DH Skies

November 23, 2018 7:02 PM
 
Subthreads:
0 DH Skies Fast and Furious threads here! (nm) 26 DH Skies 1 5

Tatiana Vorontsova

November 23, 2018 9:43 PM
Tatiana dropped into a seat beside her friend in a typically dramatic gesture, but with an atypical lack of noise and animation. In fact, her mouth was, rather than smiling or even settling into the stoic look she defaulted to as a polite neutral even after three years spent mostly in America, actively turned down into a frown.

“Dorya,” she said. “How you see Katen'ka act in Teppenpaw room?”
16 Tatiana Vorontsova Sisterly concern (tag Dorya) 1396 Tatiana Vorontsova 0 5

Dorian

November 23, 2018 9:53 PM
Dorian raised a cautious eyebrow as Tatya threw herself dramatically into the seat behind him. It was hard to tell whether something was genuinely bothering her, or she was just... being Tatya. The question she did ask though was not one he expected.

"Hmm. I am not sure I am allowed to reveal to you, outsider, the secrets of our common room. Who even say such a place exists, hm?" he teased, trying at least to lighten her mood a little. "She... she does reading. Or sewing. She is... quietly polite to people. I think they give her the right house because of this," he added, lest Tatya think quiet politeness symptomatic of some dreadful disease, "Why do you ask this?"
13 Dorian But not about me. Phew 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 23, 2018 10:09 PM
Tatiana shrugged, thinking she should be more reassured by Dorian's estimation of Katya than she was. “Katya not so with me now,” said Tatiana. She paused for another moment, then added, “Katya acts like secrets all year.” Another pause. “She act like Anya,” she added reluctantly. “Like Anya did before she – “ Tatiana waved her right hand around, forgetting as usual that American girls generally wore their engagement rings on their left hands instead of their right.

“And she get angry when I ask – why you read that, why you hide book, why you lock me out our room…This not like her. Here makes her not like Katen'ka. But now you say she does in your house, yes? And she not old enough for to be in love. So I don't know.”
16 Tatiana Not yet.... 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 23, 2018 10:18 PM
"Aw, Tanushka," he put a comforting arm around her. He wondered at Katerina's strange behaviour. What books she might deem it necessary to hide from her sister. He was not aware of her reading beyond the things that he loaned or recommended, though he assumed that she read more widely.

"Do you think... maybe she borrows books from Lyssa?" he asked, the idea occurring to him. Those were the only things he could think of that might be deemed contraband enough to warrant hiding. But he wanted to raise the subject in such a way that did not get either girl in trouble. Did not portray Lyssa and her books as inherently bad, because he did not want to put that idea across or encourage Tatya to think that way. If she didn't already. What Tatya thought of people who snuck around reading Muggle books was obviously an important subject for other reasons... Feeling a little guilty at using Katerina in this way, he nonetheless probed a little further. "And she thinks maybe you will disapprove. And... will you?" he asked tentatively.
13 Dorian Phew 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 23, 2018 11:07 PM
Tatiana allowed her head to drop onto Dorian's shoulder when he put an arm around her, comforted by physical contact and the particularly affectionate variation on her name. She sat back up, however, when he started going on about books borrowed from Lyssa.

“What is Lyssa?” she asked suspiciously, then silently cursed her lack of fluency. She knew the girl was a person and that said person lived with Katya, that wasn't what she was asking….”I mean to say, what books she read? She read bad books? I don't know her.”
16 Tatiana Subtext is lost on me, Gege. You should know that by now. 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 23, 2018 11:14 PM
"Not bad books. Lyssa seems a good person," he had no idea really, but she was a Teppenpaw and he doubted that she was doing anything nasty, nor did he want to get her in trouble over nothing. "But Lyssa is Parker's mèimei. So... they have maybe Muggle books. I don't know that Katerina has these from Lyssa," he stressed, feeling increasingly guilty that he might be dragging both girls into a fight with Tatya, and over something that was really... him just wanting to allay his own concerns, wanting to find out what Tatya might think of such things. "I just... I cannot think of another reason that she will hide books."
13 Dorian It's one of your best features sometimes 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 23, 2018 11:51 PM
“Hm,” said Tatiana, thinking through the idea Dorian explained. “Mozhet byt'…po pochemu chto? Why Katya would want to read Magl book?” she asked, more or less rhetorically, openly puzzled by this idea. “And she tells me, Tanya, go away, in library here, and at home she closes door to make art, won't tell me what she do, is very secret with letters. These do not have books of Magly in them.”
16 Tatiana Aww, spasi...wait. 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 24, 2018 12:14 AM
Dorian shrugged. He could think of several reasons why Katerina might wish to read Magly books. Firstly, not to offend Lyssa, whom she had to live with. And secondly because they could be interesting. However, he did not want to venture too far into this fictional scenario. The last thing he needed to do was convince Tatya of the truth of it and cause some kind of incident. Tatya's reaction was... not exactly comforting but at least it wasn't as bad as it could be. She did not seem violently angry at the very idea of such books, or to be insulting the culture they came from. She just seemed... not to see the appeal.

"Maybe she is shy with her art," he suggested, although the fact that this behaviour seemed different than before was concerning, "Or she works on something that is a surprise.

"I think you do not have to worry. I have never seen her talking to any boys," he added, acknowledging Tatya's original concern.
13 Dorian What? *blinks innocently* 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 24, 2018 2:07 PM
“She talk to you,” pointed out Tatiana when assured that Katya didn't talk to boys. “You not listen to glyupaya professor, decide to be girl now, eh, Dorya?” she teased. “Bad idea. You'd not like.” Tatiana ran her fingers over a kite-shaped pendant of yellow gold set with blue topazes and aquamarines, which sat just above the neckline of her robes today, suspended from her smallest strand of amber beads instead of a chain because she had been bored with everything this morning and could not remember wearing it this way before. “This is nice,” she affirmed. “I like to have my shiny. Rest of being girls, is boring, stupid.”
16 Tatiana Oh, the innocent look. You could get away with anything. 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 24, 2018 8:47 PM
Katerina talked to him. Dorian was about to hastily point out that he didn't count - after all, the idea of him being some kind of secret object of affection to anyone, let alone Katerina, seemed completely ridiculous - when Tatya... effectively did it for him.

It echoed all the things Matthieu said. It echoed them, and it tied it back to that lesson, to what he was. And she was calling it all stupid. It was like something icy had settled over his heart. His arm stayed around Tatiana but for a minute he thought he had forgotten entirely how to breathe.

"Yes... nice. Nice necklace," he murmured as Tatiana played with her jewellery. "Why stupid?" he asked, more focussed, as the rest of what she had said caught up to him.

13 Dorian Let's hope so 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 24, 2018 9:02 PM
“Everyone always say - be good girl, Tanya. Sit, Tanya. Be not loud, Tanya. Walk slow, Tanya. Sew thing, Tanya. Why not like Anya, Tanya?” Tatiana twisted her pendant a little too hard, then released it, stroking the beads around her neck in semi-apology, and to assure herself the strand wasn't damaged. “Grishka, Alyosha, cousins - they do what they want. They are boys. They do not embarrass Mamas. Mama wishes girls were all Anyas and Katyas - not Tatianas.”

She stopped abruptly, realizing she had just said that out loud and regretting it instantly. She slid the pendant back and forth anxiously, light catching tiny diamonds in the setting of one of her rings. “Now we are big - always ‘what people think, Tatiana',” she said, returning to her original theme. “Even Papa sayed that in summer. Says I get too big to run around so much. You're lucky you are boy.”
16 Tatiana Now I shall sulk. 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 24, 2018 9:11 PM
Dorian was torn. His heart still hurt from what Tatya had said to him. It had felt like she was making fun, like she would never understand... But everything she was saying made it sound like she disagreed with the rules as much as he did. And, bigger and more importantly than that, she was hurting, and being a good brother meant putting his own feelings aside to minister to hers.

The arm that was round her squeezed her properly.

"I do not wish for you to be any different," he assured her, "And... you really want, we can exchange," he offered, jokingly, "But I think being a boy is not so easy as you imagine. There is still a big list of things to do and not to do."
13 Dorian Can I make that better? 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 24, 2018 10:28 PM
Tatiana considered Dorian's point. “Probably you right,” she admitted with a sigh. “All is bad, no? We should have - chto eto? Land with water all circle - “ she wheeled her hand around in a circle, trying to illustrate the concept of ‘island.' “Then no stupid people.”

Her fingers quieted on her necklace at last. “What they tell you?” she asked, finding it hard to imagine anyone being displeased with Dorian. Dorian was perfect. She would not entirely mind if Katya did want to marry Dorian - well, at least she would mind less. She would mind anyone marrying any of her family, as this took them away from her, but maybe she could live with Dorya and Katya and they could all do as they liked. “I never see you do - quelque chose moya mama would say bad,” she added reassuringly.
16 Tatiana If anyone can, you're a good candidate. 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 24, 2018 10:46 PM
"Island," Dorian replied. "Yes please," he said quietly, almost pleadingly. His abstract picture of the future had been... him and Jehan in the centre, but his friends had always been there, in the periphery. Recently though, the vision had taken on the appearance of a little house in the middle of nowhere, with no one else for miles. Not because he didn't want them any more. He desperately did. But it had been so hard to imagine that visitors would keep coming... "Island for hǎorén," he muttered. "Hǎorén hé​​ tùzǐ." Good people and bunnies. That sounded like paradise. He adjusted his position, resting his head on Tatya's shoulder, wanting to be comforted. It was still easy enough to accomplish this - he was catching her up but had not overtaken, and they were more or less the same size.

"Nothing that she would find bad in you," he answered, trying hard to find a way to explain, still half afraid that Tatya would find weakness to be a flaw as soon as she noticed it. "But... Well, what things does your mother expect from Grisha?" he prompted.
13 Dorian You're not so bad yourself 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 24, 2018 11:40 PM
Island. Tatiana noted the new word. It was a good word.

“Hǎorén hé​​ tùzǐ,” she agreed, stroking his hair affectionately and understanding his description of who would be allowed on their island.

She thought about Mama and Grisha. “Mama angry - un peu, not big angry - when Grisha says words young lady should not know, when we hear. Eh...ta hen kaixin when he have good school paper. Must have - good to family. Most time, Grisha makes her happy. What your mama want?”
16 Tatiana Spasibo :) 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 24, 2018 11:54 PM
OOC - although Tatya's reply was written with the correct tones, permission was obtained to suggest she messed them up.

IC
"Concentrate on your tones, Tanushka. Good people do not drink bunnies," Dorian corrected her but gently, the smile back in his voice.

"It is not mama," he replied. He wasn't sure he was ready to admit that it was a specific person, but he did not want Tatya to think badly of his Mama in the absence of any other candidate to blame. "Just... in general. All the things you want to do, run around, play rough. I don't like so much. And people expect boys to be like that. Be big and tough, not so much about their feelings. Not like petting fěnpū animals," he added, latching on to one specific example where he knew Tatya had not made fun of him for something he knew full well Matthieu would have. "If you are a girl, you can be too rough. If you are a boy, you can be too gentle. That seems more glupyy than anything Professor said, no?"
13 Dorian De rien 1401 Dorian 0 5

Tatiana

November 25, 2018 7:33 PM
Tatiana couldn't help giggling when her tones were corrected. “That word - always I do it bad,” she sighed.

“Is very stupid,” said Tatiana slowly, thinking. “Why - why they say, must be one, must be other? Look you - I love fenpu too. I not think - you boy, I girl, I think? I think, you Dorya, I Tatya. We us. Not - thing with problems. That is not a thing with problems.”
16 Tatiana Warning: I'm attempting philosophy. 1396 Tatiana 0 5

Dorian

November 25, 2018 7:50 PM
"Please don't change," Dorian replied, squeezing his sister tightly, "Do not change you, and do not change this opinion."
13 Dorian *stands back* 1401 Dorian 0 5