L Μ W (hark) wrote in valesco,
@ 2013-01-22 00:06:00

Entry tags:

Nico!
Good Merlin Nico was going to throttle her in her sleep for this one.

Larkin bit the inside of her cheek, hand hovering over the handle attached to the door that lead to her best friend's (newly upgraded!) quarters. In Jordan. Where they now were currently living. For an undisclosed amount of time? Held questionably under the vague term of 'guests.' Well, except for her. This was technically her home. A palace. At least a nice palace, but still a... palace. That, was also, so obviously not magical it would be startling if she had not somewhat become accustomed to it the first time around. First time around.

Larkin closed her eyes sharply, finding her own thoughts unappealing. That shouldn't be how she described... it was very complicated, her time last spent here, so it really... wouldn't be right to... the boom of a distant door swinging open down the hall snapped Larkin out of her thoughts, and she shook her head fiercely.

Right, this was--- all just lovely! She pressed her lips briefly, eyes rolling up to the ornate ceiling as she adjusted her clothes. It felt very strange to be wearing something that A, was not trousers and boots and in fact a dress, and B, articles of clothing that were completely void of magical culture.

Yes, just another thing to add onto the list for Nico and Ethan to be stark raving mad at her about. Larkin had decided, in the couple of hours that she had been given 'off' (off from what, exactly, she wasn't sure, because it felt like she wasn't doing much of anything for the past day), she had thought it wise to finally sit down and clarify what was... going on. One at a time. In private. She hoped, at least, that the residential upgrade provided for Nico through her brash decision of naming him her 'royal advisor' would help soften the blow of his undoubtable anger and disbelief toward her. It couldn't hurt, right?

Biting her tongue, Larkin finally pulled down and slipped through the door. Hiking up her dress to walk properly, she didn't have to go very far until she came upon her partner in crime.

"Hi," she let out sheepishly, her voice dropping to a low tone. Well wasn't this awkward?

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otets
2013-01-23 04:00 am UTC (link)

Nicodemo had paced the length of his room one hundred and forty six times, and was working on his one hundred and forty seventh lap when someone had the door caught his attention. His teeth immediately clenched, assuming it was the slimy man who had taken them captive in Istanbul, come to issue more vague threats to him. Frowning, he pushed his sleeves up again, biting back a growl at the unfamiliar clothing. Since his robes were torn, dirty, and, yes, just a little bit bloody, they'd been stripped off him, and he'd been provided with suitable garb to wear "in the mean time."

In the mean time.

In the mean time, where it had been subtly suggested he remain in his "quarters" (he used the term dryly, rather than flat out state prison cell) until further advised.

He was under house arrest.

Nicodemo honestly thought he would go insane. The room, luckily, was airy and open, sparsely but well-furnished, and contained several items he ordinarily would have found of interest. Presently, however, he wanted to throw every single one of them against the wall, or out one of the flimsily curtained windows.

When he could bring himself to turn around, just before his visitor had spoken, he saw her face. And allowed himself one fierce moment of relief and gladness that Larkin was unharmed before his scowl deepened further and he crossed his arms. "Do I strangle you before or after you explain everything? I am amenable to either option, ameera."

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hark
2013-01-24 08:10 pm UTC (link)

"If you did now then we'd probably be able to get out of that huge dinner they're planning for tonight," Larkin joked faintly, lips forming into something of a smile. But somehow, she figured her quip would not be much well received, so she did not linger on getting any recognition for it. Instead, she hiked her dress to her knees to walk freely enough to close the space between them.

The 'ameera' comment would be addressed at a later time when she could actually, in fact, reprimand him for it. She really wasn't in the position to be doing any of that right now.

"I didn't know how to tell you!" Larkin started, speaking in a rushed and hushed tone. In her defense, it was a rather long, complicated, and confusing story, and--- well, that was kind of a lie, it wasn't that complex, it just made her feel complicated, and therefore unwilling to deal with or think about it. It, being, that she had unknowingly married the crown prince of Jordan back in May and had been running from the monarchy trying to get her back here ever since.

Oh, maybe it was easy to explain.

Her nose scrunched as she thought for a minute, then revised her statement. "I didn't want to, either," she sighed, letting the bottom of her dress fall to the ground.

"I don't know why," Larkin blurted, before Nico could respond. Her shoulders bunched at her neck and she turned her palms face up in an unknowing manner. "I was going to tell you, I was planning to months ago. But then---" she stopped, momentarily, to glance around the airy room before finishing. "You know it's really hard bringing up the subject that you stupidly got married to a prince and then ran off about it. Especially when you don't want to talk about it." She let out a breath, having seemingly held it the entire time.

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otets
2013-01-25 04:26 am UTC (link)

Nicodemo's expression turned baleful at Larkin's mention of dinner. Bleeding hell, it was probably some affair of the State dinner to welcome back the mysteriously vanished but miraculously reappeared princess.

His best friend was a princess. Of an entire country. And not even the magical portion, though he'd like to know how the scum who had dragged them here explained that. Not to mention Larkin was now feeding the slimy royal vizier some cockamamie story about how Nico was her royal adviser, which meant he could be lugged out from whatever dank place they'd held him, and was now, for all intents and purposes, locked up in the cell masquerading as a suite.

He slowed and took a breath, realising being penned up like a bull was grating the worst on his nerves between the two situations, making it easy to want to lash out at Larkin. That, and his worry. Oh, certainly there had been adventures more fantastical than this—he actually had been held and chained in a deep, dark, dank prison cell, but it hadn't seemed… life-threatening, he supposed. There was danger, but it wasn't created by virtue of him being Nicodemo Penrose. He supposed, since Larkin was his family, and someone had wanted his family bad enough to set bounty hunters on her, he was having a bit of a panic attack. It was an alien feeling, and he wasn't dealing well with it, particularly since he'd been a bit blind-sighted.

Their friendship wasn't the sort that demanded divulgences of their every small secret, but even Nicodemo had to admit this was quite a large one to keep hidden. Being as he had never married a member of any royal family and then run away, he couldn't say for certain whether or not he'd have tried to keep it hidden.

Being, also, that he was a lackadaisical sort of fellow not very capable of deep, staying emotion, his annoyance blew over quite fast now that she was standing in front of him, trying to keep the story from spilling out. Had it been any other time, he thought, for any other reason, this might have been a very great adventure.

Nicodemo maintained the outward air with a scowl, and caught her chin a little too gently for a man in a snit. Scrutinising her face for signs of ill-treatment, of fear, or worry, he gruffly asked, "They hurt you?"

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hark
2013-01-25 11:11 pm UTC (link)

That was not the immediate reaction she had been expecting, but one that nonetheless deeply relieved her. For, even through Nico's bad-tempered expression, Larkin could discern that her former secret would not change the solidarity that existed between them. She hadn't truly believed that her Jordanian marriage would turn Nico against her (amazingly, when she really thought about it, there had been many more disastrous experiences in their lives than this one), but it made her feel significantly more able to tackle this mess with Nico firmly at her side. It was relieving, she felt relieved, and significantly less jittery (a feeling that she had not experienced... well, almost nearly ever) now as opposed to moments ago.

Larkin tilted her head in his grasp, and pressed her lips together. "Course not," she spoke lightly, also nodding her head slightly. And even if that had been the case, she certainly wasn't about to tell him, now. Larkin knew how easily unhinged the both of them could become when it came to the other's well-being. Her particularly frenzied state on the street earlier came to mind as an example, and the image of him on his knees with a bag over his head still haunted her.

She shook her head. "Don't think the husband would like that very much," Larkin attempted at joking. But, it felt incredibly distasteful (definitely too soon) in her mouth, so she quickly moved on. Larkin then brought both her hands up to rest them securely on Nico's shoulders. She dipped her chin low.

"Did they do anything to you?" she asked seriously. She knew that... that had been the case in the street, but if there had been more... Larkin pulled her lips back. Her wand may have been taken away, but she certainly could easily wreck some havoc without it for any act against him by that incessant vizier.

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otets
2013-01-27 04:33 am UTC (link)

When she shook her head, his hand dropped from her chin, and he bowed his head slightly.

Nicodemo might have found his very negative reaction to the idea of Larkin's husband a bit strange, intense, or alarming, but then he had never before had to worry about how he would react to a husband of Larkin's, and said husband had done something to make Larkin run away from him, which then caused said husband to send a team of ruthless men (but wizards) to collect Larkin. This, he decided, made the urge to plow his fist into her husband's face less questionable and more undoubtedly satisfying once fulfilled. Only, seeing as her husband was the crown prince of Jordan, and Nicodemo had already seen the inside of a dungeon here, it was just as well that he refrained. If he could help himself.

One good slug would probably be worth it, though.

"It's fine," he said, shrugging a little under her hands. Barring the duel before they'd been taken, the repossession of wands, and some minor scuffles in the dungeons, it wasn't anything unusual or even particularly bruising, so he and Ethan were fine. But his last image of her had been uselessly, helplessly watching Giaffar, or whatever his name was, the vizier, knocking an angry and terrified Larkin out cold. He'd gathered enough information from the flurried exchanges in the street and mumbles from the guards to gather she had to be fine, but—but he hadn't known. Not really. His fingers convulsed at the memory. "Shit."

He couldn't play the light and breezy adventurer they so often assumed with one another, even in frank peril, and he couldn't keep up the anger, not anymore. He stepped closer and yanked her to him. "Shit, Whitby, you had me terrified for a while and I didn't realise 'til now I wasn't quite over it."

Masculine enough to admit holding her (potentially squeezing her) was much more for his comfort than hers, the muscles in his back tensed when a knock sounded at the door to his airy prison, as he barely resisted baring his teeth in another scowl at undoubtedly unwanted intrusion.

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hark
2013-01-27 08:30 pm UTC (link)

She let out a faint noise when he pulled her close, and Larkin quickly let her arms fall to wrap around Nico for a tight embrace. They did not usually partake in expressing such deeply-rooted emotions concerning each other so openly, as she supposed they had become inconsiderate to the inanimate dangers associated with their occupations. But people? They barely dealt with people butting in and threatening their livelihoods, and for that, she understood her, and Nico's, current infrequent show of concern and affection.

"I'm sorry." Larkin frowned, and rested her chin on his shoulder as she spoke. "It won't happen again," she said in a low tone, adjusting her head to eventually rest a good part of her face on his shoulder. "Promise, no more life-altering secrets."

Thank all that was good and right for that. Larkin pulled back slightly to look at Nico again contently, but, her budding smile was interrupted by a loud knock and a creaking heavy door.

Oh. Oh no. When he had said he wanted to properly meet Nico before dinner tonight, she hadn't thought that meant---

"Nico, my friend!" Zayn bin Al-Hussein, the crown prince of Jordan and therefore Larkin's formerly estranged husband, called from the door. He walked with his hands open in a friendly manner, and wasted no time in hugging the other man upon reaching the pair.

Larkin slipped back with wide eyes, and tried her best at subduing her alarmed smile. But, what more could she do than watch and pray that Nico would not feel forced to respond too rashly? She kept her hands firmly behind her, thinking any intrusion on her part during this exchange would be unwise.

"I am so glad to finally have you here!" Zayn smiled, and clapped Nico on the back before releasing him. He beamed. "I feel as if I know you already, from all that Larkin has told me. I am Zayn."

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