February 12, 2011

In Which Searle Is Given a Message to Pass

March 21, 1172

"You again--figures." Ellona shut the door behind her and shuffled toward him, her eyes drooping in spite of the afternoon hour. She looked a little paler than usual; might she have been ill? "You're never going to wriggle your balls out of my mother's vice, are you?"

Admittedly, that was a milder comment than Searle might have expected from her. "I see you've run out of gruesome death threats to offer me?"

"Look, I swear to God, I've puked up more than I've eaten these past few weeks." She brushed a dark hair from her sweaty brow and sighed. Odd how she could be so flushed and dreary and still look exquisite. Shame that she wasn't exactly pleasant, really--not to mention, Elarys's daughter. "Forgive me for not wasting any of my precious calm spells thinking about you."

Knowing how she thought of him, that was probably a blessing; never the less, it probably wouldn't have been wise of him to tell her that. "Well, I hope you're feeling better soon."

"I'll have you know I'll feel much better the minute you leave."

"In that case, I shan't be long." As if he would have cared to linger anyway. He meant to leave Naroni come morning; meanwhile, he had promised his cousin Viridis a walk before the sunset. He had a feeling he would appreciate that walk all the more having been to speak with Ellona first. There was nothing like sweet, steadfast, unquestioningly loving Viridis to cleanse his soul after these banshees with which he ran sullied it with their schemes and barbs. "I trust you know why your mother sent me."

"That I do." She folded her arms across her stomach and swayed slowly to one side, her tall, slender frame somehow curvier than he remembered. "She sends you every couple months with the same question--and every couple months, I give you the same answer.

"But this time--" her lips curved to form a mockery of a smile "--is a little bit different."

"So yes, then?" She nodded. Searle felt a wave of relief wash over him. It had taken longer than he'd hoped, but finally--finally, he would have a sufficient break from her! If only he could say the same of Elarys. "Good. Is there anything else you want me to tell your mother?"

"Yes." She moved on hand to her hip and drummed her fingers against the bone, her sadistic grin swelling as her eyes flashed a dangerous spark. "You may tell her that for as long as I live, she'll never lay so much as an eye on it."

NEXT CHAPTER:

8 comments:

Van said...

I just cannot motivate myself to build the set for the next Orbis Umbra for some reason--which is kind of weird, seeing as I actually have a decent vision of it in my head :S

But this works out okay, because the next post here will make an appropriate Valentine's post (I hate Valentine's Day--but I figure some of you might like it, and I used up all my Scroogieness at Halloween).

Anonymous said...

Viridis and Searle for Valentine's Day? Ho boy! ;)

I have to say, I like the way Ellona is thinking ... er ... if you can like yet more evidence of a completely messed-up mother-daughter relationship. Go along with the master plan up until the point it all starts to come together, and then -- bam! "I'm pregnant with the heir to the throne's baby, which would give me and you through me a lot of power, but guess what? You don't get to see it! You don't get the power! Nyah-nyah!"

Also, Ellona, I think, will be a fine mother so long as she remembers everything Elarys did when she was young, and does the opposite. ;)

Van said...

I won't say who's in the preview just yet, but it ain't Viridis and Searle (much to Severin's utmost relief).

That's a good summary of Ellona's thoughts right now ;) I'm sure it won't take long for Elarys to think of a way to retaliate, though... :S

How to be a good mother in one easy step:

1. Be the Anti-Elarys.

Thanks Morgaine :)

S.B. said...

Although I sympathize with Ellona and understand why she's dealing Elarys such a blow, in the long run it probably won't work and might end up hurting her child. What a mess though. She probably will be a good mother since I can't see her behaving AT ALL like Elarys.

Van said...

Elarys is very good about bending situations to suit her needs; if she wants to see her grandchild (which she almost certainly will, especially if it's a boy), then she will, whether Ellona likes it or not. Ellona's interference can only stall that meeting :S

Yeah, Ellona will probably be a good mother, although unfortunately she's not going to be getting a whole lot of respect from society now :S

Penelope said...

Wow, this just reminds me of the circumstances of Severin's birth. But with the way people reproduce in Naroni, frankly I am surprised it took Ellona this long to get knocked up.

I have feeling that this will be a strange-looking child.

Penelope said...

Also Searle is really, really creeping me out. How old is Viridis?? EW ew eweweweweewweweww!!! He knows that he had an incestuous relationship with his sister-- For which he feels zero remorse (indeed, he sees himself as some kind of a victim) and now he is having thoughts about innocent little girls? How effing twisted is that?

Heh, sorry there was such a gap between these comments. I left the room to make a bacon sarnie and just started thinking about Searle and how badly he is creeping me out. POOR VIRIDIS.

Van said...

Heheh... only way more political. Severin was entirely an accident (I think I mentioned somewhere that he almost got aborted, actually). Lonriad met some random peasant, actually fell in love with her--which was odd for him, but it happens for most people--then went back home, leaving her a little unintentional reminder.

Ellona, meanwhile, is practically a plant. I'd put money on the possibility that Elarys wanted Ellona to get pregnant. The fact that she ended up developing feelings for Ietrin? Coincidence.

As for the time it took her to get knocked up... hold that thought ;)

At the time of this post, Viridis was thirteen (presently, she's almost fifteen). It is a little weird that he's thinking about her like that, but I think to a certain extent, every single one of Searle's personal relationships is sexual. There's something a little weird about his interaction with Ellona here, for instance. Hell, I even wonder sometimes why he keeps coming back to Severin time after time.

I have no idea what a sarnie is, but I hope it was a good one :)