Liliana Vess Defiant Necromancer

As hard as it was to imagine, Liliana and Ignis were not going out to Supper Club tonight. Not even the lure of coffee could lure Ignis out...though that might have had more to do with a desire to reenact a certain birthday coffee indulgence than anything else. There were limits to what one could get away with in public or in front of Lydia's salad, even this week.

But even the most ardent hedonists required some time to catch their breath, have some water, and enjoy a bite to eat (in their case, a platter of fresh fruits) between one bout and the next. And, naturally, such interludes generally led to talking about all an sundry things, the kind of light conversation that came with tired bodies and blissful minds...though, sometimes those conversations could take a turn for the weird.

Like when one party remembered an odd conversation they'd had the night before with the local bartender.

"My love, I have an odd question for you" she said, nibbling on a juicy slice of mango. From her tone, she might have been about to ask him about the weather, or their next party, or the latest on dit she'd heard from Olivia Voldaren. "Have you ever, in your entire life, considered fucking a pie?"

Ignis, please direct all blame to Summer.

The benefits of leaving for a long weekend to explore their new property in Argentina were two-fold. The first was obvious: getting to explore their new property in Argentina. The second, perhaps not equal in value but certainly close, was giving her steward plenty of time to take down the holiday decorations and put them all away without Liliana either of them being bothered with it. Other than a few very specific ornaments they had taken off the tree and boxed before they'd left, Liliana had expected to return to everything Christmas-related to be properly stored away until the next year.

Instead, they were in the parlor, unexpectedly face-to-face with a giant parcel wrapped in at least three different varieties of Christmas paper, with a tiny little silver bow in the center.

"Another belated surprise, darling?" Liliana asked, eying the package that was more than half again as tall as she was. It didn't seem likely, considering the haphazard way it was wrapped, but she didn't have a better guess than that.

[Also, all fuckin' applause and praise to chef_chocobro for this AMAZING WORK OF ART.]

Their tree bought and given time to settle, the decorations hauled out of storage and adorning the interior of the mansion, tree-trimming snacks prepared and plated, the holiday music softly playing through discretely placed speakers, and aggressive fruitcakes still regrouping for their next assault...well what better time to set to decorating their tree? And, unlike last year, there was no question whether or not it was their tree.

There were a lot of things that had questioned then that were absolute certainties now. What a difference a mere year could make, no?

[For the paramour in question, but also open for calls and visitors. Something N-sfwy this way comes.]

So, when Liliana and Ignis had roughed out a logistical sketch of how testing travel to Eos would work, Liliana had been very insistent that she would pick the time she would leave. After all, she was the Planeswalker, she would go on her schedule or not at all.

And, considering that her chosen time has been three pm to better ensure that she had plenty of time to sleep in, no one would blame Ignis at all if he were surprised to hear the shower in their en suite turn on at a little past eleven in the morning. Her descent at twelve-oh-one on the dot was probably less surprising, and her immediate beeline to Ignis shouldn't have been any surprise at all.

She was not yet dressed in more than a lounging robe, so leaving wasn't imminent, but she was awake and out of bed, which was always the biggest hurdle to overcome.

"Hello, my darling," she said, wrapping her arms around him, voice still a little husky from disuse. Liliana was not much for singing in the shower, no. "And how are you this fine...morning?"

Look how much she loved you. Giving you the opportunity to be pedantic so early!

[Heading swiftly NSFW-wards! Has arrived at the NSFW station]

Once again, the gate that blocked off the bottom end of Phoenix Way was opened, inviting everyone to the creepy (though much less abandoned) mansion. This time, however, instead of being guided around to the gardens, the lit path led them to the front door, where the a tall figure in a tattered robe and deep cowl gestured for them to step inside the door and get onto a...boat? Once people had climbed in settled themselves, the ferryman began to guide the ship down the River Styx. Or, okay, their long entrance hallway, with blue lights to either side of their boat to mimic water and bathing everyone in an eerie blue glow. (Yes, okay, the boat perhaps wheeled down the hallway rather than floated, but they had not refinished this house just to flood the hallway for verisimilitude. Even if Liliana had considered it for a few minutes.)

The double doors leading to the ballroom were opened, with thick fog rolling out of the doorway. And through that doorway, people could descend the stairs into the Underworld proper. Black and gold were the prevailing color, with deep red nods to a pomegranate motif. Gold coins and loose gemstones added to the decor, a nod to Hades' wealth - but even amidst all the dark opulence, touches of other colors could be seen: tucked away in various corners and small niches were flowering plants, a surprise kiss of springtime to be found in the least likely places. Rather than one large chandelier, they had several, creating areas of both light and shadow around the ballroom.

Welcome to the Underworld, dear friends.

Look, Liliana had gone to the Infinite Consortium yesterday to make sure Dean wasn't doing anything stupid. That was plenty of work for the week and she felt no guilt about deciding not to go in today. Not that she would have felt guilty even if she hadn't, mind. Guilt and Liliana were only nodding acquaintances at the best (worst?) of times.

Besides, this weekend had been very...much...considering that she hadn't had any guests. Did Iris and Aranea count as guests for Ignis? Likely not, but still their presence was. Something. And that something wasn't something that Liliana had quite figured out yet. She wasn't sure if Ignis had. She wasn't sure if it would even end up mattering in the end. Either way, the events of the weekend had left her feeling...unsettled. Too many things hitting too close to home all at once. And while Liliana had several ways of dealing with feelings like this, there was only one that she wanted to indulge in today.

Yesterday's shortened sleep meant it was far earlier than she would normally awaken, even on days she would be going into the store, but rather than continue to stay abed, she got up, stole Ignis' bathrobe because she could, and padded downstairs on bare feet to find her paramour. Even just sitting together was...soothing to her.

Shut up.

[for the aforementioned gentleman, pls!]

(Letter from Elsi Rimheit, daughter of Elder Adila Rimheit, 98th of Harvest Moon, Ava. 717)

Dear Mama,

I miss you! Grandfather says we will go to Thraben soon, but I'd rather you just come home. We went picking blackberries yesterday. Remember last year when I filled two buckets? This year I filled three! Grandfather says you would have been proud of me.

There were wolves outside last night. I could hear them snuffling on the other side of my wall. I was so scared without you. Grandmother tucked me in, but she doesn't make the blankets the way you do.

Please come home soon!

Love,

Elsi

( Image Heavy Post )

[Taken from "The Cursed Blade," written by Ryan Miller, Jenna Helland, Matt Tabak, Bruce Cordell, Josh Brauer. Content Warning: (Offscreen) Death of a Child. NFI, NFB]

For once, Liliana hadn't made too much of a fuss getting up early. Today was the Midsummer Music Festival at her alma mater, Strixhaven University, and as a thank you to Prompto for finishing the job of teaching her to drive, she had invited him to go see it. Which, of course, had turned into an invitation to his family, and there was no way that Ignis wasn't going to come along, and also no way that Prompto would stand for leaving anyone out, and so it was a merry party of seven that stepped through the portal. Liliana had asked folks to wear nothing too Earth modern and explained that very few people, if anybody, they would meet knew about other planes (many, many, many Quandrix theories aside) and to please keep it that way. Once any questions were out of the way, they stepped through a portal...

...And onto into a large walkway made from gleaming white stone. A short staircase led up to a park, full of greenery, fountains, and comfortable benches. In the center of the park was an imposing statue of a magic user made of white marble and curving over its head was a arc of huge stones, the largest easily hundreds of feet long, hanging in the air in a perfect arch. Above them shone two suns, beaming brightly down, though the heat was not particularly oppressive. The area was crowded with people, though there was still enough room for people to walk without being pressed against anyone else. "Welcome to the Archway Commons," Liliana said, possibly grinning more broadly than any of them had ever experienced, save Ignis. "So named because of the star arch above there - the second largest star arch on campus. The largest is the Dawnbow, over the Bibloplex. Star arches get their name from their irregular spokes evoke the radiating lines of a shining celestial star. They're found all over Arcavios, made from spokes of natural materials that float in an arch shape, with a precise inner curve and a rough and irregular outer arch. They can stand straight or lie at an angle; they can be small or enormous, whole or broken, grown over or mysteriously clean. Their origins are a mystery lost to the Dawning Age, though many people have said that they've seen an arch appear to them at a critical juncture in their lives, helping them understand a lesson or answer a burning question in their mind." She laughed. "It's important to note that I've never had a star arch manifest in front of me, so I can't say for certain how accurate that is, but there are plenty of theories about them."

Arm laced through Ignis', she led them forward through the central campus, pointing out various landmarks, though there were a few that she clearly didn't recognize, like the Strixhaven Stadium where it seemed like some kind of game was underway, the stands maybe half full of cheering people. The large crowds continued as they went along, an excitement in the air.

"I see the popularity of the Midsummer Music Festival has grown since I was a student here," Liliana said with an almost apologetic smile. Almost. Liliana Vess didn't apologize. "It was large even then but not like this!" Strange what a difference almost two hundred years could make. "Anyway, I brought us early enough that we'd have enough time for quick tours around the other college campuses if you'd like? We can also go right to Prismari, there's plenty to explore there and we can get set up."

[For thems what are here! NFB for awayness.]