Мороз и солнце; день чудесный!

[balancedlight]

Who: Svetlana and Open!
What: October Catchall + House Calls. Feel free to get with me if you think your character would like a little check in from Doctor Nazarova
When: October
Where: Milton, usually, but a peek into Lakeside

Content Warnings: Nothing yet!

Comments

[balancedlight]

She has no shame. She doesn't look the slightest bit sheepish.

"Have you told me of this friend?" she wonders, still feigning innocence.

[meadqueen]

“Most likely not,” Randvi says. She can feel the heat rising in her face. “It's very embarrassing.”

At home it's dangerous, but here it's just mortifying. She's no better than Pyotr.

“I’m married to her brother.”

[balancedlight]

Clearly, Sveta is thinking the same thing.

"I should add you to the snowmen," she teases. "How close of a friend?"

[meadqueen]

Randvi brings up a hand to cover her face. She can't believe she's talking about this, and with Sveta of all people!

“I don't know. She treats me with such care and attention, but she does the same for all things belonging to her brother.”

[balancedlight]

Sveta hums in disagreement. "No," she tells her softly. "No, that wouldn't be the case with you. You are special."

[meadqueen]

“I don't even know if she could ever bring herself to think of me that way,” Randvi sighs. “She adores him.”

[balancedlight]

She tuts softly. "Of course she does. That's her brother." But that doesn't mean that she can't adore Randvi, too.

[meadqueen]

“I doubt she can even imagine a woman who would not wish to be married to him.” It's perhaps a bit unkind - Eivor is unlikely to ever marry for various reasons, many of which are extremely tragic - but the memory of her friend insisting that Randvi must be excited anticipating the arrival of her husband still rankles.

[balancedlight]

"Did she wish to marry?" Sveta guesses, because she's read plenty of love stories and watched plenty of romances. She knows how that usually goes.

[meadqueen]

“I'm not sure,” Randvi admits, a bit embarrassed to not know such a basic fact about someone she thinks about so often. “She has never expressed an interest to me, and is not particularly skilled in what one might describe as the domestic arts. But her bloodline is... It would likely be difficult for her to find someone to marry regardless, so perhaps she simply chooses to focus on other things.”

[balancedlight]

Svetlana looks over to her friend intently. "Or perhaps it was not a husband she wanted."

[meadqueen]

Randvi looks out at the group of scandalous snowmen. “I'm not sure what you mean.”

[balancedlight]

"Perhaps it was not a male she wanted," she says, certain that Randvi is being deliberately coy.

[meadqueen]

“Perhaps not,” Randvi says, tone neutral. If it hadn't been for their relation via Sigurd, such a relationship would not be notable in her own time. “I think she would. The way she speaks to me is…” It’s like the way you speak to me. “As if she's never imagined that such things are possible.”

[balancedlight]

"Then perhaps her imagination is lacking," she suggests.

[meadqueen]

“It may be so,” Randvi agrees, sighing. “Her life is so full of glory and adventure. I wish that you could meet her without her having to come here.”

[balancedlight]

"I wish that, too. Anyone who has had such an influence on you must be - " She pauses to think of the words she wants. "Larger than life."

[meadqueen]

Randvi laughs quietly, still embarrassed but feeling a bit bolder. “In the literal sense as well. Two hands taller than me, battle-scarred, a voice like two stones scraping together... It was a shock to be greeted by such a person when we docked in Fornburg! I imagine that when your people think of 'Viking' that's what they picture.”

[balancedlight]

She tries to imagine her, but finds that she can't. She's so used to women like Olga.

"Perhaps!" she laughs, giggling to herself, glad that Randvi seems to be feeling better.

[meadqueen]

“I was so frightened! I thought, what if her brother is this large as well?” She laughs again. “He is even taller.”

[balancedlight]

"No! Randvi, that's impossible!" she laughs. "No one is that tall!"

[meadqueen]

“Sigurd is!” Randvi insists. He’s not much taller than Eivor, but it's clear that famine had never touched them the way it had her own people. “He had to bend down to kiss me at the wedding.”

[balancedlight]

Sveta hops up on a curb. "This tall?" she giggles.

[meadqueen]

Randvi’s face heats up again - the things people do when they don't know what they're saying! - but she’s laughing too.

“You aren't that much taller than me!”

[balancedlight]

She hums softly and then brings over a box she had used to haul some of the old clothing over and stands on that. "Here?"