They're Both So Hot What Even - Blog Posts

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"no it was not." the grace of the evening continued, no doubt rooted in immature, spoiled stubbornness the way she always was in refusing to acknowledge that she perhaps had behaved in ways that were too low for her. the conversation had not been a waste of time, because even for a moment, she had seen devani toland's face wipe clean with a numbing look of pain and shock.

she had made devani toland speechless, in the worst of ways; and there had been something toxic and malicious briefly ignite in the back of ruqaiyah's own amethyst orbs. "i got the reaction i wanted...no, the reaction i deserved, regardless of the rest of it. did you see her face fall? i hope she never gets over it." she recalled, a cruel smile playing on her lips at the memory as she brought the smoke to her lips again, exhaling it back into the night air.

"but did you hear her? she went to him first. him. fucking dante uller." ruqaiyah commented, as though she could hardly believe herself; there was no denying the way her heart twisted, for it reflected upon her own facial features. as though it were not only days earlier she had been within her own chambers in starfall, promising she only had eyes for one person. she had told her not to say that - so why did she believe it?

"you're right. she has no power over me." she spoke, melodramatic as she straightened her back. she would not speak of it anymore. "none. it was nothing; we were young. and now i am me, and she is...well."

"no saf, you don't get it. he has been so busy. i haven't had the chance to speak to him properly, but he hasn't mentioned the betrothal. not properly. he found me on the beach the other day when i skipped the sept, but it felt weird. like we were walking on coals."

...and then she returned to the topic of devani and dante. not having power over her lasted all but a minute. "they must have obviously stayed in touch, maybe he was the one who persuaded her to return." ruqaiyah dayne's first heartbreak had been a silent one, until she had been able to see her cousin again. she had been enough. she had been embarrassed; the other side of some joke that must have been a private matter between them.

"do you want bash to kill lord toland? you know he'll do it - properly, i mean. trial by combat, so it's not breaking any rules. or are you planning on speaking to her...?"

her gaze looked upon the constellations in the sky; it was in these moments with her sister was she able to decompress, to be who she truly was - and how it was a force for bad as well as good. moving her dupatta from being wrapped around her to instead being laid across her lap, she closed her eyes for a moment, and took the time to try and re-centre herself. "how is auntie? i don't like the idea of you two being in the tor alone with all this going on." ruqaiyah loved lady afreen jordayne; the most beautiful woman in dorne.

safeerah knew a night would never be boring if she was with ruqaiyah. they had been friends all their lives and there were none she knew as well as lady dayne. maybe except for her own siblings. so the minute that a conversation had started between ruqaiyah and devani, she knew it was a disaster waiting to happen. she had been trying to discreetly tell her best friend to stop engaging by sending her signs, but she was also not surprised when it did not work ― nor was she particularly surprised by her reaction afterwards when they had the chance to speak frankly.

and ruqaiyah knew her as well. "of course i was. the conversation was a waste of your time and energy." the jordayne had thrown herself on the bed in the room and was lying on her stomach with her feet in the air. she held herself up by her elbows as she sent her friend a knowing look. "you give her far too much power, qaiyah, don't let her get under your skin." she knew it was easier said than done when it came to people you had a past with. saf just wished it did not have to be a toland that her best friend had been with in the past. "i do not know if they are friends, but i do know that no one will care much about the word of devani. she's been gone far too long and she's from a family of known liars. do you not remember her mother trying to fool us into believing devani had greyscale?" that was not the only lie they had told. lord toland was nothing but the scum of the earth and she would see that justice be done. "but if she starts something then we will handle it."

she noted the jealousy in ruqaiyah's voice but she could not tell what its source was exactly. she had a guess though. she took the safe route and decided to just reassure her cousin. "you have no reason to worry. we both know nothing will be allowed to get in the way of you marrying the prince." at the end of the day, safeerah knew that was what ruqaiyah wanted. whilst she had never understood her friend's ambition for the title of princess, she supported her anyway and would do what was in her power to see it done.

she watched as ruqaiyah blew out another cloud of smoke. "it must be strange to see her again after all this time." it was bait for ruqaiyah to take if she wished. safeerah knew better than to force anything out of the dayne if she did not wish to speak about it. "it has been so long that i had actually forgotten about her being friends with dante uller."