Martin Crosby V
October 09, 2021 10:53 PM
A knight or a pawn? [TAG: Jezebel] by Martin Crosby V
“Knight to E4,” Martin instructed, and the tiny horse figure galloped its L-shaped course to the designated square. It wasn’t the best move, but of his current options, it suited him well, and it would force Jezebel to make a decision about which pieces she valued, which moves she needed to take.Martin almost wished someone could move their knight at him outside the chess games he and Jezebel played every week. He desperately sought some kind of definitive answers, some kind of plan in his life. He had so much that still hung in the air for him now, with his school days winding down, and the ball growing ever nearer.
The stress he felt grew every day, which was probably visible to her and her alone. Martin had never really had… friends. He had roommates, who, last time he had bothered to check, did not especially care for one another. He did his best to remain neutral and in doing so somewhat alienated himself from both. But he spent time in the common room with Jezebel, and it was enjoyable, both because she had learned a lot under his tutelage and because she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever known.
He wasn’t sure exactly when those thoughts had occurred to him, but it simply was the case. The seventh year wasn’t sure what to make of them, because it would surely never last, and he doubted her blood status and lifestyle would be a good match with his. Yet he thought about her anyway.
Martin had been debating his recourse for some time now, and he decided this could be an excellent opportunity to take his chance. Sometimes Jezebel said things that were off the wall to try to mess him up during their matches, so if she reacted poorly to his offer, he would just pretend to be doing the same. “Hey, Jezebel,” he said abruptly, probably the first time had ever said hey in his life. His excuse might not have been as feasible as he hoped, because the nerves shook him. “Would you go to the ball with me?”
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Martin Crosby V
A knight or a pawn? [TAG: Jezebel]
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Jezebel Reed-Fischer
October 12, 2021 12:55 PM
You'll find me in my castle. by Jezebel Reed-Fischer
OOC: CW: All the internalized homophobia BIC:
It was nice being in classes with Martin again but honestly, their relationship was hardly much to speak of in the classroom. They worked together when the chance came up but it wasn't like that was where the focus of their engagement was; most of that was reserved for the chessboard in their perfect little corner of the Crotalus Common Room. There had been a time when Jezebel would not have believed such a thing possible, particularly with someone like Martin, but here they were. It was almost easy to forget her entire dilemma when she didn't consider herself close to any girls and thus wasn't close enough to anyone to have a crush on one. It was easier this way. She was still close to the same friends she'd had since the beginning, and she still certainly noticed how beautiful they were at times, but it wasn't the same as before. She had resigned herself to living a life of being alone and if people like Martin were in it to keep her company, then it would be alright. She didn't need more than that.
Of course, years like this, with a big fancy ball at the end, made that a bit harder to believe. She wasn't sure if attendance was mandatory but it would be weird if she didn't go. At the same time, she wasn't particularly interested in going when it meant either going alone or going with someone deplorable. She had seen the way her cousin was talking to Sadie and was sure that was going to be a thing, and her siblings were going to be going and would ask after her if she weren't there. It was occasions like this that made her remember rather forcefully that she was alone, would continue to be alone, and the people she counted as friends would go on with their lives in ways that did not include her. Her friends would take boys and Martin would find some spiffy girl to go with who probably owned a whole castle all to herself or something. Eventually, they'd go get married, and her state of loneliness would become all the more literal.
She grimaced as he attacked with his knight, deciding that it was better to lose a bishop than a pawn - after all, what were those with strange rules in the face of an army of rule followers? - and looking up at him as she placed the bishop in place to be taken. It wasn't a good move, but it made sense. It was the thing to do and it was the best of her options. It would make her happy and keep her in the game, even if she didn't win and even if it was unconventional. It was almost the same thought process she went through as she suddenly imagined that maybe her life didn't have to be lonely, and for just a moment, whatever that looked like was okay. Even if it didn't look like a happily ever after.
Life, she'd learned, was a bit like chess; even when you lost the game, it was worth playing if you were playing with someone you enjoyed the company of. She'd never really considered that she didn't have to be alone and if she were going to be with a boy . . . well, Martin was the only one who would make that tolerable.
"I'd love to," she agreed, beaming at her best friend.
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Jezebel Reed-Fischer
You'll find me in my castle.
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Martin Crosby V
October 12, 2021 9:38 PM
Will you let down your hair to me? by Martin Crosby V
Father was not a man who expressed his emotions frequently or went on about sentimental matters in great detail. It was understood that Martin and his sister were loved by their parents; they did not have to go blathering on about it. If they did not love them, they would not have had them. It was as easy as that.Still, his father had given him some advice about girls and women as Martin grew older. Father looked him in the eye - they were so close in height now that Martin was nearly a man - and told him this: “Love is about finding someone who hates the same things you do.”
That sentiment had struck him as odd, but obviously, he was not one to question his parents, nor the foundation of their marriage. It was true for them, though. Martin Crosby IV and Tawny then-Brockert had found their connection through mutual hatred for, well, most things. Martin V did not consider himself as specifically hateful in the same way his parents were, just generally apathetic. But with Jezebel, he felt… something. Happy? Yes, happy.
He did not smile often, having a naturally downturned mouth that presented more naturally like a pout which he had perfected into a scowl out of self-consciousness. But he smiled now. It was unnatural on him, with one corner of his mouth higher than the other, like even his own face did not understand what this was supposed to be.
“Great,” he said. He took his turn without really looking at the board very thoroughly. He did not take the bishop she had left available to him, which left his knight in unchecked danger. Martin did not see this, but he likely would not have cared, even if he had. Merlin, she was beautiful. “I look forward to it.”
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Martin Crosby V
Will you let down your hair to me?
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