ＯＵＴ ＯＦ ＬＵＸ discussion

Dear Lala,

How are you? How is the rest of the family? I know I haven’t really been around much lately. I’ve been busy, and haven’t really had any time to attend family dinners and such. Besides, I’m not sure that it would go over well. We both know how many arguments I tend to cause. I do miss you though. All of you. Well, not Aunt Esmeralda, she is another matter altogether. Anyway, I do want and hope to spend more time with the family in the near future, if it doesn’t all go to hell, as it tends to do.

And how are things at work? Being a councilor is quite the commitment. Especially what with the shadowfog, and now these murders. I hope that they’re solved soon.

Things have been particularly busy at Cogworks lately, what with graduation approaching, and enrollment opening. Not to mention that Arya Ellington-Wyver is in my homeroom, and she is always doing something wild like sneaking animals into class. She had a snake in here the other day, and it got loose - or she set it loose, I’m really not sure - and at least half the kids were terrified. In a way, she sort of reminds me of Elliot. I could see him letting snakes loose in class. In fact, he might have at some point. Do you remember that time he set the dogs loose during that ball? It was, what, four years ago? I think everyone should be hoping Arya doesn’t manage to do something like that at a future ball or gala.

I miss you dearly, do you think it might be possible to meet for lunch or something sometime soon, if both of our schedules would allow? I never get to talk to you as much or as freely when the rest of the family is around.

Your loving sister,
𝒜𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓃𝒶

My Dear Athena,

It has been a hot minute since I last heard from you! I would just like to say that have missed you a lot more than I care to admit and show - so apologies if I have seemed quite distant. How am I? Coping. Any chance you fancy a seat on the council? Lucien Wyver is driving me absolutely insane and I’m not sure I can deal with it anymore. I spent a good long while ranting to Draven about him - I’m guessing I shouldn’t bore you with all my complaints seeing as you’re so busy.

The family is, well, doing normally. Draven is head of house in nothing but name - we both know that our aunt is behind it all, and she’s forcing Draven to marry Melody Seavey soon. Do you think Elliot would turn up to the wedding? You knew him the best. Our parents are doing fine and aunt Esmeralda is being, well, Esmeralda. Please, do come back often! We’ve missed you - even our parents despite all their negative comments. Me going to visit you in Cogworks is alas, not an option. Wyver would say that I was slacking. Naturally, he would never do that kind of thing - not when he could spend his time working, of course.

My work is going ever more downhill as we speak. You must be aware of who my sister councillor is - a brat called Europa Vyperion, daughter of the heads of Club Serpentine. I would much rather deal with Wyver everyday than Vyperion once a year - it’s just that bad. I am not elaborating because I may be here until next week. Sorry.

Enough talk about me - I’m so sorry: it’s so like me to talk about myself all the time. How are you? How’s the band? Don’t even ask how or why I know about it - I ran into that little girl the other day. You know, the blonde one who dances. What’s her name? Mei, or something? Nevertheless, I’m not our parents. I won’t criticise you for it! I’m always here for you, and I fully support your choices to do with the band. Let me know if ever need any resources or places to play as being a councillor has its benefits!

You poor thing. You have to deal with child, I the uncle. What is to become of us? I’m very sure the Ellington-Wyvers have it out for the Delacroixs, cousin by cousin. Yes, I remember Elliot’s dogs vividly. I simply pretended I didn’t know him. You know, I’m starting to hope that Miss Arya does let some things loose at an important ball - if only to bring down her last name. The shock on her uncle’s face is going to be absolutely worth it, trust me.

Please, I would love to! Do you want to go to the Lantas View Diner in a day or two? I can do like 11ish to 3?

Love,
Lala xxx

My dear Lala,

Yes, it has, I have been quite busy lately. And I understand, what with my current standing with the family. Although, really, I wish it weren’t this way. That we could just be a normal family. Although what really is normal? Not the Delacroixs, I feel pretty safe to say. A seat on the Council? I’m not so sure I’m really the one for that. Wyver? I used to talk to his sister and Fae at galas and such a lot. He would be around some, but he was always making rounds, or however you want to put it. Speaking to everyone and anyone, so the two of us never spoke quite so much. He always seemed nice enough, but then again, it’s impossible to tell what he really thinks or wants. At least that was the sense I got. But worry not, I am always here if you need to vent. If you want someone to join you in insults, however, Draven might be a better option of confidante.

Oh yes, everything is normal and our cousin - our baby cousin - is getting married. Those two sentences in a row like that gave me whiplash, Lala. Well, I suppose I can’t say I’m really surprised, even if he seems awfully young for that. But then again, young marriages are a family tradition. Thankfully, the two of us have managed to avoid such things so far. I honestly do worry about Draven sometimes, though. How is he? I can’t imagine having Aunt Esmeralda as a mother, she’s bad enough as an aunt. She’s the only member of the family I don’t miss when I don’t spend much time with you all. I would gladly avoid her for the rest of my life. But I do want to see the rest of you more, so I suppose I shall have to bear her. And Melody Seavey? I can’t say I’m very happy at the prospect of her joining the family, but well, I don’t know who else it could be. As for Elliot attending the wedding, I highly doubt Aunt Esmeralda would ever want to invite him. However, I honestly don’t know what he would do. Who knows, on the one hand, I feel like he would want to avoid such things, but on the other… he actually might. He’s so impulsive, it can be hard to predict what he’ll do.

Ah yes, Europa Vyperion. I am all for good intercity relations, but the Snakes - something needs to be done about them. The Night Riders seem pretty harmless. Arachniad less so, but the Snakes in particular are horrible. Having to deal with the daughter of its heads sounds awful. I am sending my support.

There’s no problem, I’m glad to hear about your life. The band is doing well, we’ve had the same steady gig since we started, as well as plenty of others. It can be hard to balance the band with our other jobs, but we’ve got it pretty much figured out by now. Ah, yes, Mei. You spoke with her? Yes, she kept insisting that we incorporate dance into our performances, so we finally gave in. Dance doesn’t generally go all that well with the pop punk vibe we have going for the most part, but we do have some other songs, and she was insistent.

Yes, she is certainly a handful. She’s not a bad kid, really, but she is wild. Well, if we could only get along as we should, I do believe the five of us would be quite unstoppable. No one coming against us would stand a chance. Grab your sword, Lala, and I shall take up my bow and arrows. I have no problem with being a Delacriox, and I do love my family, truly. I simply do not like being associated with certain things about our family’s reputation. If only we could change it. I know you like to play along, but you’re not truly like them, and really, even our parents aren’t on the same level as Aunt Esmeralda or Uncle Oliver. I understand why you want to fit in, I do, but you don’t have to pretend so much, Lala. There is nothing wrong with being yourself.

To be honest, I would actually feel sorry for the poor man. That girl probably plagues his life. XD Well, when Elliot pulled that prank, it led to quite a lot of… emotions. Didn’t they ruin several people's clothes, and knock over a table? It was such a mess. And Arya has a wolf. Which, on the one hand, is actually sort of… dare I say cool? But on the other hand… wolves aren’t meant to be pets. I suppose she has it trained, though.

Lovely! Yes, I should be free then. I look forward to seeing you, let me know when you can decide on a specific day.

Best of luck,
𝒜𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓃𝒶

My Dear Athena,

Oh no, definitely not. Our house is the least ‘normal’ of them all, but I feel like our generation very well might be the end of our house as it is. Aunt Esmeralda is going to lose it all, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she spent the rest of her life wondering how someone like her and Uncle Oliver could give birth to two people the likes of Elliot and Draven. Don’t worry about your standing within the family - you’ll find your place eventually, though you might have to wait until our aunt is out of the picture.

As I was thinking. Draven is certainly the better person for sharing insults - you are too precious for the type. Oh, how I miss you by my side! We always were a stellar duo. My dear, you’ll find that all us councillors are masks upon masks, lies upon lies. What Wyver truly wants is me gone - and doesn’t care if I know. In fact, his discontent and hatred of me is the only thing he doesn’t hide under that imperfect mask of his which both makes it unnecessarily more irritating, and I also feel proud that I have a special place in his mind.

I suppose so. God, everything is happening too fast! Yes, we did manage to avoid the young marriages, but that’s only because we aren’t from the direct branch of Delacroixs, and even so, Aunt Esmeralda was not happy with us. I guess that’s the only thing I’ve truly let her down in, not as if she’s ever satisfied of course. You think our aunt is bad enough as an aunt, but have you ever thought of her being a grandmother? I think I’m going to be sick. Draven is, well, trying not to think about it. Especially with his mind focused on the damn Seavey newspaper. I can imagine him and his mother having their tenth argument about it right now.

I was rather hoping it would be Isley, because we all know her and she is practically part of the family already without her Calico ties, but I guess we both know why our aunt would want to avoid the Calicoes, despite being one herself. To be honest, I hope Elliot turns up - I’d like very much to see him again, and talk to him. I feel like in her attempt to make our family ‘perfect’, Aunt Esmeralda has fractured the family at its heart and… well, no more on that depressing matter.

Thank you - I definitely need all the support I can muster. I know something needs to be done about the gangs, but what? Asterath certainly seems to functioning better than Voxthain, for one. Plus, the gang members are literally everywhere.

I’m glad you did - if she loves it so much, it can only add more happiness and energy into the band, though I get what you mean. Well, enthusiasm is important, especially in something like a band. Actually, ignore me. What would I know about a band? I can blabber on for ages and not know what I’m talking about anymore. It’s brain rot, Athena, and it’s coming from the council. I’m glad the band’s going well, though you should be careful of our parents.

The five of us. Yes. Well, unfortunately parents exist, and especially in our case aunts, so that shall never happen. I’m going to be frank with you - I don’t know who I am anymore. Cogworks broke me - it truly did - and now I have no clue who I am. After that, I became what the elders had always wanted us to be like, but I’m not sure that that is me, but there is no other ‘me’ to be. You won’t understand, but… this pretence is all I have left. And this isn’t supposed to be a sob story, just the harsh reality. I never had the courage to defy them, so here I am, with no sense of self whatsoever.

I do need to talk to the girl at some time in my life to ask her what I can do to plague her uncle even more. We could be the dream team - ‘Arya & Lala: Professional Wyver Plaguers’. What do you think?
Elliot was a mess back then, let’s face it, and probably still is now. I do wish he was here to pull more pranks though - it would certainly lighten the mood up everywhere. God, I really miss those pranking years - and his dogs one was amazing. Truly.
I hope to God the girl has it trained. I, for one, am not someone who would stand their own ground if the wolf came at me. Stand as in peacefully.

I can do Wednesday?

Love,
Lala xxx

My Dear Lala,

Indeed. The Seaveys do seem to have their problems, the Calicos, as well, but, yes, our family is certainly something else. That would be nice, if you ask me. It’s about time it changed. It is a bit ironic when you think about it, but also makes sense. Elliot… well everyone knows he isn't what they wanted. Although they're the ones who drove him so far. Draven, I was never as close with, you know him better than I do. He does seem pretty dead set on fulfilling his parents wishes, though. Perhaps it sounds terrible of me to say this, but I would very much like for Aunt Esmeralda to be out of the picture. And, really, she has no right to power. All she has is her power over Draven, if he would just stand up to her - I don't suppose you could convince him?

And I miss you! Yes, so it would seem. Interesting. I must admit, that is part of why I don't think I would do well on Council, I can't stand fake people. He really must hate you then, he has always seemed the type to keep such opinions to himself. Arch-rivals are you?

Far too fast. It seems only yesterday that we were kids. And our cousins? I remember when they were born. Oh, that's so weird to think about, Draven simply can't be getting married yet, I remember holding him when he was a baby. I feel so old. But I will be forever thankful I am not in that position. I have never been the type to wish for the inheritance, it comes with far too much pressure.

Dieu, the thought of Aunt Esmeralda as a grandmother is terrifying. I fear I may be sick as well. I must be careful not to go down the same path as Elliot, Aunt Athena will have to be there for that poor child. But surely they’ll wait a little while? Although I suppose Aunt Esmeralda will want that grandchild as soon as possible. But, really, those children cannot possibly be ready to be parents anytime soon. If they don’t wait, I say we try to find a way to sneak Melody birth control, or something. And we must certainly do our best to help once they do have a child. I shall prepare to babysit, even if I know Aunt Esmeralda would likely hate me to.

How does he not think about it? I don't know if I’d be able to think of anything else in his position. Ah yes, the newspaper. Let's just say I was not expecting that. I'm sure Aunt Esmeralda is furious. Do you know what really happened? You can never be sure how much is true with the Seaveys, and I know they're spinning this. I would think they're trying to do so in Draven's favor, but I suppose there wasn't much they could do in this case.

On the one hand, I say that incest should be avoided, but on the other, Isley is a nice girl, and she and Draven are practically inseparable as is. I can't help but feel it would be a lot happier. But who am I to say? And Draven was friends with Melody in school, no?

Yes, I would love for Elliot to show up. We both know Aunt Esmeralda would throw a fit, but how do you think Draven would react? Yes, that is exactly what she's done, and truth be told, I hate her for it. She deserves prison, I swear.

To be entirely fair, both cities are rather a mess. The shadowfog doesn't help, and now these murders… Yes, they really are everywhere.

Yes. Enthusiasm is indeed very important, and I do love how happy it makes her.

I want to believe it could happen so badly, although I can't deny you’re right. Parents can be an issue. And our freaking aunt. It's so… sad, though.

I'm sure that the real you is still in their somewhere, and no, I doubt you'll ever be exactly the same as before - that simply isn't the way it works - but if you didn't keep up the pretense so much, if you let it drop a bit, perhaps you could find who you are now.

This family is so poisonous. Honestly, Elliot is the one I tend to worry about the least at times, although with how reckless he is, I do have to worry about him too. And sometimes I feel like even he never truly got to just… be himself. But as for you and Coco, and Draven, staying there to an extent that I don't - that I can't. I don't know how you do it. Sometimes just thinking of the mess - the tragedy - we’ve all become, physically pains me. And maybe it was better when we were little, at least we were closer, but it was never really right. Sometimes I just want to kidnap you all. Just kidding, but, really, Lala, don't be afraid to… just live.

Oh dear, Wyver had better watch his back.

Yes, his pranks were amusing, and I rather enjoyed the dogs, myself. As for the wolf, I would much prefer Arya didn't set it loose anywhere, thank you very much.

Wednesday sounds lovely. I look forward to seeing you. <3

See you soon,
𝒜𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓃𝒶

Athena,

I’m sorry but did you see what Draven did? I was about to dismiss it as yet another ‘Draven being Draven’ thing but I’m about to literally break down and cry, I swear to god. Like, what in the actual hell was he doing? Of course, I have contacted him and he accidentally gave me a full description of what happened, and then I sent him another message, and now he’s legit ghosting me, I swear. Please ignore my informal English, I cannot be bothered to be sophisticated about this. Any more and Draven is going to be another Elliot, and that is the last thing we need right now. And he’s not replying to me!!! I haven’t done anything wrong and I’m just trying to help him but he’s not letting me and I feel hopeless and useless and agh I want to scream so bad right now. In order to wait for Draven’s reply, I have stayed at home all day and everyone’s going to judge me for not turning up to work and Wyver is never going to let me hear the end of this and the Seaveys are going to be fed up of defending the Delacroixs and they are going to berate me for this too in their newspaper and I’m going to be kicked off the council and—

Ok, I may be taking it a little far but I am genuinely so stressed about this and the fact that Draven is not responding is not helping my current situation and— please tell me to calm down. I am worrying too much for my own good. And I am blaming that on Wyver. And you want me to convince Draven to stand up to his parents - well, parent, singular - after all this? Never. He isn’t even responding to me and after this social, citywide embarrassment, he’s not going to be doing any standing up anytime soon, trust me.

Unfortunately, yes. I hate Lucien damn Wyver with all my life and taking this day off work is going to be an excuse for him to just about ruin my life and… DRAVEN! Wyver is never going to let me forget this day in which I was ‘slacking’ and this is definitely not helping allegations that the elections were already rigged in my favour and that I shouldn’t be a councillor and… I really do have to scream it all out at one point. I would go back to the estate and get my longsword out and start slashing at people, but going back to the estate would mean interacting with Draven and his mother, which I don’t want to do right now, and the other option would be fencing with Lysa but I don’t want to injure the poor woman with my angry slashes.

I have never wanted the inheritance and the pressure either, so I guess we’re on the same page there. Though ‘Lady Delacroix, Head of House Delacroix’ would be a nice thing to say to Wyver. Whenever he says ‘Delacroix’, I can say ‘it’s Lady Delacroix to you’. Imagine the look on his blasted face! That would be nice to see.

Sneaking Melody Seavey birth control would require a lot of stealth and skill, my dear sister, none of which I am known for. You are more than welcome to try, but good luck. And please, they are children, I agree with you. Our poor aunt forcing this upon her son… I cannot. You remember all those men she tried to introduce to us when we were that age and we rejected them all? I swear she must think that we’re both aroace or something at this point.

You and Isley are the only two suitable choices for babysitting that poor child. Anyone else would be a nightmare. Me or any of the Seavey brothers? Elliot? I may as well shove the baby down a hole before I let any of those people touch it - myself included. Wait, that doesn’t make sense. Well, take me out of the equation then. I fear for that child. It would grow up with the worst family possible, having Calico, Delacroix and Seavey blood.

Do you see August blasted Hayden as a manipulator? That was the worst lie they could ever possibly spin. The Seaveys honestly need to scavenge for their brain cells - assuming they had any in the first place. I’ll leave you to puzzle out what happened by yourself, or I may just send you Draven’s unintentional letter. I don’t owe him anything, least of all this. At least, until he finally decides to reply to me.

But tell me, dear sister, which psychopath would actually be best friends with Melody? Draven is just a ‘friend’, or according to him, was a friend, but who are we to know, or care even? It’s already decided - we cannot do anything about it, even if we desperately want to. All we can do is sit, and wait.

Prison, but for which crime, because she’s surely committed too many for them to just send her there for only one crime? That is the mystery, and a big one too.

Are you even sure that there is a ‘real’ me? You hardly know me anymore, Athena. The pretence is all I have left. I cannot drop it, because I have nothing underneath to be seen. And plus, Wyver exists.

We are living - all of us. We’ve found where we belong. I belong on the council, representing us. Coco belongs in the hospital, helping out others. Draven belongs home, managing affairs, but that is the bit that’s gone wrong. He isn’t the one managing the affairs: it’s our aunt. But other than that, we’re all where we belong. You, with your band and Elliot, enjoying life wherever he is now. This is the best we can hope for with our aunt still in the picture, unfortunately.

He always has to watch his back when I’m around, I’ll grant you that.

I find it amusing, as long as it’s terrorising someone else.

I look forward to seeing you too <3

Love,
Lala xxx

My Dearest Lala,

Yes, I saw. I don’t know how to react. This is going to affect us all, I’m sure. And I have no doubt Aunt Esmeralda is scrambling to do damage control, but, really, what can she do? I have no idea what got into him, I can’t say I ever expected to find such a story in the paper. It does feel very much like something that would happen to Elliot, if he were more skilled in evocation. He never was great with magic, although a part of me wonders how much of that was incompetence, and how much was just rebelliousness. But that’s beside the point. While I love Elliot, I admit that he certainly always was quite the mess, and, really, these sorts of things aren’t good. Although, I feel the need to state, I will never judge him for not complying - after all, I never really did myself - or even leaving. I mean, to be fair, they disowned him. But, yes, this is… well.

How exactly are you trying to help? Please don’t take this the wrong way, Lala, I love you dearly, but you can be rather passive aggressive sometimes. And I feel like Draven isn’t really likely to respond well to that sort of thing. Again, I don’t know him as well as you do, but, well, I don’t know how well that approach would work on anyone, to be honest. Of course, to be fair, he has always seemed rather unwilling to accept help from anyone other than Elliot, and now Elliot’s gone… Just another example of the tragic mess that is our family.

Just take a moment, and breathe. Just breathe. Everything’s going to be fine. I highly doubt the Seaveys are going to berate you in their paper for this so soon after everything. They have always tended to be less critical of us, sweeping things under the rug whenever they could. Besides, Draven and Melody are practically engaged, right? It stands to reason that they would want to keep that alliance strong. Although, who knows with the Seaveys, I cannot for the life of me understand them. But don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll leave you alone. I’m sure you can handle Wyver, and if you want - I can’t believe I’m saying this - but maybe I could see what I can learn from Arya. As for Draven responding… I don’t really know whether he will or not, I don’t even know what you said to him, or what he’s going through. And, no, I do not condone what he did at all, but there have been things that make me wonder about just how awful of parents Aunt Esmeralda and Uncle Oliver are - or, were. So… keep that in mind, would you? Yes, I suppose he won’t be. Doesn’t seem as if that would be his natural reaction to all of this. And, honestly, I can’t really say that I blame him. This is… well, social citywide embarrassment. Still, you are blowing it out of proportion, Lala, you certainly don’t have to worry about losing your Council seat. Honestly, even if it were Draven on the Council, I doubt he would be losing it, but you? Most definitely not.

Well, I am here to listen to your screaming. Well, screaming over letter, that is. I would offer to spar with you, but one, I’m busy at the moment, and two, I must admit, with you in this mood, I would be perhaps a bit worried. I was never quite as skilled in fencing as you, anyhow. Always preferred archery, myself.

Ah yes, I’m sure you would love that, and he would hate it. But, at least in my opinion, and apparently yours, as well, it wouldn't be worth it. If I had been the heir, I might have ended up like Elliot. I mean, not quite so wild, but disowned? I can’t say it wouldn't happen. I mean, I too would have flat out refused an engagement to someone I didn’t love. And at eighteen? What is it with Aunt Esmeralda and wanting everyone to get married the second they legally can?

Alas, I fear I couldn’t manage. Draven might be able to pull it off, I’ll bet he’d be good with stealth, but, well, he’s part of the problem. Elliot… I don’t even know. Not that he’s an option. Well, I shall have to be prepared in case of emergencies. Yes, they are children, and Aunt Esmeralda needs to calm down, and learn the definition of patience. Oh yes, I remember. How could she have possibly expected us to be ready to settle down so young? Honestly. Not to mention, the options were… well, I don’t want to sound mean, but some of them were just awful. Please. Maybe she just thinks we’re out to upset her. I can certainly see her thinking as much about me.

I can see Isley being great with children, honestly. And I shall be there. Oh dear, yes, perhaps better to stay away. In a hole? Lala, where the hell are you getting these things from? But, yes, Probably not the best option. And Elliot… It’s not like he really is an option, but, oh my, I don’t know if he’s responsible enough to be in charge of a child. And the Seavey brothers? I don’t know them well enough to know for sure, but… I’m inclined to agree. Oh dear, what about Alex? Oh no, I’m scaring myself here. That poor, poor child, blood of the three most infamous noble houses. That’ll be hard to grow up with. Well, Aunt Athena shall just have to do her best to be there for them.

I mean, to be fair, I don’t really know August Hayden, but no, not at all. There doesn’t seem to be anything manipulative about him. I really don’t know what the Seaveys were thinking with that one. Like, obviously, they shouldn’t be twisting the truth anyway, but usually they’re at least a little smarter about it. But this? What is this? It’s preposterous. Unbelievable for anyone who knows even anything about those involved. And I’m assuming they were trying to spin it in Draven’s favor, but they didn’t really manage that either, did they? Oh, please, I am very tempted. I don’t suppose it’s any of my business, but I want to know what happened. Although I suppose I can work out most of it, myself.

I never said best friends. And, honestly, I don’t know who would. I see, so they were friends? Fell out after Draven graduated, or is there some sort of story there, I wonder? I’m not really around enough to know how true that statement is, but she was never around as much as Isley or Alex, I know that much. Seemed like one of those friendships that’s just more out of… proximity than anything else. But again, what do I really know about it? Anyway, former friends sounds like possibly the most awkward possibility for an arranged marriage. I am so glad it’s not me. But this means Melody Seavey is going to be my cousin-in-law, help. Now, in order to spend more time with the family, I’ll have to put up with her too. But maybe she’s not so bad.

All of them. Land her in prison for life, if possible. I’m sure that Elliot and Draven could make a case against her if they ever actually tried. Which they should. Oh, imagine if she were in prison, and out of our way? I should dearly love that. Because, in a way, you’re right, things are the best they can be so long as she is in the picture. And while Draven may be young, and perhaps not the best one to be managing affairs, I must say I think I would prefer that he actually would, as opposed to our aunt. Well, perhaps one day we can be rid of her. Until then, I shall simply do my best. I suppose we all shall.

Best of love and best of luck,
𝒜𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓃𝒶

My Dear Athena,

It’s not just going to affect us all, it is affecting us all right now. And that, precisely, is why Elliot was disowned, but our aunt surely cannot disown Draven. Of course, she has damage control sorted out but she has had a couple of talks with Draven and I can assure you another incident like this and she will be seriously considering disowning Draven even though she knows she cannot. I mean, if she did, I’d be head of house, and who is she going to try and throw at me? Melody Seavey was hard enough to come by, and would the Seaveys still want an alliance with us after Draven? Me and Tamrion, perhaps? Never. And that is why she can’t afford to lose Draven, aside from her ego of course, and that means she’s taking this harder on Draven than necessary, and the last thing we need is an already depressed Draven to buckle and break. Which he currently is, in denial or not. I must say, our aunt is indeed very good at pulling apart our family at its core. I’m surprised the militia haven’t got their eyes on her yet.

At least Draven replied to me, which is good, but the contents of his letter are not. He really has grown up, and refuses to take into account anything I say and fails to notice that I’m here for him. Really, I may just give up at this stage: I honestly don’t know. I’m sitting here, helpless, and missing an entire day of work because I’ve been worried sick. Not just about what happened, but also our lovely aunt’s reaction and trust me, Draven isn’t mainly hurting from what he did, but from what his mother has said about what he did. If you think I’m passive aggressive, Aunt Esmeralda is aggression in its purest form. I’m trying to help by telling him that I’m here for him, and if he wants to talk to someone I’m always here. Or rant. Or shout at. Fine. As long as it’s benefitting him, I’ll take it. But what he seems to be wanting me to do is comfort him, tell him it’s all fine and just about straight up lie in his face, and he knows that’s not me, so the other option is for me to rewind time, and unfortunately I do not have those powers.

But I’m still scared, Athena. I have no idea what the Seaveys want or will do, but hopefully if they still want their youngest bully married then they better not berate me for this, though Wyver will surely file a complaint, especially when they shamed Daenerys after her father died. I mean, she only took the afternoon/evening off, and here I am, taking the entire day off when it’s my cousin’s problem. Do you see the issue here? And with all this, I’m even more clueless as to the Seaveys. And Wyver will never let me forget this, trust me. Oh, even better? The Haydens, Ellington-Wyvers and the normal small folk all believe that the elections are rigged in Delacroix favour. This is not going to help those allegations.

Trust me, I’m trying to breathe.

Please see what you can find out from Arya. I’d very much love to know.

Believe me when I say this: you do not want to hear me screaming in person right now. You’re lucky. Also, is it just me, or am I incredibly curious about Elliot’s reaction to this all, granted he has seen it in the first place? The only person other than his mother who Draven will even attempt to listen to is Elliot. Maybe Elliot should be the one sending screaming letters, not me.

No, I agree. Being Head of House Delacroix when Aunt Esmeralda is still lurking around trying to control everything behind the stage would be as if you were a puppet, and one being seriously judged for every misstep you take. Elliot would for sure have refused an engagement, and you, Coco and I would do the same, but only Draven is meek enough to do what his mother wants 24/7. But still. Our baby cousin, married at eighteen? Surely even our aunt knows that that’s just wrong.

Elliot? Gosh, he’d make such a hash of it I may as well attempt myself. Again, Isley seems like the better option. She’d likely be able to pull it off in front of Melody Seavey’s gaping eyes and the girl wouldn’t notice. Elliot would get a chicken and use it as a distraction, trust me. Not a good sign.

Aunt Athena and Aunt Isley (first cousin once removed but no one cares about that nonsense) will have to do their best for the poor child, possibly Aunt Coco too, because Aunt Lala, Uncle Elliot, Uncle Seaveys and Uncle Alex are going to do nothing except traumatise the poor thing - or shove it down a hole. Great-aunt Elara is also an option, though unlikely. Oh, and we have to keep it away from Grandma Esmeralda, because that is just a no.

I’d like to know what you think happened. Let’s see how well the Seaveys really did with their work, eh? But I agree, they really should have been smarter about it all. I bet even Wyver could take a look at it and decipher what had truly happened. Speaking of which, I just cannot wait to see Caledonia Hayden tomorrow…

They were friends, that much I can confirm, but anything beyond that is beyond my knowledge. You’d have to ask Draven, or Melody herself, and honestly, I don’t like your chances with either regarding this topic. Yes, former friends does seem like the worst, doesn’t it? Our poor baby cousin. Such things happen when your older brother isn’t there to protect you. Maybe Melody doesn’t want to put up with you - you’ll just have to hope, my dear sister.

It would be nice to be rid of her, to be honest. She’s had her seat of power for long enough; time to pass it on to someone else, no? And who better than her own son who she’s raised herself and does everything she says? Except, he doesn’t know a fig about what to do if she’s not there, and there’s the paradox. I fear she may remain forever, unfortunately.

Love,
Lala xxx

My Dearest Lala,

She really can’t. One: she wouldn’t be able to control you, and she knows it. Her power over Draven is all she has, she wouldn’t want to give that up. And two: even if she wanted to, she quite literally couldn’t. If Uncle Oliver were still alive he could, as Head of House, although it would no doubt take something drastic for him to do such a thing, we all know how much he wanted his own child as his heir. But Aunt Esmeralda simply cannot disown the Head of House. He’s the only one who really has the power to disown anyone, at least in such an official, fully writing you off of the noble line, way. So, at least you won’t have to worry about becoming Head of House, or her trying to set you up with Tamrion Seavey. Can you imagine? What an awful marriage that would be. I would be tempted to murder if I were wed to that man. I’m sure she is being far too hard on him, because, well, she’s got to hang onto whatever power she can however she can. I don’t suppose he’s been very forthcoming with you on the extent of her anger. He is what? Depressed, or at the point of breaking? Either way, I wish I could do something to help, but it isn’t as if he would let me. She is, and I wish they did. I would dearly love for them to drag her off for us.

That is good. I really don’t know of any advice to give you. It’s not as if I’ve seen the letters myself, or know him as well as you do, but I can imagine he must be having a rough time, between the papers and Aunt Esmeralda. I want to be comforting, but honestly, I’m worried, myself. I’m not sure what our lovely aunt’s reaction was, but I must admit, it scares me. I’m sure you’re right, and yes, she truly is aggression in its purest form, but that’s exactly why passive-aggressiveness might not be the best approach. Yes,you never were much for out-right comforting, and certainly not lying. And I can’t really think of anything for you to say, because, let’s face it, this is his own fault. I have no doubt the poor boy could use some comfort, but, well. I would try to help, but let’s face it, I wouldn’t be able to. You’re far more likely to get through to him than I am.

I have long given up on trying to understand the Seaveys. Still, I highly doubt that they’ll be berating you for this. Aunt Esmeralda has probably let them know how dissatisfied she is with how they handled this. I don’t think they’ll want to attack a Delacroix again so soon. Although I suppose they weren’t really attacking Draven, but honestly, this was… not the way they generally handle matters with our family.

You know what? Let them talk. I fear I’m channeling a bit too much Delacroix just now, but just… don’t worry about what Wyver or Hayden or anyone thinks. You don’t answer to them, and they can just take their complaints and their suspicions, and go deal with it. Because we didn’t rig the elections, they can search all they want, you did earn that council seat no matter what anyone says. I’m sure Hayden will be angry enough about the paper as is, however, let’s not forget her brother’s involvement in the story. So, I would advise trying to not get into an argument about it with her. No one needs you two being a repeat of Draven and August.

I shall. I now have a mission: Objective: Gather intel on Lucien Wyver through his niece, Arya Ellington-Wyver.

Oh, it is certainly not just you. I would love to know Elliot’s reaction to this. I have the distinct suspicion that when he saw the paper he started laughing. I would bet on it. But how exactly he feels? A mystery. I still don’t have that boy quite figured out, especially when it comes to Draven. A complicated topic with him, it seems. But I believe that’s mutual. Honestly, their parents should be ashamed of themselves. And yes, I know we’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but I blame Uncle Oliver just as much as I blame Aunt Esmeralda, his passing doesn’t change that. But really, how long has it been since Draven truly listened to Elliot? Above their mother? Elliot asked him to run away with him at one point after all. Did you know that? So… I’m not sure if he would really have much luck either. But possibly more than us. And certainly the best chance at actually being comforting, at least before… everything.

Absolutely awful. I think I might go insane if I were in that position. Yes, Elliot literally just flat-out refused to go through with the betrothal at the betrothal ceremony. And honestly, good for him. I was proud of him for standing up for himself. Not that he ever seemed to struggle with that, unlike a certain other cousin of ours… Emmaline Leclaire too. They were not going to marry each other, and no one was ever going to make them. Of course, it all resulted in Elliot getting disowned, but I think we all sort of knew it was coming sooner or later, unless he just up and ran off first. Which I’m kind of surprised he didn’t, honestly. I wish Draven would do the same, as we discussed, it’s not like Aunt Esmeralda can disown him anyway. But alas.

Exactly, that’s what I’m saying, the woman is completely mental. But we knew that already.

Oh dear, I can certainly see him using a chicken as a distraction. I doubt it would be a very effective one.

Yes, we must all strive to keep that child far away from Grandma Esmeralda. Even those who can’t be trusted to watch them, themselves. We’ll be a team. A child protection squad.

What do I think happened? Well, I have no idea how Draven and August Hayden ended up running into each other in the first place, or even why Draven was there at all in the morning, since when does he go places in the morning? Anyway, however they came to be together, I think they got into some argument. Draven being Draven it’s no surprise, especially in the morning. I don’t know what they could have been arguing about, but I have no doubt that they have many reasons not to get along. And then I think Draven got really angry over something, and lost control of his magic. So… correct?

The absolute worst. I mean, with friends, it might be awkward, but at least you know each other, at least you like each other, and get along. With strangers, it would again be awkward, but you would have the chance of getting along and maybe even falling in love in the future. And at the very least, there would be no history to complicated things. But former friends? The only thing that could be worse would be former lovers. Mon Dieu, you don’t think they are, do you? That would just make everything even worse.

She cannot remain forever, she simply cannot. And how is he ever going to learn what to do without her, if he never has the chance? But in order to have the chance, he’d have to do something about it, and I honestly don’t see him ever doing it. What a mess we’re all in. Well, perhaps we can figure out a way to be rid of her eventually.

Love,
𝒜𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓃𝒶