braid, but the wind had done it’s job. He tugged on his jacket, wondering how well Izzy could see him in the dark, dressed in all black. If they did end up leaving the estate, would his wearing all black be a good or a bad thing? Not that that should matter, he had no intention of allowing Izzy to drag him off tonight. She, of course, was wearing an ivory nightgown with gold trim, no longer partially covered by her dark-colored shawl. And now he could see that she was barefoot as well. He couldn’t even imagine walking from one estate to the other without shoes. Or even going out without shoes, his parents would have never allowed that. A Delacroix had a certain image to uphold. At any rate, he couldn’t help but think that their difference in ensemble portrayed their other differences rather well.
Still, no shoes. In the rain. In the dark.
“My apologies, the manor is on the large side, and Maman is still awake,” he replied, a hint of smile lurking at the corners of his mouth. He gave her a small playful bow. “I am deeply sorry for keeping you waiting, mademoiselle.
As he stepped closer, he glanced at the flower bed behind her. She had been changing the colors of certain flowers, but not only that, she had chosen to do so in a way that resulted in a faint heart-shaped outline.
He looked up into the rain. “A roof would be nice just now.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Alex’s fault? I’m not sure. He’s very smart, yes, but also unbelievably stupid. Although that does sound like something he would think of. We’ll have to complain to him about not coming up with it.” Still, even as he spoke, something clenched inside him. In a way, he felt it was too late for any of that. He was an adult now, and maybe Isley, although the same age, could still get away with behaving - well, he didn’t want to say childishly, but what was the word he was looking for? At any rate, he couldn’t. He had never been supposed to, anyway. Besides, he wasn’t just an adult, he was the head of house. He couldn’t just… The smile slipped from his face.
He wasn’t so sure that he could actually look at Izzy just now, so he found himself again looking at the flower bed. Which provided a good change of subject. “The flowers are pretty - ” Oh ciel, he had gone and said pretty. Well, at least he knew Isley wouldn’t judge him for it. “However, you might want to change them back before Mother sees. I’m not sure that she would appreciate it.”
For being as unskilled with most schools of magic as she was, Isley's night vision was rather decent. Of course, unaided by magic, but she did have sharp eyes. And they were well-adjusted to the dark at this point after being out in it so long. She knew Draven well enough that she could recognize him by his silhouette, the same way she could always distinguish between her various, family members' footsteps around the estate. As she drew nearer to him in the gardens, she could discern his most pronounced features and his attire - which, unsurprisingly, contrasted nicely with hers. Light and dark, yin and yang, fire and ice. All opposites at first glance, but when understood properly, known to be complementary. Isley paid little attention in school to that sort of thing, but she remembered a small bit about complementary and contrasting themes from literature classes. The trio of herself, Draven, and Alex always seemed to fit the bill for different yet complementary. For all her natural aptitude to make other people laugh or to dance or compose, she knew she never would have graduated school without the help of Draven and Alex. She felt that she gave as much as she got, and the thrill of the synergy between the three of them was nonpareil.Isley executed a bouncy curtsy in response to Draven's bow. "All is forgiven, cher monsieur." She tacked on an impertinent wink as she addressed him, shattering any illusions that might have been held by nonexistant bystanders that she was a proper lady. Her knowledge of other languages was limited, and she was far from being fluent in any of them. However, she'd picked up some French words and phrases from being around Draven, mostly just so she would have something to say back to him in kind.
Silly and spontaneous might well be used to describe her, but oblivious did not apply to her. Noting the marked change in Draven when the idea of the clubhouse was brought up, she decided not to pursue it any further for the time being. The purpose of this night's expedition was to cheer him up, not weigh him down with whatever dread thoughts stifled his soul at other hours. Perhaps another day she would revisit it, but the present was an ill time. She couldn't hide a grin as her mind conjured up a funny cartoon clock holding a thermometer in between the hour and minute hands. "I wonder what a clock feels like when its alarm goes off. Do you think right before, it feels like it has to sneeze?" Izzy's question was asked in earnest, albeit out of the blue. For anyone who knew her, they might be used to sudden changes of topic with no apparent segues. Doing or saying things out of pocket came effortlessly to her, a natural extension of her personality. It wasn't that she tried to be shocking or random, but somehow she seemed unable to avoid it.
As far as she was concerned, there was nothing wrong with saying 'pretty,' so she paid no special attention to Draven's choice of words, humming in agreement with him. "Well how do you know they're not for your mother? Maybe she has a secret admirer." Izzy teased lightly, not ready to admit responsibility for the flowers yet.
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The corner of Draven's mouth ticked up a bit more at Izzy’s reply, especially as she winked. She was so very… Izzy. It felt good to see her again. As it always did. Today had been… not the best of days. But with Izzy, things were always lighter. And he was more comfortable with her and Alex than anyone else. So, even if it was a bit cold to be out in the rain, and he probably should be in bed, he was thankful she had decided to come over. Awkward or not, he felt then that if he could have married her, he would have been… well, at least happier. But, he wasn’t going to think about any of that now, not if he could help it. He had already spent the whole day worrying.
“I dare say your pronunciation is improving,” he said. “Have you been practicing?” He knew Izzy had mostly just picked up whatever French she knew - which really wasn’t much - from him. Sometimes, like now, she would use a phrase or two in response to him. And he may have ranted about her accent just a bit in the past, although it was all in good fun, but, well, Alex was the one who was really awful. Because he did it on purpose just to annoy him. "Qu'est-ce qui t'amène ici en cette belle soirée, mademoiselle?”
He gave her a look. With anyone other than Izzy, it would have been a look of disdain, but it was more mock disdain with her. This was just the sort of thing they did. “Well, seeing as a clock is an inanimate object, it doesn’t really feel anything. However, if not, that would be a valid suggestion, I suppose. Although… sneezing?” He thought for a moment, tilting his head to the side. “I mean… I suppose I can see it. Whatever has you thinking of clocks? If you’re wondering the time, it’s past eleven. Rather late for a visit, at least for most people, but you have never been most people, have you?”
A small laugh escaped him at that. “Maman? A secret admirer?” He eyed the rough heart shape again. “Can you imagine? Whoever could it be?” Honestly, the thought of Mother courting someone was… well, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Mother having a secret admirer was undeniably less likely, however. He twisted one of his rings around his finger. And around, and around. “I still can’t say she would be pleased, even if it were a secret admirer. For one thing, she would want them to do things the proper way, which would of course first include waiting a bit longer, and then…" He gestured. "Not making hearts with flowers in the middle of the night.” He looked back up at her. “But I know it was you, anyhow. I saw you playing with the flowers when I walked up.” He walked over to them, and picked one of the lilies she had brightened. “I do still think you should change them back before Mother sees, but they are lovely.” He strode back over to her and offered the flower. “Here.”
Isley caught the hint of a smile that appeared on Draven's face at her silly wink, and it lifted her spirits to see him brighten up a touch. It was definitely the right decision to come visit him tonight. Well, in her opinion it was always the right decision to see him whenever she did - there was never a wrong time - but for some reason or another, she felt like he was in need of some extra cheering up on this particular night. As far as the issue of Draven's engagement went, she remained mostly in the dark and had no idea who was on the bride list or even if a decision had been reached. Over the years, she'd overheard snippets of conversation and picked up on some subtle hints from her family members and other adults, so she knew that at some point in the past, it hadn't been out of the question for her and Draven to marry. However, with Alianna gone and all the changes that brought, she presumed it was no longer a viable option, with her being the new heir and all. If she allowed herself to think on it, she dreaded the day her parents would try to marry her off to one of the other, noble houses, but in the end she doubted they could force her. The only person she might have made an exception for was Draven. They were already best friends, and if she was going to be locked into a marriage of convenience, it might as well be someone she knew she liked and had spent most of her life with already. Besides, she doubted there would be another noble who would appreciate or even tolerate her idiosyncrasies, and she wasn't about to give up her happiness and eccentricities for some random noble just because her parents thought it would be a smart match. If it came down to it, she might resort to running away from everything. A foolish idea, most likely, but as were most of her ideas.
Izzy was rather pleased to hear him say her pronunciation was getting better. It was fun to say things wrong on purpose (she even did that with English words sometimes), but it was also fun to try and mimic the accent correctly. "Of course! Every night before bed in front of my mirror." She posed with one hand on her hip as if she were standing in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, practicing her French. "Bonjour. Au revoir. Il m'a posé un lapin! Tu me casses les couilles." There wasn't much she could say beyond the basics and a few, random phrases, but she imagined her parents being slightly proud of her for actually learning to say something in another language. Although, they probably would be less pleased with her if they knew the kinds of phrases she committed to memory. Tu me casses les couilles wasn't the most ladylike thing to say, in any language.
While she knew what Draven had asked her, it took her a moment to think of an appropriate reply in French. What she wanted to say was that she had come to see him and to think of something fun to do together, but she didn't know enough French to say all that. She settled for a much shorter reply, but it still encompassed the general feeling she wanted to convey. "Mon meilleur ami!"
When Draven shot her one of the mock disdainful looks he often gave her, she returned it with a cheeky grin. Trading expressions like that was one of the little things she enjoyed so much about their friendship. Maybe it was silly, but she liked it all the same. "Well, I wasn't exactly thinking about the time, at least not that sort of time." She had to choke down a laugh as the image of the clock with the thermometer appeared in her mind again. "Ill-timing." She offered as an explanation. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. After all, any time an alarm went off was a bad time because it meant that there was something to be done at that time. Obviously, the poor clock must be suffering as a result. They really should make chronological health more of a priority. Someone ought to start a petition or something to bring it to the attention of the council.
In as dry a voice as she could muster, Isley said, "I would rather rot than be like most people." For her, being like everyone else would equate to rotting away. However, the twitching of her lips as she fought a smile undermined the solemness of her statement.
"Aw, rats." Izzy snapped her fingers, feigning dismay at being found out. "I'd hoped maybe you hadn't noticed. Alex asked me to do it for him. He didn't know how to express his undying love, and well, you know how he is." Her shoulders shook slightly as she struggled to contain her laughter at the absurdity of the story she'd invented.
She accepted the lily with a bright smile, eyes twinkling delightedly. "How smooth." She teased, inhaling the lily's sweet scent. "Well, how could I refuse a request made by such a suave gentleman?" She couldn't help but poke a little more fun at him, doing her best play-swooning. "I'll change them back before I leave." The promise was sincere. Most likely only Draven and Alex were used to being on the receiving end of that sort of heartfelt promise. She did her best to keep her word when she was being serious, but she didn't make many promises to other people, except for non-serious ones.
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Draven knew that before Alianna had left, the chances of his and Izzy’s being married one day had been higher. Which, really, a part of him thought that maybe a platonic marriage would be better than a romantic one. Although who knew if he and Melody would be able to really have either. It hadn’t been guaranteed, of course, Melody had always been an option, as had Emmaline Leclaire, who had very nearly been engaged to Elliot. Well, he supposed he should be thankful it wasn’t her, between that situation, the fact she and Elliot had been friends in Cogworks, and her being Edward’s sister, the whole thing would have been far too awkward. And he didn’t want anything that would bring him into proximity with Edward. Whenever he had thought about his option, Izzy had always struck him as the best choice. The choice he could even be happy with. He wasn’t sure if he would ever fall in love, or even if he was really capable of it, and he had come to terms with the fact that it was certainly never going to happen with a girl. But he did love Izzy, just not romantically, so even if they were cousins, he had hoped. Although perhaps that was unfair to Izzy. He wasn’t sure what she wanted when it came to all of that, or whether her parents would try to force her into a marriage or not. At the very least they had always seemed less strict than his own. And Izzy had plenty of siblings. Although she was the heir.
Because Alianna had left, leaving Izzy in that position, the same way Elliot had left, leaving Draven in the same position. Yes, the circumstances had been different, and Elliot had actually been kicked out, but all things considered, he and Izzy had found themselves in rather similar situations. And neither of them were really happy about it. Draven had never cared for Alianna, she had never really been nice to him - or, well, most people, although he supposed the same could be said of him. But he knew that Izzy missed her older sister, and that was something he understood on a personal level. Alianna had left before Elliot, so he hadn’t really understood it on that level yet, when it had happened, although all it took was imagining himself in Izzy’s place to feel that pain. He had been there for her, and then she had been there for him when Elliot had been disowned. All things considered, Draven couldn’t quite tell which was more final - running away, or getting kicked out. Because leaving had been Alianna’s choice. But then again, it had sort of been Elliot’s too, hadn’t it? Well, he had been an absolute mess after Elliot left, and to be entirely honest, he rather pitied Izzy and Alex for having to deal with him during the fallout.
Draven bit the inside of his lip. The image of Izzy standing in front of her mirror, dramatically practicing French, nearly sent him into laughter. “How very devoted you are to this. Très bon.” Her pronunciation really was improving, even ignoring the times he was sure she was saying things wrong on purpose. Really, both Calico twins seemed to have far too much fun doing that. Of course his exaggerated annoyance probably only encouraged them. But what could he say, it was kind of fun? Izzy’s answer to his question might have been very simple, but that didn’t matter, there was no keeping the smile off his face this time. Fully smiling wasn’t something he did all that often, but if anyone could ever get him to, it was Izzy. He grabbed her by the arm. “Izzy, je t’aime.” Saying that was also something he didn’t do all that often, but, well, it was Izzy. And something seemed to have gotten into him today.
Something not good, there were no doubt going to be consequences for his losing control earlier, but he had already sent compensation to the diner, maybe that would be enough. He really didn’t want word getting out. He really didn’t want Mother finding out.
Still holding her arm, he leaned into her a bit. He was only a couple inches taller than her, something that both Elliot and Alex had always teased him about. Not that Alex was much taller, the hypocrite. “Ah, ill-timing, of course.” He didn’t know how she had got on that topic, but knowing Izzy, it wasn’t surprising that she had gone from that, to thinking of sick clocks. It was honestly ridiculous, but in such an endearing way. And, well, what could he say, while clocks were inanimate objects, if they weren’t…
Izzy may have broken his brain.
Draven dropped her arm, and put on a serious expression, which he was much better at holding than Izzy was. He supposed he had plenty of practice. “Indeed.” He looked right at her, and allowed his face to soften. “Don’t ever let them change you,” he practically whispered. He didn’t think she would, she seemed so determined to be herself - which sort of reminded him of Elliot, in a way, although they were very different. But he knew how society could change you. He knew the sort of expectations placed on the heir of a noble house. And he didn’t want that to affect Izzy. He wanted her to remain herself, and be as carefree as possible. Maybe he didn’t get to be happy, but he wanted her to. She deserved to.
Draven half smiled. The story was clearly made up, and quite ridiculous, but he couldn't deny that it was exactly the sort of thing Alex would say. He placed a hand over his heart. “Well, I am touched, but regretfully, you must tell him that I still cannot run away with him, for I am betrothed to another.” He gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Careful, m’lady, do you feel faint?” he teased back. “I wouldn’t want you falling on the cold, hard ground. Wet, too, I’m sure.” Truth be told, he had barely noticed how wet he had become. He was soaked, really. His clothes clung to him, and several wet curls hung in his eyes.
He so rarely truly felt alive these days. Let alone, happy. But Izzy was… well, she was magic. Which was probably a rather stupid thing to think, considering everything was magic, but it was fitting somehow. With a small smile, he snatched the lily back, and placed it in her hair. He pulled back, and held out a hand. “May I have this dance?”
What Izzy Wanted could be a mystery, sometimes even to Izzy herself. Though not usually for long, once in the moment and faced with the decision she knew exactly what it was that she desired. All things considered, it was probably more a lack of planning ahead than anything else as she hated to waste her time fretting over the future. But she knew there were plenty of others who didn't have the luxury of taking the same approach to life, her cousin Draven being one of them, and so she sometimes tried to think a little about her future and one day being head of the Calico house, just because she knew he had to. Even she could see that there would have been massive advantages to marrying Draven, even now when he was the head of his house and she would one day be the head of hers. For one thing, she wouldn't have had to run an estate all by herself, and for another, it would have been a get out of jail free card concerning anyone her parents might have tried to set her up with otherwise. She loved Draven (and Alex too) more than anyone else in her life, but it was in a platonic way. She'd never felt strongly attracted to anyone in a romantic sense, and she doubted she ever would. From time to time she entertained a fling or two, but nothing serious and nothing lasting longer than a week at most. She just didn't care about those kinds of things. In all seriousness, when the dreaded day came for her to assume the position, she wondered if she could just give the title away to Alex. Technically, he was the older twin, so it should have been his anyway. He probably wanted it more than she did (considering it was the very last thing she wanted in the whole universe), and he was just as much Eadric's child as she was. So why not? If it came down to it, she might be alright with co-running it with him... as long as she only had about 10% of the total responsibility. Yeah, Alianna vanishing had really made everything topsy-turvy. But everything had always revolved around her sister, so it wasn't that surprising, she supposed. Draven was one of the only ones who could really relate to her on that count. They both had a tough time of it when their elder siblings left, but Izzy didn't know how else something like that was supposed to go. Even if she hadn't liked Alianna, she'd still be devastated when her sister left her because she was family. There was no easy way around it, but at least she and Draven and Alex had each other for support.
Isley beamed at the compliment, returning Draven's smile with one of her own. It was good to see him smiling and to hear him talking like this. Having known him her whole life, she knew he didn't drop the veils like this around just anyone - her mind took a quick detour here to visit veils falling and fluttering like snowflakes and curtains dropping and 'break a leg'- so she was ecstatic that she'd managed to tease a real smile out of him. "Draven, je t'aime aussi!" She answered back, eyes shining gleefully. Despite her friendly personality, she didn't often say that sort of thing to other people either, at least not seriously. When she was small, she used to say it to Alianna all the time, and now she mainly reserved it for Draven and Alex and occasionally, her father.
When Draven leaned into her, she reciprocated the gesture, tilting her head against him. It had never occurred to her to tease him for his height, but then, she liked that he wasn't too much taller than her. In a way she didn't have the words to explain, it sort of made the connection of being kindred spirits feel even stronger, even though that probably didn't make much sense. "I knew you would understand!" She tilted her head up slightly to look at him. "You always do."
Draven was one of the only people she knew whom she could rely upon to know what she meant with any degree of consistency. Her mind traveled a mile a minute, down rabbit holes, and around in loops and twists, and she had never been able to slow it down, not that she would ever want to. It did annoy her sometimes when she was asked to overexplain her train of thought to someone, but Draven knew her well enough by now that it wasn't an issue between them. It was incredibly freeing and relaxing just to be able to say what she wanted and know that he was going to understand her, even if she was being silly or mercurial.
The weight of Draven's seriousness stilled her as he looked right into her, voice dropping to a whisper. A soft, understanding smile formed on her face, and she nodded once to indicate her agreement. It was a rare occasion when Izzy could stay solemn like this, but she recognized the gravitas of what Draven was saying and deeply appreciated it. Here she had come to check on him and cheer him up, and he was now the one looking after her. When the moment had passed, her smile switched back to its normal, mischievous variant, and she couldn't help tacking on a chipper "They'll never take me alive!"
(view spoiler)
"He will be utterly heartbroken, I'm sure." Isley shook her head dismally, playing along still. The word 'betrothed' caught her attention though. Had it already been decided? She really hadn't been doing a good job of keeping up with things if she'd missed something as monumental as that. But she didn't want to bring it up at the moment and risk spoiling the night. For tonight, she just wanted to have fun with her best friend. There would be other times to talk about such grave news.
Izzy held the back of her hand up to her forehead to check. "Hmm, no fainter than I usually feel in your presence, m'lord." She nearly choked on a laugh when he mentioned the cold and wet. "How gallant of you, but alas, I think if I fell I would make the ground more wet than it would make me." Times like this always made her realize how lucky she was to have Draven as a friend. Who else would be willing to get soaked out in the rain just because she wanted to hang out?
Delightedly, Izzy took Draven's hand. "I thought you'd never ask!" She executed a smooth curtsy with much less bounce than her earlier one and decided that she would at least try to follow Draven's lead this time. Although not entirely ladylike, she wasn't exactly known for being good at following. She could follow when she wanted to, but at galas and such it was more fun to throw her dance partners off by suddenly taking charge of the reins. With Draven she didn't mind following so much because she genuinely enjoyed his company.
((A million apologies that this took so long! My original post got deleted, and I had to recreate it as best I could remember oof.
Draven's post is just *chef's kiss* though!))
((no worries, and I absolutely love it :)aww, thank you <3))
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Draven thought about how he couldn’t remember Izzy ever really talking about crushes the way Alex did - oh, he had been subjected to far too many of Alex’s lovesick rambles. Although, to be fair, Alex’s crushes didn’t tend to last very long all too often. He seemed to have a new girlfriend or boyfriend every week sometimes. Draven had never really been able to understand it. Alex had always said it was because he was so romantic - too romantic for casual flings or something like that - but Draven wasn’t so sure that was the case. Maybe he had allowed himself to entertain a romantic daydream a time or two, but he had never had a crush at all, at least not that he could remember. He wondered if it was the same for Izzy, and why they had never discussed this. But, she had had a fling or two. They didn’t tend to last any longer than Alex’s, though. So… Maybe that was why. He had never really discussed it much with anyone. The only person he had ever dated was Edward, and - well, he really didn’t want to go there. Not that any of this was at all relevant. He was going to marry Melody Seavey regardless, after all. It wasn’t exactly like he had options.
There really weren’t all that many people in Draven’s life who he loved. And even of them, there were less still that he felt comfortable around. But Izzy managed to make the top of both lists. To be entirely honest, the only other one on the second list at this point was Alex. Elliot used to be at the very top of course, but, well. He wasn’t supposed to think about him either, his brain needed to stop reminding him of things he didn’t want to think about, especially when he was finally getting a moment of peace for what felt like the first time in days. He wasn’t so sure how much the quiet of his bedroom counted as peace anymore. He gave Izzy’s arm a light squeeze, still smiling. There was always a worry in the back of his mind - when it wasn’t much closer to the forefront, that was - that one day, everyone he loved would leave him. That they either would never love him back, or would stop, or simply realize it was best to not be around him. But Izzy… somehow, he didn’t feel that as often with her. Maybe because he had known her all his life. Because she to some extent at least, knew both the old him and the current him.
Of course, so had Elliot, but that was beside the point.
But Izzy was different. Izzy hadn’t left yet, after all. And he certainly wasn’t the same person he had been back when they were little. If she was still here now, maybe she really always would be. In fact, as they stood there, leaning into each other in the pouring rain, he knew it. He knew it with a certainty he had never felt about anyone since Elliot disappeared. She would stay, unless he pushed her away. Maybe even then.
He did wonder what she would say if she knew about what had happened this morning, though.
“You’re my best friend, of course I understand,” he murmured. He really had no idea what had gotten into him tonight. The extra stress of his impending engagement, and then the whole diner incident must be eating away at his brain or something. He smiled softly at her.
Izzy actually did look more serious now. Good, he needed to know that she would be fine. No one was allowed to change Izzy, she was wonderful and perfect, and far too sweet for that. And he would protect her in ways he had never protected himself. Because she didn’t deserve any of it. “Promise?” he asked quietly. He half smiled at her change in tone. Which, was of course, her default reaction after a more serious moment. He personally tended to try and play off moments like that himself, but not in quite the same way. “True. You would put up quite a fight.”
“Indeed,” Draven said with a mock wistful look, trying his best to channel a heartbroken lover saying good-bye to the love of their life on the eve of their wedding to another. It was either really good or really awful, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know which. “I suppose it comes as little solace that I am heartbroken as well. But alas, we were never meant to be, the fates are against us.” He glared up at the sky as a final touch, thinking that the rain really helped with the whole ambience. “Curse you cruel fates.” He glanced over at Izzy to gauge her reaction to his little performance.
“Oh, whatever shall I do, with both you and your brother pining over me?” he teased. “How can I ever choose?” He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t tell Alex, but in reality, I would much prefer to marry you. I don’t know if I could handle living in the same house as Alex, I would be in constant fear of his blowing it up. How do you sleep at night?” He smiled. “So, what I’m hearing is that if I were to catch you, I would somehow end up even more soaked than I currently am? I must admit, I’m not so sure that’s possible.” He looked down at his positively drenched clothing. Then, the corner of his mouth ticking up again, “Perhaps you ought to take my jacket.” He acted as if he were about to take it off.
Draven bowed over her hand, then placed his free hand on her waist, and swept her into a waltz. While Izzy knew other types of dancing, it was only ballroom for him. But he was quite good at it, thanks to having had lessons from the age of four. At balls, he didn’t tend to enjoy dancing, because it involved being touched, which, frankly, he generally hated. But dancing with Izzy? That he enjoyed. Even when she did her thing where she insisted on leading. Which seemed to be something she did just as often - if not more often - with everyone else she danced with. It made sense, Izzy loved dancing so much after all, it wasn't a surprise she preferred to lead. And it wasn’t like he didn’t know how to follow, although he was of course expected to lead. When he and Elliot had practiced together, they had had to take turns. Although she seemed to be letting him lead for now.
Izzy's giddy grin softened into a reassuring smile when Draven reminded her that he always understood her. "I know." She murmured back, gently patting his hand that held her arm.Their friendship was unlike any other she had ever known. They had initially gotten to know each other because they were family, but for most of the time they had been friends, Isley felt that their bond ran deeper than blood. She didn't have as close a relationship with any of her other cousins, and even before Alianna had disappeared, she had considered herself and Draven to be much closer than she was with her big sister. Even though she and Draven were different in many ways, none of their differences truly mattered in the end because they were best friends, and Izzy intended to be his best friend forever and ever. If he ever needed her, she would be there instantly, no questions asked. She knew he would do the same for her. In her most desperate hour, he and Alex were the ones she would always call on first because they were her most trusted confidantes. It was easy to tell them what was on her mind. Maybe they might tease or spit back a snarky remark sometimes, but she knew they accepted her as she was, just as she loved them for who they were. Among the nobility, being valued for one's true self was a rare and precious thing. There was tremendous pressure to adhere to certain rules and reach specific, subjective standards, and the consequences of failing to keep up a flawless appearance could be devastating. Izzy well knew that she was far from the perfect portrait of a young, noble lady, but despite her quirks and inability to keep herself confined to proper etiquette and respectable dialogue, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the luckiest girl in Voxthain, all because Draven was her best friend.
It was partly for that very reason that she had never grappled with the desire for a romantic connection. Her friendship with Draven touched her soul, and none of her various acquaintances and friendships with other nobles had ever been capable of that. She felt no need to go looking for something romantic when honestly, most other people bored her. To be tethered to someone who couldn't match her or keep up with her sounded as dreadful as being locked up the rest of her life, and deep down, she had long known that she didn't exactly fit in with most of the aristocrats. Her imagination, her idiosyncrasies, her free-spiritedness, she wouldn't trade them for anything, and Draven could not only keep step with her but loved her all the more for her peculiarities. No silly, romantic relationship could ever compete with that.
In the past, she had entertained a few, short-lived flings, but the key word was entertain. They had been nothing more than brief distractions for her. Just something out of the ordinary that she broke off quickly when it started to become tedious and predictable or when the criticisms of her personality began. Invariably, she was too much or too strange to be any noble's ideal girlfriend, and she found it funny how few people realized it before she did. Her looks and her surname did most of the heavy lifting for her, and it wasn't challenging in the slightest to find potential suitors. It was far more difficult to find anyone actually interesting whose company didn't feel like a prison sentence in the long-term or even the short-term.
Prison sentence. Izzy couldn't help but smile at that. This sentence is a 'prison sentence.' It was silly. An image of a cell door with a face - keyhole for a mouth, handle for a nose - dejectedly reading a sentence popped into her head.
Still maintaining the seriousness of the moment, Izzy wrapped her arms around Draven's middle, pulling him into an embrace. She knew he didn't love being touched, so she didn't prolong it longer than necessary. "I promise." She vowed softly, releasing him from the hug so that she could meet his eyes as she spoke. For something that was so clearly important to Draven, she didn't mind being serious for a little. She wouldn't make the effort for most people, but Draven was special that way. When he agreed with her little quip, her smile brightened.
Isley at least tried to look at him sympathetically, clutching her heart as if in mourning to play along with the scene. However, when he concluded the performance, she couldn't help but dissolve into a fit of giggles. "Indeed, curse the fates." She shook a fist at the sky, though the effect was somewhat sullied by her interrupting laughter.
Actually, his acting wasn't bad at at all. She thought he portrayed the melancholic theme of the scene quite well. It was only her inability to be solemn that made it difficult to stay in character for the duration, and something about the fates line was just so terrifically funny to her, even though she didn't know why. "I think you'd do swell on the stage. At least you don't break character like I always do." She teased, though she did sincerely mean the compliment to his acting skills.
"Either with my head at the end of the bed or on the floor by the windows." She whispered back, as if the way she slept was some clandestine knowledge that would cause a huge stir if it got out. Even if it was all part of the game, she was elated to be declared the favorite. She struck a triumphant pose, chin lifted slightly. "Of course! I am the most soppen maiden in all the land." She tossed her dripping wet braid back dramatically, almost jumping out of her skin when it slapped against the back of her neck, a rush of cold shooting down her spine. "No, I couldn't possibly deprive you of the pleasure of wearing such a soaked garment." She waved off his offer to loan her his jacket. "Even if you are the most suave gentleman I've ever known." She winked playfully, fanning herself with both hands and making a silly face.
Izzy was content to follow for the moment. She loved all kinds of dancing, and waltzes were no exception. Draven was skilled enough that it was truly enjoyable to follow his lead, and she couldn't help the carefree smile tugging at her lips. Dancing always had that effect on her. It was when she felt the most free and the most at home, and it always showed on her face. Pure exhilaration radiated from every inch of her, from her ecstatic smile to her feet stepping as lightly as if they were on air. For all she knew, she was dancing on air for the way she felt in this moment with Draven. "Do you think dancing on air would be harder than dancing on the ground?" She asked. It wasn't the first time she'd wondered about that. Sometimes she even had dreams where she was twirling around on the clouds, and as excited as she always was to find a new adventure upon waking up in the mornings, dreams like those made her wish she had stayed in them a little longer. Not many dreams had that kind of hold on her, just special ones. So it was only with special people that she would ever bring them up.
((Oh my, they might blow it to smithereens before the first week is out XD.
After this, I sincerely pity the person who tries to mess with Izzy. Would not want to get on Draven's bad side eesh.))
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Draven stiffened for half a second, before returning the embrace, sinking into it. The thing was he didn’t truly mind physical touch, when it was someone he was close to, so long as he was prepared. If he wasn’t close to someone, of course he hated it, it was just awkward and uncomfortable, and why? But with Izzy, it was different. It was just that ever since he was little, his body had learned to equate physical touch with pain, so it generally took a minute, especially when it came out of nowhere. People raising their hands had a similar effect to people raising their voices. It made him feel small, and scared, and braced for an attack. Someone suddenly grabbing him with no warning always brought on a flinch. And then of course, everything with Edward had gone and complicated things even more. But Edward had never hugged him, per se. Certainly never like this. He supposed it wasn’t… sensual enough for him. Anyway, it was Izzy, so after the first second to adjust, he was good. He let his head rest on her shoulder for just a moment, before she was pulling back to look him in the eye as she answered him.
Hearing her say those words made him feel better. He knew, of course, that Izzy was very stubborn when it came to remaining true to herself, but still. Really, he seemed to be the only one who just bent to the will of society. But was it really bending? Maybe he was simply more of a stereotypical noble by nature. Which was… good? Bad? He didn’t have time to go over it all. He had changed, there was no denying that, but that was what came of growing up, wasn’t it? But Izzy, Alex, Elliot, none of them were willing to change for anyone. Or, well, maybe that was slightly debatable, he could have sworn there had been some change on Elliot’s part, to a certain extent. But, well, they were all so much stronger than him when it came to these things. It would seem that he had a type, platonically.
For some reason, he found his mind wandering to August Hayden. Who had seemed more like him in that respect, at first but now… Now he didn’t know what to make of him. He was far too confusing, and Draven hated him. He hated him, and his stupid smile, and his stupid concern, and his - everything. And he called Draven self-righteous? What about him was in any way self-righteous? When in his life had he ever claimed - ever implied - that he was righteous? Well, he supposed, maybe he could see - but that was beside the point. The point was - the point was he didn’t want to be thinking about this anymore, but he had a suspicion he wasn’t done with it. He supposed the best he could hope for was that the Seaveys didn’t get their hands on the story of what had happened this morning. Although the Seaveys were supposed to be their allies, he and Melody were practically engaged, surely they would spin it in his favor. Which would, of course, just give August Hayden one more reason to hate him. Not that he cared, wasn’t that exactly what he wanted?
“How well do you know August Hayden?” Well, that was a stupid thing to ask, obviously, Izzy wouldn’t know him any better than Draven did, himself. After all, whenever August was at noble events, he mostly kept to himself, or his family, and Draven and Izzy were usually together. Unless Izzy slipped out with Alex - something Draven couldn’t exactly get away with. But usually even Alex stayed “for moral support.” Which mostly meant he was standing next to him plotting mayhem, or cracking jokes, while Draven fought to keep a straight face. And always, inevitably, claimed that he had to go out and smoke, and wouldn't they come with him? Draven always told him he needed to quit before his habit killed him - no, his hypocrisy was not lost on him - but sometimes he would join him, because a break was welcome if he could get away with it. Anyway, he didn’t see how Izzy and August could have interacted much, but he wanted a second opinion.
Draven gave her a wry smile as she burst into laughter yet again. “A bit much with cursing the fates?” he asked, very seriously.
He let out a small laugh. “Perhaps. I admit I think I would prefer the writing to the acting.” He hadn’t tried writing a play in a long time. Not since - “Remember that awful play we put on when we were little?” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I actually wrote that horrid thing. Although, in my defense, I was eight. And Elliot helped. He was always one for drama.” That had been ten years ago. It felt like another lifetime.
He often felt so much older than eighteen. It didn’t seem right that he could be so young, and so exhausted with life. It didn’t seem right that he could look back on his childhood, and it seem like decades, even centuries ago. Then again, what childhood had he really had, apart from a few moments, like that play? He shook his head, not wanting to go down that path just now.
Back to the happy memory. Even if it was bittersweet. “You were supposed to be the princess, but even then I was better at holding character than you, so Elliot kept insisting we should switch roles. And Alex wouldn’t stick to the script.” He had been so frustrated, but it had been fun, all the same. Perhaps even more so looking back.
“You do know the head of the bed is called the head for a reason,” he teased. “Oh, how kind of you. But truly, I insist.” He stripped off his sopping wet jacket, and swung it at her, holding onto the lightness of the moment. He contemplated trying to drop it over her shoulder, but he’d have to get behind her for that, and while she was indeed already soaked, he wasn’t sure if it would make a difference. He tugged the jacket back on, before dancing. It was a bit difficult to get on, when both he and the jacket were thoroughly drenched, but he didn’t want to drop it on the ground.
He could tell Izzy was enjoying herself. Of course she was, dancing and being out in the rain were two of her favorite things. Dancing in the rain? It was like something she would include in her perfect day. He enjoyed dancing with her, and her undeniable happiness while dancing was part of the reason why. It was contagious. “I should think it would be. No traction. More like trying to dance on an overly polished floor. Or a wet one.” He glanced down. “Not wet stone though.”
