▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 25, 2021 15:51:25 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 25, 2021 15:51:25 GMT -5
Cato had taken his time looking for a shell. Frankly, he didn't know what constituted as a pretty shell, but when he finally returned to Elise, he had one in his hand. The one Elise handed him was beautiful. Dark blue flecks and a spiral, the colour was almost reminiscent of a starry sky, not unlike the ones they had watched in one of their dates.
"I'm going to have to find someone to make this into some fancy sculpture or frame," he joked dramatically, but a genuine appreciation in his expression, "I'm going to cherish this shell forever."
He pressed the warm conch into Elise's hand. At first, it seemed like a plain, white shell, but when the sun hit it at a different angle, the iridescence of the shell flashed in multiple colours. "This one reminded me of you," he admitted, "pretty, but when the light hits right, the inside is so much more than the outside."
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Feb 25, 2021 16:23:17 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 25, 2021 16:23:17 GMT -5
"Aww, that's much more profound than mine," Elise pouted, taking the shell with a soft, reverent smile. "It's beautiful. And very thoughtful. A good gift from a boyfriend- and I'm glad you think I'm more than just my stunning features."
They wandered on the sandbar for a bit longer before returning to the shore, where they put their shoes back on and headed for the restaurant Cato had spoken about. Elise took his arm unashamedly as they walked, enjoying the summer afternoon, and chattered on about how her father's business partner had creepily hit on her at a dinner party.
The restaurant was a nice one, even if it wasn't popular with the nobility. Still, upon learning that Cato was a Rotherhithe, they promptly got the best seat in the house, and complimentary wine bottles were brought to their table.
"Nice pick," Elise said to Cato, after ordering her lobster, lifting her wrist to once again admire her new bracelet. "I guess we're less of twilight lovers than we thought, since we've been out in public all day, unrestrained by time or place."
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 25, 2021 17:39:17 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 25, 2021 17:39:17 GMT -5
He laughed. "I'm not always a dumb jock," he teased, "sometimes I do use my brain, like it or not." It was a fun afternoon. They took it slow, just chatting and enjoying the sights the city had to offer. Elise's story about his father's creepy business party made Cato frown, but he chalked it up to just...nobles being weird about things. A lot of these old geezers were so out of touch with reality these days, he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even know they were creepy.
The restaurant was pretty, even if it wasn't as fancy as the usual ones he'd go to. The private corner they had was pretty, and he was glad it was away from the other noisier guests, so they could converse on their own. While Elise had ordered a lobster, he had gone for the steak, a classic.
"I guess so," he agreed with Elise, "if I didn't know you well, I'd think you were trying to persuade me that normal people's lives are better than the stuffy nobility and all their responsibilities." It was true. As much as his father went on about how common peasants had to struggle, constantly going on about the drudgery of their lives, the horrible conditions they had to survive...it didn't look that way today. They had their own joys and struggles and obstacles, similar to the rest of the nobles.
Living a normal life didn't seem so horrible after all, Cato thought, despite his own preconceptions.
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Feb 25, 2021 19:55:33 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 25, 2021 19:55:33 GMT -5
"That is not what I'm doing at all," Elise said, grinning. "I'm trying to join you in the upper echelon of society. But even the best of us need a day off from pretending once in a while. It's fine to live a normal life when you can afford to go back to your huge mansion at the end of the day."
The food was great at the restaurant, as Elise discovered when she took her first bite of lobster. "Tell me about your dad," she said, curious. "How strict is he? If he found out about us... what would happen?"
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▲ my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Feb 26, 2021 5:22:04 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 26, 2021 5:22:04 GMT -5
He laughed. "So I'm trying to win you over with martinis by the beach and a huge mansion, while you're telling me to take a break," he hummed, "I guess we can negotiate our lifestyle once we're married sipping martinis in Maline." The humour was sparkling in his eyes. "I admit, sometimes the rustic farmhouse life does seem attractive, but I doubt I'd be good at scooping up chicken poo."
The humour seemed to leave as she asked her next question, his expression turning serious again. He didn't mean to hide anything from Elise, but he knew the dangers of talking about his family to others. It was rule number one in the Rotherhithe book; never let an outsider know what happens behind closed doors. He was the only one old enough to really understand this rule, and despite how much he trusted Elise, his family name still came first. He contemplated the question. What was his father like?
Strong, he thought. He was a man of his word, a man who understood the way the world worked. He was a man capable of anything. Great things, with the sheer amount of magical force he had–after all, look at Carina and her ability as a child, he thought dryly–but also great cruelty. He turned a blind eye to what happened around the house, but that didn't mean he was clueless about what his father did to ensure his children held the same power he did. Cato was born lucky, and so was Carina. Cassian? Not so much. There was a certain brand of cruelty their family had, and he knew he had the same darkness his father had, the one that often ended up turning the younger boy into the scapegoat cast out into the desert to compensate for the sins of their family.
If that was so, he thought dryly, then he was the sacrificial lamb.
"My father," he started, his expression still contemplative, "he's not an accommodating man. He...he knows what he wants, and he knows people, most importantly. As much as he's part of the nobility, he's a capitalist at heart, I think. Business means getting what you need and what you want, even at the expense of everything else. It's...admirable. I suppose you have to be shrewd to survive where we are. I doubt we'd have nearly as much to our name if he wasn't that way, you know? How else would a noble family in Vela compete with the others in the capital?"
He didn't answer her second question. Frankly, he didn't know how to answer it.
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Feb 26, 2021 6:48:14 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 26, 2021 6:48:14 GMT -5
"You have won me over," Elise said, taking his hand and squeezing it with a grin. "I'm just saying there's other experiences we can have in addition to our beach martinis and mansion." The mention of marriage would have made her laugh before, but now it seemed more feasible, and she smiled at the mental image.
Her chances of being accepted by his father didn't sound great, but the capitalist bit was a small beacon of hope. Elise was not entirely empty-handed, with the somewhat compelling opportunity of increased trade with her father's business attached to a marriage proposal. Perhaps they had a chance of actually making it, if Elise could figure out how to make herself more... marketable.
"Fair enough," Elise said. "My father is much the same, in terms of getting what he wants and being a shrewd businessman. My grandfather was the one who took our small business and turned it into a trading guild, and without him we would never have met- because I would not have been able to afford to go to our school."
It was a complicated situation, but one that they could make work. Elise had let go of the pessimistic attitude, won over by Cato's words and their implications. She turned the conversation back to a more pleasant topic, and the night ended as sweetly as it began, with them entwining themselves in Cato's bed and drifting off to sleep.
(fin)
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