Virtue and Sin

potassiumboron

potassiumboron

~I'm drinking coffee on a trampoline~
Original poster
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
Online Availability
3pm - 1am (GMT / BST)
Writing Levels
  1. Beginner
  2. Elementary
  3. Intermediate
  4. Adept
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Nonbinary
  4. Transgender
  5. No Preferences
Genres
Monsters, supernatural, fantasy, romance, criminality, slice-of-life (modern or set in past, usually with some twists)
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It was days like these where Fiorello really was at a loss in his life.

Weekends really weren't his thing, to be put simply. He liked days where he was so busy that he had no time for himself, because then he didn't need to wrack his brain trying to come up with something to do. He had his siblings and he had a few dedicated servants he treated familiarly like friends, but he didn't really... socialise very well. When he had spare time, he usually just spent it by himself, thus hoarding up a few varieties of hobbies to help waste his time-- but that didn't mean he liked it all that much. Well, he liked his hobbies, but he didn't like the reaction from some of his older siblings who didn't quite seem to understand why he spent so much time by himself.

At least when it was a weekday, he spent hours being tutored and educated, thus having an excuse for not 'socialising' and 'making friends', as his brothers and sisters often tried to force him into doing. It wasn't his thing and he much preferred being alone--

But on the weekends, he didn't really have an excuse prepared to stop them exasperatedly pestering him about his 'ridiculous' personality. Apparently, being shy and preferring your own company was akin to a crime as far as some of his siblings were concerned.

And, while he could at least block them out by focusing on his pottery or his carpentry (two of his more preferred hobbies), he didn't have a chance of escaping them and their unwanted opinions when he was more or less obligated to sit at the dinner table with them for lunch. It was the last place he wanted to be, really. He could be painting a few plates he'd created, or varnishing the new wooden bookshelf in his room... or heading out into the woods to observe -albeit from afar- the boundary of the other kingdom. The latter was something he'd been doing frequently as of late, getting braver by the day by venturing a little closer, and he wanted to finally take that plunge and head across soon--

When he wasn't reluctantly sat with his overbearing siblings at dinner, anyway.
 
".... Are you alright, sweetheart? You've been quieter than usual," commented Adyn, having been focused on attending to the pair of twin five-year-olds. With the barrage of issues with Fiorello, though, she always kept an eye on him, even with his growing age. With a normal family, the seventeen-year-old would be out and about, enjoying some food with friends and taking in the nice weather. Sadly, it wasn't a matter of her not encouraging her son to interact a bit more with others, it was a matter of him not wanting to, at least in her eyes.

"You've barely touched your cucumber sandwich," pointed out Jeoff, their mother's on-and-off lover as he poked at his own salad. Eyeing all of the children who sat around the large table, he, too, cared just as much as Adyn since almost all of them were his children as well, especially Fiorello.

"All you do is sit in your room with that bad smelling chemicals!" Whined a younger sibling, around seven, as she sloppily slurped down the spiraled salad, a soft giggle passing her lips as she did. "It can't be good for you. I asked you if you wanted to go to the lake but you refused. It isn't fair that you get to sit in your room all day and I have to go outside-"

"That's enough, Lilitha," scolded Adyn, her tone being strong enough to cause fighting men to stop in her tracks. Naturally, it was strong enough to stop her child from complaining. Setting her silverware down, her eyes softened once landing back on the middle child. "Listen, sweetheart, no one is forcing you to do anything. If you aren't feeling well, you're... old enough to do as you wish. Jeoff has a point, though, you need to finish lunch before you can finish what you're doing, understood? Even if you're on your way to becoming an adult doesn't mean you can disobey me and let yourself get sick."
 
"...I'm hardly disobeying you, mother. I... I eat a lot, I'm just not entirely fond of cucumber is all. It's bland, it doesn't taste like anything. My appetite isn't with me right now either. I'm not feeling too good, I'd rather retire to my room for the night. I have to work on finishing my bookshelf and then I think I'll finish up on the vase I'm making for your birthday and--"

"Oh my god, you're so boring, aren't you? I don't want to sound rude or out of line, Fio, but you're 17. When I was 17, I was out all the time with my friends. Mother had to send out a search party once to come and find me. I'm not suggesting you get drunk like I did because I got punished real badly but at least let your hair down, have some fun," grunted one of his older sisters, the young woman sitting near the head of the table with a large glass of wine in her hand. She did try to stay out of discussions like this when they talked and focused on Fiorello, because she had some pretty strong opinions of her little brother and his reluctance to do anything with others, but it was difficult not to grow irritated by his self-pitying expression and barrage of generally shit excuses. Running her finger through her vibrant -and dyed- red hair, she tapped her other fingers against the top of the wine glass before appealing to her mother with an unsubtle frown. "He's not healthy, mother. He hasn't got any friends--"

"I do too! I... I have Billy--"

"Who's a servant--"

"That counts! What, does he have to be discounted because he happens to be a servant? That's so... disgusting. Can I be excused now? I don't want to sit here for another lunch, getting... attacked because I happen to be a little quiet. I'm sick. My head is hurting. I... I just want to go and curl up in my room and read and... and do something I enjoy. How is that so... offensive to you all?"
 
"Will both of you stop talking?" Ordered Adyn as she tapped her long nails against the table, her head now resting in her hand as the end of her large tail swayed. "There is nothing wrong with being friends with servants, Ivy, but... she has a point. There are plenty of people around you that you could befriend that aren't staff. I know you aren't amazing with interacting with people, but... still. Isn't that right, Jeoff?"

"Ah, yeah. Listen to your mother," scolded the man, albeit with unsubtle disinterest as he took a sip of his wine, his eyes locked on his food as an attempt to avoid any real involvement. "Look, why does it suddenly concern you? This is just how he is, Adyn. He isn't a social person, who cares?"

"I care!" The Queen responded, her golden eyes full of sudden anger. "... Look, you can leave the table. I fully intend to have a long conversation with you in an hour, understood? I won't let you keep locking yourself away. I tried to convince you, but I guess I can't tip-toe around it,"
 
Every conversation they had revolving around this topic always ended with his mother or one of his older sisters promising to have a 'long conversation' with him, as though, somehow, they could convince him to break out of his shell and become some extroverted, outgoing teenager. That really wasn't going to happen, so every sit down they had with him was doomed to fail - regardless of whether the conversation went in a soothing, nurturing manner, or ended up as a screaming match against him. Either way, he really wasn't prepared to start making friends.

Sure, it was hardly a daunting task for most people, but it was for him, and he wasn't going to put himself in awkward situations just to make his mother happy. He was pretty sure she could distract herself by focusing on any one of her other children - why she seemed so focused on him did annoy him, actually.

Nonetheless, he eagerly grabbed the opportunity to leave the table, deciding now that he really had no reservations about approaching and nearing the border between the kingdoms. His mother wanted him to get out and do typical teenager things, right? Well, heading outside and adventuring like this, to the point of flat-out rebelling, seemed like a 'teenager' sort of thing to do. If they did find out, he'd just use that as an excuse and see where it got him.

Mumbling a meek apology, he wasted no time in grabbing a jacket for the warmth and heading out via the servants' kitchens - he knew better than to stroll out the heavily guarded front door, after all.
 
Despite being very different, Alexis' life paralleled Fiorello's. Sitting across from his father at the long dining table, the harpy eased back in his chair as he poked at his lunch. Staring down at the food, the teenager impatiently tapped his foot. He always felt obligated to spend time with his father, but he was desperate to go out and have fun venturing to the border behind said man's back. Biting his lip hard, he glanced up at the other with a feigned smile.

"... so, what are you doing today?" Alexis offered quietly as he cut up his eggs, ignoring the irony. "It's getting colder out, are you going to protect the garden? I know you really attended to your roses this year, plus I really wanted to make pumpkin pie," he commented as he nibbled on the food he had made himself. "I mean, I was going to go out today and I didn't know if you wanted to do anything first. You seem... bored."
 
Lysander had spent most of that morning, as he usually did, lounged in bed with his bedroom door locked shut. It wasn't rare for his ex-wife to take it upon herself to wander into the room they'd once shared and act as though she still lived there. He hated the woman with such a passion that he barely could stand being in her company, and the only reason he hadn't completely banished her from the castle was because of the son they shared. She could come and go as she pleased when she wanted to see Alexis, that was one of the privileges she had, but he still had to take measures to make sure she didn't get too comfortable around the place.

As much as he may have wanted to sleep and laze about, he would drag himself out of bed to eat lunch with his son. He always had done that. His son never had the luxury of having both his parents together, as a happy unit, so the least he could do was eat meals with his son, talk to him about his day and keep a bond up with him.

He was indifferent about a lot of things these days, barely paying anything his attention-- but Alexis was different. He genuinely adored being a father, and always had counted it as his most important role in life.

"Huh? Oh, right-- I'm bored, sure. There's nothing to do. I might go out in the garden, pick some fruit before the cold gets to it-- but you can go out if you want, don't let me stop 'ya. Where were you gonna go? Out with mates?"
 
"Yeah," he replied simply as he watched his father, a small frown on his lips. In reality, he didn't really have any solid 'friends', at least not what someone would expect. In reality, he knew that the conversations usually were just superficial babble before going to get a beer. He wasn't lying, though - it was one of his biggest pet peeves. He'd go see his 'friends', talk for a bit, before heading out properly. In his mind, it was completely justified.

"I'm... I just want you to do something today, you know? Don't you ever get bored over just sitting around? I know that's, like, our thing but I want to do something with you, you know? Not today, necessarily, but I want there to be a reason for you to be away from mom." He offered, knowing the mention of his mother would at least be some motivation for the other. It wasn't subtle, the intense hatred for one another, so why wouldn't he use that for his benefit?
 
"...You shouldn't say that. She's your mother. You love her, you respect her, that's... you shouldn't think that I hate her, okay? Does she annoy me sometimes? Of course, but if I hated her, I wouldn't allow her to walk in and out of here as she pleases," replied the man slowly, hearing his son consciously reference his own father's disgruntlement with his mother being something that caught Lysander by surprise. Now, he knew that Alexis really wasn't a child, that he was bound to be aware of bitterness and vitriol between both his parents, but that didn't mean Lysander liked hearing his son mention it.

"Your mother's... I respect and care for her immensely because she gave me you. Still, I suppose we could head out and do something together, you and I. What did you have in mind? I'll be honest, there's not a lot to do here," the harpy laughed in reply, easing against the back of his chair whilst flipping the top of a beer bottle effortlessly. "You don't have to, you know. I'm fine, I have hobbies. I garden, I sleep. You aren't the one who should be worrying; I'm the parent, I worry about you."
 
"We're family. A family looks after family, that's what Jimmy says. He said that he wouldn't have his bar without his family, right? Sure, you're my dad, but... I get worried about you," he insisted as he nibbled a bit of the roll he toasted. "I want to be able to walk about, maybe... I dunno, go adventuring? Do something to get you out of here. I know you're going to deny it until the day you die but I know you hate my mom. Wouldn't it be nice to go somewhere knowing she wouldn't follow?"

Of course, he knew it was all pointless. He may only know the few people he interacted with, but he knew that his father was the most stubborn person in his life. Hell, he refused to eat a pizza he made purely because his mother made a passing comment. Clearing his throat, he began to get to his feet as he picked up his plates. "It's whatever."
 
"Your mother will always find me. Like I said, I don't hate her, I just... would prefer she leave me the fuck alone is all. I don't want to rekindle our fucking marriage. The only good thing that came out of it was you, I'll be honest. You're old enough to hear this, right? Besides, you're not an idiot, I assume you can tell I don't get on well with her," the man responded flatly, poking at his untouched food disgruntedly. Just because he'd forced himself out of bed didn't mean he had the intention to actually eat anything. He tended to eat the majority of the day's food late at night, cooped up in bed watching some cheesy TV show.

"...You can go out, don't let me stop you. You like to say you need to 'spread your wings', right?" He continued with a corny grin, rolling his eyes to himself. "Just... can you get back before dinner?"
 
"Are you actually going to eat that with me?" He asked with a raised brow , his tone defensive despite his smile. Running a free hand through his hair, he moved forward towards the door as he handed over the plate to a servant.

"I'll be back, chill. If I'm not, you can send the guards out to get me. Make a whole fuss about it, like the time you lost be in the garden when I wa younger," he teased as he streached his back, his large wings following before glancing back.

"I won't be out later than 8. I know you don't eat dinner until midnight."
 
Despite the smile on his son's face, and the fact he was quite clearly being cheerful and jovial, it still made the man grimace just a tad. Was he honestly that bad that his son was teasing him about it? Sure, he knew his schedule wasn't the greatest; that he'd eat dinner at midnight and roll awake from sleep around midday, or even later than that, but that was just how he was. He'd lived that way now for so long, for decades really, so breaking that habit was... difficult. The only time in recent history he'd woken up before midday was when Alexis was a baby - he'd often not slept at all just to ensure some scumbag creature didn't break in to harm him.

"Be back at 8 and we'll eat dinner then," he decided quietly, resting his face on his closed fist with a faint smile. "I'm not as predictable as you might think, so we'll eat and then we'll watch a movie or something-- and you can invite your mother if you'd like. I told you, I don't hate her. She's your mother, she's entitled to spend time with you if you... want her to."
 
"I don't want to be with her, mom. I mean, I spend time with her and I spend time with you, not at the same time. You guys are, like, two separate entities," he insisted as he shot a final smile to his father only to carefully close the large door and head into the hallway. Glancing outside at the chilly weather, he grabbed a coat jacket to immediately head into the street of this father's kingdom... to immediately B-Line to the border.

If his father wasn't going to go out and explore, he'd do it alone - he knew his father didn't want to do anything involving the outside world. He grew up almost all of his life locked in that house, he shouldn't be subjected to the same fate. If that meant having to go against his father's wishes, it was worth it.
 
Had the lamia known that, soon enough, he wouldn't be the only one at the border; that he'd come face-to-face with the harpy from the other kingdom, Fiorello probably would have rushed home as fast as he could. It was one thing spending time and meeting people from within his own kingdom, but seeing someone from the other kingdom was so out-there an idea that it would have made him panic. Did he want to, one day, head across the border? Sure, definitely-- but he was far from ready to take that risk yet.

For the last twenty or so minutes, he had been sat silently on a log near the border, staring out across the little wall that separated the kingdoms. It was mostly symbolic of the separation, rather than a large wall to prevent people clambering across. It was knee-high at best, and yet its presence did enough to dissuade the separate peoples from adventuring beyond it. Fiorello, of course, was planning to disobey the unspoken rule and head over it one day but he wasn't... ready. At least, not yet. For now, he was fine just sitting near it and looking out into the woodlands belonging to the other kingdom--

Though he almost sped away the second he spotted Alexis' approaching figure. At first, he (understandably) assumed that he was seeing things, given he'd never come across anyone at ALL who came this close to the border - he'd always assumed that he was the only one. The moment he realised that, no, he wasn't hallucinating, panic set in, and yet he found himself frozen to the spot, regardless of the panic and fear rooted in him.
 
Amongst the chaos that naturally came with his home, it was always nice to be able to simply sit on the small wall and look out at the thriving rival, the early autumn trees contrasting the still rather green ones on his side. He would often come there simply to sit and collect his thoughts alone, somewhere he could sit in silence not because he had no one to talk to when he wanted to, but because he didn't want to talk to anyone on his own time.

That sense of stability changed, of course, when he noticed the lamia. His father had hidden him from knowing pretty much anything about the people who ruled the other side of the wall, hence his lack of real worry at seeing Fiorello, though that didn't mean he didn't stop a good distance away out of confusion. Shifting his weight, he kept his distance firm though did offer a call.

"... I don't think you're supposed to be here," Alexis commented flatly, his jaw adjusting in defense.
 
"I... I could say the same for you. I don't think you're supposed to be this close to the border," responded the other Prince as he tried hard to appear stern and unafraid. He even went as far as to push himself up to his full 6'11" height, remembering something his mother had told him when he was just a boy and struggling to fit in at school - if he ever got bullied, all he needed to do was stand as tall as he could and let his height intimidate.

Now, the height advantage would have worked wonders if he had a strong, stern expression. Instead, he was very obviously nervous, glancing over his shoulder and gauging whether he could just leave-- however curious he was about the strange boy over the wall.

"...Are you a harpy? We... We don't get many of them over here," he continued, that hard exterior he was hoping to pull off disappearing the moment he began to let his curiosity show. "...My mother says that lamias like me used to hunt harpies c-centuries ago, but... but I... I'm not going to attack you! I'm just... curious."
 
With a kingdom full of thugs, the lamia's far more extreme height did startle him, just not enough for him to physically grow startled. He had learned to hide his fear very well over the years. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Alexis continued to adjust his weight in contemplation. It wasn't surprising that the comment made him uncomfortable.

"... I didn't know that, no." He answered quietly as he looked away, his wings fluttering nervously. His father had told him plenty of times about how people had tried to tear off his wings, so what was stopping this lamia from doing the same, other than the fact that he was from the notoriously 'goody-two-shoes' kingdom. "You're really tall, yeah? I wish..."
 
"...I'm not that tall, not... compared to some of my siblings. My mom's a little taller than I am and... and my older brother is even taller than her, it's pretty mad. I... I'm not considered amazingly tall in my family, but I guess, outside of them, I'm tall, sure," he babbled, beginning to bite and tug at a loose nail, only forcing himself out of the habit when he knew his sister would reprimand him later. Lilith had a tendency to impose her opinion on him, and him biting his nails often made her furious-- and he could do without her anger when he got home.

Feeling a little more confident that the harpy wasn't going to leap across the wall and attack him (as he assumed most people in the other kingdom did to one another all the time), he settled nervously back on that broken log with a tentative smile. "I... haven't seen anyone from the other kingdom before, it's... pretty m-mad."
 
"I've never seen anyone from the other side either. I always assumed y'all were to afraid to explore," he admitted before moving to sit down on a nearby boulder himself, easing back. Once realizing that Fiorello wasn't going to hop the small wall and attack him for being from across the wall, he figured that the lamia wasn't awful.

"... I'm Alexis, by the way," he murmured as he closed his eyes to take in the sun, his feathers fluttering. "I'm surprised you haven't spit on my face yet, said I was disgusting because I'm not good enough. That's what people like you do to people like me, right?"
 
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