Re: [fill] these ties, how fast they break (2c/?)
anonymous
January 17 2013, 06:17:19 UTC
Wow! I got such a good idea of the kind of person Erik is from this--all about duty and propriety. A match made because their social ranking matched and she looked the proper omega, not because of affection. And you really do feel sorry for Charles and his family, wanting so much to keep their home, but also I find Emma and Shaw's clandestine relationship kind of romantic and can't really fault her for avoiding a loveless marriage.
This is so excellent, anon. OP is enjoying the hell out of this fill!
Re: [fill] these ties, how fast they break (2c/?)
anonymous
January 17 2013, 12:02:18 UTC
I'm relieved, thank you for answer, author!anon. your story is very promising and I'm looking forward for more. I loved your characterization of Erik, it sounds so very him ♥
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (3a/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 07:44:19 UTC
That afternoon, he sat alone in his study and considered the facts. The most marriageable member of their family was gone. She had taken the horse with her, which made traveling an inconvenience at best, an impossibility at worst. She had even taken some of their savings, which they’d kept collectively in the moneybox in the upstairs study that used to be Brian Xavier’s. They still had enough income to live passably for at least a year, but Charles knew that they couldn’t afford to think in such short terms. Within twelve months, Charles’s paltry inheritance would be close to exhausted. Even if they let go of most of the servants, there would be no guarantee that the money would last, and besides, his mother would throw a fit if he tried to discharge the staff. Sharon Xavier had been born into money, had lived in money all her life, and would not accept anything less even under these circumstances. She was as stubborn now as she had been when they had been rich, their futures secured by Brian Xavier’s power. Her obstinacy would
( ... )
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (3b/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 07:46:20 UTC
He was desperate enough to consider this seriously. Raven could possibly serve as a governess. She certainly had a basic-level education for it, and she had been close with her own governess; surely she would have picked up some cues or helpful habits. Charles, for his part, could qualify as a private tutor. He had gone to university at Oxford and had earned several distinctions there in the sciences, as well as in philosophy and literature. He also had a near-perfect memory that absorbed information as fast as he could read it, and he could grasp new concepts more quickly than most other students. If required, he could learn more subjects, if that would make an employer take greater notice
( ... )
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (3d/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 08:55:40 UTC
Charles sighed. “I know as much, Mother. I’m not a fool. But I have to try. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t.” She stood and crossed over to him, her expression weary. “But you were always different. Do as you like.”
Then she disappeared from the room, leaving him alone once more.
*****
One week passed, then another. Charles had walked out to town several times, asking after open posts at various households. He had been turned away each time with thinly-veiled contempt or simply with disinterest. Apparently, all of York had now heard of Emma’s indiscretions, and the town was determined to shun them as thoroughly as possible. Charles had never felt as humiliated in his life as he had when he had walked down the street by the farmer’s market and a group of men a few years older than him had shouted obscenities at his back, asking if he were available, too, asking if he would elope with any of them, with such a lewd emphasis on elope that he had shuddered and hurried on
( ... )
Re: [fill] these ties, how fast they break (3d/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 18:42:00 UTC
OP has so much admiration for Charles right now. So strong in the face of adversity, and so practical and common sensical. Loved how you added in that detail of Charles' harassment--a good way of showing what he's got to contend with as an omega, and he just seems stronger for it.
Question for author--is going to Oxford unusual for an omega in this 'verse? I was getting the sense that Charles' interests in science and academics was something of an irregularity.
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (4a/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 22:49:56 UTC
OP, yes, Charles's interest in academia and his enrollment/graduation from Oxford is fairly unusual in this verse. I'm taking it as if omegas are meant to be well-educated, courteous, and make good spousal material, but not as highly-educated as going to Oxford and pursuing sciences rather than liberal arts or something. Just my interpretation of this A/O verse!
Thanks for the continued interest, guys! He woke at seven o’clock and spent the better part of an hour deciding on an acceptable attire. He had only ever been taught to dress for formal occasions, how to color coordinate and how to select a garment to advertise his status without straying into garishness. What did tutors wear
( ... )
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (4b/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 22:52:10 UTC
“I can handle it,” Raven said stubbornly. “Don’t act as if you’re the only one suffering here, Charles. With Emma gone - ” she said Emma’s name with a sneer, annoyance and derision curling around the syllables “ - then you know Mother will try to discipline me. She’ll try to teach me to be Emma, and if there’s a worse fate than that, I’ve yet to think of it. If you coop me up in here with her, I’ll never forgive you
( ... )
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (4c/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 22:53:38 UTC
The ride to Thornfield could be undertaken in an hour at a leisurely trot. But Janos rode them at a brisk canter, and they were within sight of Thornfield’s grand roof within thirty minutes. Charles’s hands tightened around the reins as he looked upon the mansion and the sprawling grounds beyond. He had been here only twice before, both times accompanying Emma. The house was grand and more modern than Westchester, which was only to be expected; Jakob Lehnsherr had created his fortune overseas, and his son had inherited it after his death. They were hardly the old money that the Xavier name represented, but they were still so wealthy that even old upper-class familiar had attempted more than once to foist their omega sons and daughters onto Thornfield’s heir. Jakob Lehnsherr had never been interested in remarrying after his wife had died, and Erik Lehnsherr, when he had grown, had seemed even less concerned with marriage. It had been a shock, then, when Emma had come home with news of a proposal, and Sharon Xavier couldn’t have been
( ... )
[fill] these ties, how fast they break (4d/?)
anonymous
January 19 2013, 22:54:47 UTC
Lehnsherr’s eyebrow lifted as his gaze traveled down to Charles’s torso. Charles followed his eyes to the light waistcoat he had picked out this morning. Had he missed a button in doing it up? No. Then he glanced back up at Lehnsherr and understood in a rush of embarrassment. Charles’s waistcoat was as plain as he could find, but it still had gold embroidery and a pattern of leaf fronds. Lehnsherr, in contrast, was wearing a simple, solid-colored black waistcoat with no design at all. Charles felt foolishly overdressed
( ... )
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This is so excellent, anon. OP is enjoying the hell out of this fill!
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your story is very promising and I'm looking forward for more. I loved your characterization of Erik, it sounds so very him ♥
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“No, I don’t.” She stood and crossed over to him, her expression weary. “But you were always different. Do as you like.”
Then she disappeared from the room, leaving him alone once more.
*****
One week passed, then another. Charles had walked out to town several times, asking after open posts at various households. He had been turned away each time with thinly-veiled contempt or simply with disinterest. Apparently, all of York had now heard of Emma’s indiscretions, and the town was determined to shun them as thoroughly as possible. Charles had never felt as humiliated in his life as he had when he had walked down the street by the farmer’s market and a group of men a few years older than him had shouted obscenities at his back, asking if he were available, too, asking if he would elope with any of them, with such a lewd emphasis on elope that he had shuddered and hurried on ( ... )
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can't wait to see how Charles/Erik relationship will develop!
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Question for author--is going to Oxford unusual for an omega in this 'verse? I was getting the sense that Charles' interests in science and academics was something of an irregularity.
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Thanks for the continued interest, guys! He woke at seven o’clock and spent the better part of an hour deciding on an acceptable attire. He had only ever been taught to dress for formal occasions, how to color coordinate and how to select a garment to advertise his status without straying into garishness. What did tutors wear ( ... )
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