In Which Rina Has Her Own Colors

November 24, 1191

Rina probably shouldn't have been lying on her wedding bed just yet, but it was a little late to worry about that now. She'd been 'officially' living with Alina and Jothein since graduating, just as Alina had been 'officially' living with Severin between her graduation and her wedding. This was mainly for the benefit of her Dovian family members, apart from her brother and sister-in-law; for those who already knew she was damaged goods, why did it matter?

She would concede that the engagement probably would have been much less fun had she not been 'damaged goods' and had resolved to keep it that way.

And the more she thought about it... well, the less it made sense. It was an undeniably pleasurable thing, at least if all parties were willing and knew how to do things properly. It was a tiring, physical thing--so surely it counted as exercise? And it was certainly stress relief! Taste did vary from people to people, so if pressed, Rina could accept the idea of individual who didn't enjoy it, or only enjoyed it under particular circumstances, or simply had no interest in ever trying it at all. She wouldn't pretend to understand it... but she could accept it. And it wasn't much her business any way, someone else's body.

But to deny another person--a completely separate person, with a body of their own, for their own use--any chance to pursue such a basic human pleasure simply because they were unlikely or unable to produce any offspring? It was as cruel and unthinkable as denying all pleasurable food in favor of stale bread and dry cheese, as denying fresh water in favor of a mixture more piss than not. Doubly so if one dragged a god into that reasoning, especially one who was allegedly good. Weren't these people breaking their own cardinal rules, presuming to know the will of God?

It was wrong to be thankful that her father was dead, but there was no denying that she was. How dare he presume to rob her of control of her own body. Fitting indeed that someone else had robbed him of his.

"So my sisters have finally left you alone."

She hadn't noticed Severin come in until he'd announced himself. His presence wasn't too alarming; he'd seen the dress, and they'd both agreed they'd already had all the bad luck they were likely to get. But it was odd that he was still wearing the same sort of thing he wore every day. "And you haven't changed yet."

"And when you see the god-awful tunic my father insisted on, you'll understand why I'm waiting until the last possible second." He cringed. "Yellow and orange and beige. What possessed my parents to pick such dreadful colors?"

"Perhaps you and I will have to choose our own family colors." Why not? Those colors would die with them anyway.

"Seems we already have, given that everything in this house is green and brown and black." The black was his own touch, but he hadn't pushed on why she'd kept with the green and brown. Truth was, she associated both colors with her grandfather more than anyone else, and she didn't want to lose that link to him.

"Did I say you look nice?" He kicked the door shut and made haste to the empty side of the bed. "You look nice."

"No need to state the obvious." He grinned at that--a lesser man would have scolded her for her vanity. "And you look nice too, for all we're getting married in an hour and you're still not ready."

"I'll be ready in no time. An hour's still a while."

"I suppose so." She leaned over toward him and linked her fingers with his own. "Long enough perhaps for a preemptive consummation?"

"Really? You're pestering me about getting dressed, but you want to undo your own efforts in that regard?"

"Alina won't mind helping me redress--and you won't either, if you know what's good for you."

Severin smirked. "I do like to think I know what's good for me."

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