223: Sample Log for Cygnus Black
[RP]
[Characters:] Cygnus and Violetta Black
[Warnings:] None
[Disclaimer:] I own nothing.
[Players:] Violetta is ribbonandrancor and Cygnus is myself.
The clock ticked irritatingly somewhere behind Cygnus' head. Tick, tock, tick, tock making him want to throw the cruet of his finest scotch at the blasted object to stop it, though he was loath to waste the beverage and thusly gritted his teeth against the impulse and breathed evenly, looking up only to call the hovering house elf to his service, ordering another cruet of a less than perfect drink that he would have no qualms about wasting. If there was anything more irritating than that little annoying sound, it had to be constant wailing and fighting of Pollux and the blasted girl. He glared at the Prophet in his hands, staring intently at some unimportant fifteen minutes of fame moron on the page when light feet padded down the hallway outside the study and shrill laughter erupted almost randomly. He scoffed, gave up on the quiet time in his study and stood up, exiting the study room in time to see a house elf tramping after the children. "Shouldn't your mother be watching you?" he asked boredly and downed the contents of the glass he held then slammed the thing down onto a corner stand holding an ancient vase. "Where -is- your mother?"
~ Finishing with fixing up her hair, Violetta proceeded to fuss over it; it had received a little bit of tousling during she and the children’s outing. Parted down the center and a cascade of delicate, brunette curls, she did not bother so much with it as to braid or pin it up, deciding it was quite presentable enough for her immediate family. Fluffing the large gigot sleeves of her top and smoothing her hand down the front of her full conical, narrow skirt, she spent on a moment more freshening her make up and facial features before beginning to descending down the ominous, lengthy stairway of the Black House. ~ “You would have less difficulty finding me if you spent some time looking, darling,” Violetta poised silkily, venom disguised sufficiently beneath the sweet tone. Advancing further into the room, she folded her hands neatly in front of her, interlacing the fingers and sending him a smile. “Had you a need for me?” ~
"Ah, I have no need to look, you come at the sound of my voice," he shot back and watched the woman descend the staircase pointedly. "No, I have no need, but they do." He pointed lazily at the handsome boy giggling at his equally charming sister somewhere along the opposite wall. He eyed the children, offered a small nearly forced smile then turned back to his wife, extending his arm to escort her back to the parlor or some equally lavish but miraculously dull room. Upon entering the parlor, he released Violetta and gestured her into a nearby overstuffed chair while he himself headed straight toward the bar, leaning over the counter to get his previous drink, turning on the spot to look at his wife. "Can I offer you a drink?" He didn't wait for her to answer but mixed one anyway,and soon proffered her a glass before settling down in the opposite seat, scrutinizing the brunette in silence. "So, the outing, I daresay you spent a ridiculous amount of gold on nothing in particular?"
~ Violetta did not respond to his jab about her coming to his voice, giving him a forced smile that spoke enough. Taking his arm and permitting herself to be led about, walking into the room he escorted her to and settling herself wherever he gestured. Leisurely lowering herself into the seat, she was going to decline the drink offer but said nothing when he proceeded to conjure one anyway. Taking the glass delicately from his hand and leaning back with a straight posture, she watched him carefully as he too settled in a chair. “I did not spend so much as you presume. I did buy a few odds and ends for the children. I would not consider whatever amuses and pleases them to be ridiculous in any way." ~ "Or perhaps suddenly you’re finding yourself ridiculously frugal?” ~
"Oh please," he said shortly, raising the edge of the crystal glass to his lips. "They have enough odds and ends to fill the entire west wing of this house and the cottage behind it." Not that it mattered, they had an endless supply of funds it was of no real concern, but more something to pick at for the sake of picking. Cygnus set the alcohol aside and considered his young wife for a moment, placing his elbow upon the arm of the chair, resting his chin on the heel of his hand in a less than impressionable position. What did he care if his wife didn't favor the look? No one was here to see except the snorting portrait of a dead relative. He was saved from starting a conversation with the she-wolf by the intrusion of his oldest child and son who hopped right into his lap unceremoniously which won a grunt and ill favored look, though he stroked the youth's hair nonetheless. "Tell me what your mother thought to please you with today, and your sister. Did you meet mother's friend?" he suggested and looked back toward his wife.
~ Violetta knew very well that Cygnus was nagging for the sake of it, giving him no more of a retort than a brief roll of her hazel orbs. The ‘she-wolf’ was playing tame for the moment, letting their eldest interrupt any conversation that might have taken place prior to his entrance. She said absolutely nothing when he looked back at her, merely turning up her chin and looking away from the two, particularly her husband. She perhaps awaited the second child to come in and accompany them, maybe more favoring towards the girl, and possibly because of Cygnus’s obvious favoritism towards the son. Examining her immaculate fingernails, she let her ankles cross delicately and set her hands down in her lap. ~ Fixing her attention elsewhere, she occasionally glanced to the door for some kind of obliging. ~
"Your mother has plenty secrets to tell, Pollux, she tries to hide behind this facade of elegance and beauty, and she does it very well, but I know what's underneath. Woe the day you find yourself facing a dragon of a wife," he taunted and stroked back the black as night locks from his son's face, cupping his chin and giving him a wink before ushering the boy off his lap. "Give your mother a kiss and go on about your business, we're speaking." He smiled somewhat at the youth and pushed him away toward the lovely young woman, then reclined easily in his chair, drumming his fingers across the arm of it for a moment. "You seem troubled, Vi.." Cygnus canted his head to the side, brushing back his own silky locks with a smooth motion. "Something on your mind?"
~ Despite her feigned aversion, Violetta was paying quite close attention to everything her husband said, bristling while doing so. The dragon was going to breathe fire in his direction were he not careful. Smiling indulgently to her son when he did dote a kiss to her cheek and returning his affections with one to his forward, she saw the boy off before Cygnus addressed her. “Troubled?” she repeated as though the statement were completely ludicrous and she would never expect such an accusation. “I’m rather convinced you are perpetually troubled, but I never do surface the subject,” she smirked; it took effort not to grin from ear to ear. ~ Examining her nails once more, she let her own hands fall to the armrests of the chair she was seated in. “You are on my mind, darling,” she answered in a sickening saccharine saturated tone, clearly meaning to imply that he was the reason for her discontent in spite of the phrase usually being an endearing one. ~
"Where I blessed with something other than a she-wolf with a forked tongue, I might have found myself less troubled by anything at all." Cygnus retorted dryly and eyed his wife critically, taking the moments pause to recover from the second assault of words. Her hidden implication was not lost on him, but the Black chose not to respond, and merely raised his brow, tipping his glass of alcohol toward her lightly in a toast before he downed the rest of the drink. "I am glad I inspire some form of thought, be it wicked or not, within your devilish mind, woe unto me when I find poison in my drink." What a perfectly unsuited match, he thought darkly, as ever before. "But come, the day is still young, and the spawn of your womb will tear down the house if not kept under watchful eyes." The young man rose from his chair and offered a hand to Violetta. There was little else he had to say to her, they'd begin the war again over dinner, that he was sure of.
~ She did not yet stand, watching him a moment without a word. Her children were not terribly misbehaved, and she did notice how he made a point to pawn them as hers and not claim them. When his hand was offered, she lifted both of hers to collect it and bring it to her lips in a doting, rarely executed kiss and smiled up to him, genuinely, contradicting. “You think me a poisoner?” She was, actually, surprised by this. Simply because they deliberately antagonized each other and fought nearly every second they were around each other, openly or subtly, did not mean she did not love him… or at least have some liking of him. Perhaps you had to cultivate some sort of affection for someone you’d had two children with. ~ Or maybe you didn’t and she just happened to, she was not certain. "You always think the worst of me, don't you?" ~
"I'd be a fool if I didn't, Violetta," he answered his young wife, pulling his hand from her gentle grasp, though he did not completely retract from her, but instead stroked the pale skin of her cheek gently, cupping her dignified chin in a firm grasp, tilting her head back a slight angle. He might have loved her. "Come, dinner will be waiting." Bulstrode may very well have been a treasure worth keeping, were they not at each other's throats on a constant basis. If she would just remain quiet for more than ten minutes without it being a condescending silence then maybe, just maybe she'd be capable of living with. Snake, he thought while smiling a small smile before he broke his contact with Violetta and turned toward the door, gesturing for her to come while he waited.
~ When he had first recoiled his hand from her hold she was not entirely surprised, her countenance becoming even and emotionless. A slight smile replaced the apathy, however, when his gave her cheek a gentle caress. “It will.” It was not very much like her to keep quiet, or not being condescending, though there were rare moments. Leisurely rising to stand, her straight posture was not compromised as she placed a kiss to his cheek when joining him. Perhaps he should check his wine for poison at dinner. Then again, he should credit her with being more inventive than to use something so drab and muggle-like as poison. She was much more creative than that, and quite an excellent potion concocter. ~
He didn't trust her for an inch. She was just as likely to put a knife in his back if he kept it turned to her for too long as anything else. It was unnerving really, the knowledge that this woman, his wife no less was capable of such brutal acts if she so wished it to happen. It's a wonder she hasn't murdered me in my sleep or planned some tragic accident outside the house yet, Cygnus thought bitterly and glanced over his shoulder at the perfectly composed snake of a woman. Bitch. It took all his strength of will not to look around suspiciously in case she -had- plotted something. It took even more for him to keep walking and indeed, enter the dining room and help her into a chair before he too settled for the evening meal. Maybe she'd have heart enough not to kill him in front of the children. He'd have to keep them close if he suspected something. Cygnus' eyes darted to the boy and girl being settled into their proper seats, then turned to his young wife. "Wine, darling?"
[Characters:] Cygnus and Violetta Black
[Warnings:] None
[Disclaimer:] I own nothing.
[Players:] Violetta is ribbonandrancor and Cygnus is myself.
The clock ticked irritatingly somewhere behind Cygnus' head. Tick, tock, tick, tock making him want to throw the cruet of his finest scotch at the blasted object to stop it, though he was loath to waste the beverage and thusly gritted his teeth against the impulse and breathed evenly, looking up only to call the hovering house elf to his service, ordering another cruet of a less than perfect drink that he would have no qualms about wasting. If there was anything more irritating than that little annoying sound, it had to be constant wailing and fighting of Pollux and the blasted girl. He glared at the Prophet in his hands, staring intently at some unimportant fifteen minutes of fame moron on the page when light feet padded down the hallway outside the study and shrill laughter erupted almost randomly. He scoffed, gave up on the quiet time in his study and stood up, exiting the study room in time to see a house elf tramping after the children. "Shouldn't your mother be watching you?" he asked boredly and downed the contents of the glass he held then slammed the thing down onto a corner stand holding an ancient vase. "Where -is- your mother?"
~ Finishing with fixing up her hair, Violetta proceeded to fuss over it; it had received a little bit of tousling during she and the children’s outing. Parted down the center and a cascade of delicate, brunette curls, she did not bother so much with it as to braid or pin it up, deciding it was quite presentable enough for her immediate family. Fluffing the large gigot sleeves of her top and smoothing her hand down the front of her full conical, narrow skirt, she spent on a moment more freshening her make up and facial features before beginning to descending down the ominous, lengthy stairway of the Black House. ~ “You would have less difficulty finding me if you spent some time looking, darling,” Violetta poised silkily, venom disguised sufficiently beneath the sweet tone. Advancing further into the room, she folded her hands neatly in front of her, interlacing the fingers and sending him a smile. “Had you a need for me?” ~
"Ah, I have no need to look, you come at the sound of my voice," he shot back and watched the woman descend the staircase pointedly. "No, I have no need, but they do." He pointed lazily at the handsome boy giggling at his equally charming sister somewhere along the opposite wall. He eyed the children, offered a small nearly forced smile then turned back to his wife, extending his arm to escort her back to the parlor or some equally lavish but miraculously dull room. Upon entering the parlor, he released Violetta and gestured her into a nearby overstuffed chair while he himself headed straight toward the bar, leaning over the counter to get his previous drink, turning on the spot to look at his wife. "Can I offer you a drink?" He didn't wait for her to answer but mixed one anyway,and soon proffered her a glass before settling down in the opposite seat, scrutinizing the brunette in silence. "So, the outing, I daresay you spent a ridiculous amount of gold on nothing in particular?"
~ Violetta did not respond to his jab about her coming to his voice, giving him a forced smile that spoke enough. Taking his arm and permitting herself to be led about, walking into the room he escorted her to and settling herself wherever he gestured. Leisurely lowering herself into the seat, she was going to decline the drink offer but said nothing when he proceeded to conjure one anyway. Taking the glass delicately from his hand and leaning back with a straight posture, she watched him carefully as he too settled in a chair. “I did not spend so much as you presume. I did buy a few odds and ends for the children. I would not consider whatever amuses and pleases them to be ridiculous in any way." ~ "Or perhaps suddenly you’re finding yourself ridiculously frugal?” ~
"Oh please," he said shortly, raising the edge of the crystal glass to his lips. "They have enough odds and ends to fill the entire west wing of this house and the cottage behind it." Not that it mattered, they had an endless supply of funds it was of no real concern, but more something to pick at for the sake of picking. Cygnus set the alcohol aside and considered his young wife for a moment, placing his elbow upon the arm of the chair, resting his chin on the heel of his hand in a less than impressionable position. What did he care if his wife didn't favor the look? No one was here to see except the snorting portrait of a dead relative. He was saved from starting a conversation with the she-wolf by the intrusion of his oldest child and son who hopped right into his lap unceremoniously which won a grunt and ill favored look, though he stroked the youth's hair nonetheless. "Tell me what your mother thought to please you with today, and your sister. Did you meet mother's friend?" he suggested and looked back toward his wife.
~ Violetta knew very well that Cygnus was nagging for the sake of it, giving him no more of a retort than a brief roll of her hazel orbs. The ‘she-wolf’ was playing tame for the moment, letting their eldest interrupt any conversation that might have taken place prior to his entrance. She said absolutely nothing when he looked back at her, merely turning up her chin and looking away from the two, particularly her husband. She perhaps awaited the second child to come in and accompany them, maybe more favoring towards the girl, and possibly because of Cygnus’s obvious favoritism towards the son. Examining her immaculate fingernails, she let her ankles cross delicately and set her hands down in her lap. ~ Fixing her attention elsewhere, she occasionally glanced to the door for some kind of obliging. ~
"Your mother has plenty secrets to tell, Pollux, she tries to hide behind this facade of elegance and beauty, and she does it very well, but I know what's underneath. Woe the day you find yourself facing a dragon of a wife," he taunted and stroked back the black as night locks from his son's face, cupping his chin and giving him a wink before ushering the boy off his lap. "Give your mother a kiss and go on about your business, we're speaking." He smiled somewhat at the youth and pushed him away toward the lovely young woman, then reclined easily in his chair, drumming his fingers across the arm of it for a moment. "You seem troubled, Vi.." Cygnus canted his head to the side, brushing back his own silky locks with a smooth motion. "Something on your mind?"
~ Despite her feigned aversion, Violetta was paying quite close attention to everything her husband said, bristling while doing so. The dragon was going to breathe fire in his direction were he not careful. Smiling indulgently to her son when he did dote a kiss to her cheek and returning his affections with one to his forward, she saw the boy off before Cygnus addressed her. “Troubled?” she repeated as though the statement were completely ludicrous and she would never expect such an accusation. “I’m rather convinced you are perpetually troubled, but I never do surface the subject,” she smirked; it took effort not to grin from ear to ear. ~ Examining her nails once more, she let her own hands fall to the armrests of the chair she was seated in. “You are on my mind, darling,” she answered in a sickening saccharine saturated tone, clearly meaning to imply that he was the reason for her discontent in spite of the phrase usually being an endearing one. ~
"Where I blessed with something other than a she-wolf with a forked tongue, I might have found myself less troubled by anything at all." Cygnus retorted dryly and eyed his wife critically, taking the moments pause to recover from the second assault of words. Her hidden implication was not lost on him, but the Black chose not to respond, and merely raised his brow, tipping his glass of alcohol toward her lightly in a toast before he downed the rest of the drink. "I am glad I inspire some form of thought, be it wicked or not, within your devilish mind, woe unto me when I find poison in my drink." What a perfectly unsuited match, he thought darkly, as ever before. "But come, the day is still young, and the spawn of your womb will tear down the house if not kept under watchful eyes." The young man rose from his chair and offered a hand to Violetta. There was little else he had to say to her, they'd begin the war again over dinner, that he was sure of.
~ She did not yet stand, watching him a moment without a word. Her children were not terribly misbehaved, and she did notice how he made a point to pawn them as hers and not claim them. When his hand was offered, she lifted both of hers to collect it and bring it to her lips in a doting, rarely executed kiss and smiled up to him, genuinely, contradicting. “You think me a poisoner?” She was, actually, surprised by this. Simply because they deliberately antagonized each other and fought nearly every second they were around each other, openly or subtly, did not mean she did not love him… or at least have some liking of him. Perhaps you had to cultivate some sort of affection for someone you’d had two children with. ~ Or maybe you didn’t and she just happened to, she was not certain. "You always think the worst of me, don't you?" ~
"I'd be a fool if I didn't, Violetta," he answered his young wife, pulling his hand from her gentle grasp, though he did not completely retract from her, but instead stroked the pale skin of her cheek gently, cupping her dignified chin in a firm grasp, tilting her head back a slight angle. He might have loved her. "Come, dinner will be waiting." Bulstrode may very well have been a treasure worth keeping, were they not at each other's throats on a constant basis. If she would just remain quiet for more than ten minutes without it being a condescending silence then maybe, just maybe she'd be capable of living with. Snake, he thought while smiling a small smile before he broke his contact with Violetta and turned toward the door, gesturing for her to come while he waited.
~ When he had first recoiled his hand from her hold she was not entirely surprised, her countenance becoming even and emotionless. A slight smile replaced the apathy, however, when his gave her cheek a gentle caress. “It will.” It was not very much like her to keep quiet, or not being condescending, though there were rare moments. Leisurely rising to stand, her straight posture was not compromised as she placed a kiss to his cheek when joining him. Perhaps he should check his wine for poison at dinner. Then again, he should credit her with being more inventive than to use something so drab and muggle-like as poison. She was much more creative than that, and quite an excellent potion concocter. ~
He didn't trust her for an inch. She was just as likely to put a knife in his back if he kept it turned to her for too long as anything else. It was unnerving really, the knowledge that this woman, his wife no less was capable of such brutal acts if she so wished it to happen. It's a wonder she hasn't murdered me in my sleep or planned some tragic accident outside the house yet, Cygnus thought bitterly and glanced over his shoulder at the perfectly composed snake of a woman. Bitch. It took all his strength of will not to look around suspiciously in case she -had- plotted something. It took even more for him to keep walking and indeed, enter the dining room and help her into a chair before he too settled for the evening meal. Maybe she'd have heart enough not to kill him in front of the children. He'd have to keep them close if he suspected something. Cygnus' eyes darted to the boy and girl being settled into their proper seats, then turned to his young wife. "Wine, darling?"