[sub] A collab feat. [@agentmanatee][/sub] [h1][center]Little Comforts[/center][/h1] [sub]In Genoveve's carriage, shortly before leaving for the expedition[/sub] Genoveve sat in her carriage, alone on the heavily cushioned couch alone, trying to quiet herself. She had been crying since Elina had... reacted to learning of Genoveve's extraordinarily low birth, even lower than the common folk. Her eyes were red, and tear stains could be seen on her cheeks as she had realized just how alone she was even in her own coven. Even Laina seemed to be... higher class, born in some nice house or mansion like all the others she was sure. Had Elina really been so disgusted with her class that she could not even bare to share a carriage with Genoveve? Did she truly consider herself so high? Well, her baggage train certainly suggested as much, and the way she had... so coldly lied straight to her face. Like, she hardly even tried to hide it as a lie, as if Genoveve had not even been worth the effort. Wallowing in her own self pity she suddenly heard a light knocking at the door. Genoveve quickly tried to wipe away the tear stains but gave up and pulled her high collar up to obscure her face before responding to whoever it was, trying to keep a calm and consistent voice, [color=f49ac2]"Wh-wh-who... who is it?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"It's Lorelai...you want to talk a little?"[/color] Lorelai pulled open the door to the carriage. Seeing Genoveve's tearstained face she almost considered leaving, to give the girl some space. Deciding against it, she took a seat across from her. [color=00aeef]"What's the matter Gen?"[/color] Genoveve sniffled as Lorelai let herself in, but had pulled her collar up and wasn't going to give in now, [color=f49ac2]"Nothing Mistress... just... just some herbs I was... was dealing with..."[/color], it was difficult to retain her composure, even Lorelai who had grown up in the pit was born higher than Genoveve was... [color=f49ac2]"D-did you... need anything mistress?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"You needn't keep your pain from me Genoveve, I can see it anyway."[/color] Lorelai sat back. [color=00aeef]"We're not too different you and I. You were born in a hut in the middle of the woods, and grew up there. I was born in a castle yes, but it wasn't decorated or lavish. The Von'Strausses didn't believe in such frills, as a matter of fact believed that comforts like the kind the Ruvinas have grown accustomed to offered nothing but weakness."[/color] [color=00aeef]"I'm not sure if I agree with that, but it certainly rings with a small amount of truth doesn't it?"[/color] Lorelai smiled. [color=00aeef]"I was kicked out after my first blood, to go with my mentors, and live in the woods until I was strong enough to claim the comforts I deserved."[/color] Genoveve sniffled again as Lorelai spoke, and dropped her color back down, showing her tear stained face and reddened eyes. She supposed Lorelai was right... she was not nearly as different to her as Elina or Vespa, [color=f49ac2]"I-I guess... I just... why does Elina seem to hate me for it?"[/color], tears started to fall again as she asked, [color=f49ac2]"She-she just... rebuffed me an-an-and lied straight to my faace like I-I was not even... like I was some sort of b-b-beast or..."[/color], her shoulders began to shake slightly as she explained her agony to Lorelai, [color=f49ac2]"D-does Vespa think like that t-to? Does she... she tell you how low I am our-our say I don't b-b-be-belong with all you n-... noble ladies?"[/color], she looked at Lorelai, terrified that the answer would be yes. [color=00aeef]"Elina doesn't hate you, she just doesn't know how to talk to you."[/color] Lorelai patted Genoveve's shoulder across the small table between them. [color=00aeef]"Vespa hardly cares about your upbringing overmuch. She cares far more about a person's bearing. You're a witch Genoveve, we're a coven of witches that harbors some nobility, not an aristocracy with some witches."[/color] Lorelai removed an intricate potion kit from a small bag she was carrying. It was made mostly of ivory and finely crafted glass. [color=00aeef]"I wanted to give you this. It was the first pretty thing I ever purchased. You don't come from money Gen, but you're a loyal and good witch."[/color] Lorelai grinned as she pushed the kit across the table. [color=00aeef]"Give this to someone when you buy your own. Everyone deserves at least one pretty thing."[/color] Genoveve stifled her tears as Lorelai revealed the fine potion kit, and pulled it closer to inspect it. It really was beautiful, finely carved from ivory with the glasses carefully detailed and etched. She smiled lightly before looking up at Lorelai, [color=f49ac2]"Th-thank you Mistress... its beautiful..."[/color], she stared at it a bit longer before speaking again, [color=f49ac2]"Have... Lorelai have I ever told you about when I arrived at Castle Bloodrose? What it was like?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"No I don't think you have."[/color] Lorelai sat back smiling, she was pleased that Genoveve seemed to like her gift. She hoped the girl would feel more like one of them. [color=00aeef]"I believe I was out when you arrived. Go on."[/color] Genoveve nodded, [color=f49ac2]"Well first... you have to understand what our hut was. This carriage,"[/color], she gestured about, [color=f49ac2]"This is finer than... anything I had ever seen. And it is about just as big. After I killed my mother in the ritual, Yeris suggested I should... cut ties. So, I took what I needed and... left."[/color], she pushed some hair out of her eyes before continuing, [color=f49ac2]"After awhile Yeris led me to Castle Bloodrose and... it was like, nothing I had ever even imagined. It seemed bigger than even the woods had, or the tallest of trees. It was like... seeing a god or something, I was in awe... inside it was even more amazing!"[/color], her face lit up at the memory. [color=f49ac2]"Silver and servants and... things I had never thought I would even see... does this sound, stupid?"[/color] Lorelai chuckled. [color=00aeef]"No, not stupid, cute and a little funny though."[/color] Lorelai's laugh ended in a grin. [color=00aeef]"Tell me though, do you like it there? With us?"[/color] Genoveve smiled, [color=f49ac2]"Well... it's very different you know? Not to long ago it was only me, mother and the spirits... it's difficult to adjust. So many more people and... faces to remember. The food is all so rich and wine is so common it may as well be water."[/color], she giggled at the memory of when she had spent an entire day drinking because no one told her to stop, [color=f49ac2]"But... for the most part yes I'm happy! There's you, and Medusa who are very nice. And Laina of course, my first love..."[/color], she blushed slightly, [color=f49ac2]"Though... its hard sometimes. I get lost... a lot. And sometimes I just get a bit overwhelmed though, especially with the... Ruvinas. How... how do you deal with all of Vespa's uhm... extravagances? I think I would get overwhelmed..."[/color] [color=00aeef]"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, and I'm always around if you need anything you know."[/color] Lorelai was suppressing the urge to laugh again, but the image of Genoveve stumbling about the castle, hopelessly lost, drunk, was hilarious to say the least. [color=00aeef]"Vespa and me are alike too. I wasn't raised a noble, but over the years I've amassed a good deal of wealth, with my own hands. I even have a citadel in the inferno that me and Sousiel once called home."[/color] [color=00aeef]"Things that you could have one day, if you wanted them. Your talent for potioncraft is prodigious."[/color] Lorelai smiled. [color=00aeef]"Not that we mind you simply enjoying the comforts we've provided, you're more than useful enough to have earned them."[/color] Genoveve smiled shyly, [color=f49ac2]"Oh no I don't think I could handle owning and living in my own citadel. I think my heart might stop just seeing the outside!"[/color], she giggled a bit, but then took on a more quizzical look, [color=f49ac2]"Lorelai... I've been wondering, what [i]exactly[/i] is your relationship with Sousiel? I know she's your familiar but she's like... a person... so..."[/color] [color=00aeef]"Sousiel? She's my familiar, and has been since I was eleven I think."[/color] Lorelai was a touch confused at Genoveve's interest in her familiar. [color=00aeef]"We're...friends, master-servant, family, and everything else? I don't know, we've been together for what seems like forever sometimes. We're close, why?"[/color] Genoveve seemed to be thinking, [color=f49ac2]"I... I don't know she just seems... interesting? I've never met a demon before, dealing in spirits as you know and it's... strange how human she seems... she does not [i]seem[/i] like the cruel hellion I was told demons were."[/color], she exhaled sharply as she thought about it further, [color=f49ac2]"Like... does she feel... feelings? Like us? Or is it all the hate and, lust and all the base stuff in her head?"[/color] Lorelai grinned. [color=00aeef]"Yeah, she feels like we do. She also feels the twisted hate of the inferno. We're bound tight me and Sousiel, she's less demon than others, and I'm less human."[/color] She continued, proud of what she and sousiel had accomplished. [color=00aeef]"She's learned humanity's range of emotion over the years, and she's come to terms with it. She wasn't always so happy about it though."[/color] Well... that sounded interesting, [color=f49ac2]"What do you mean by that? Was she... frustrated with more emotions or... what do you mean she was not so happy about it?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"Frustrated would be an understatement."[/color] Lorelai let out a small laugh. [color=00aeef]"She absolutely hated feeling remorse, or fear, or worse yet...Love."[/color] And so the plot thickens! [color=f49ac2]"Love? She felt love for someone? Who was it! Was it... you?"[/color], this seemed exciting to Genoveve, a demon learned to love huh? And hated it? She needed the details. Lorelai blushed lightly. [color=00aeef]"It was me. We were both young, maybe sixteen at the time?"[/color] She shook her head a little. [color=00aeef]"Either way we were too young to know what was good for us, so me and Sousiel were each other's first love for a time."[/color] Genoveve leaned forward on the table, very interested now, [color=f49ac2]"What was that like??!! Falling in love with a demon?! Was it particularly... passionate? Or... hot?"[/color], Genoveve blushed lightly at her question, but really was interested in the answers. Lorelai's blush deepened, but Genoveve seemed so interested, so she answered anyway. [color=00aeef]"It was one part what you'd expect, sweet, exploratory. And one part savage, hungry, consuming. That's about when my own demon blood began to stir, we were at each other's throats and...other things with equal fervor and frequency."[/color] Her blush now complete she asked her own question. [color=00aeef]"How about you and Laina huh? What was that like?"[/color] Genoveve blushed almost as much as Lorelai was, seeing as her relationship was still very... fresh, [color=f49ac2]"W-well Laina is very... strange. She came to me not even understanding what love meant just before we... uhm... well regardless she is a bit confusing sometimes. She hardly understands her own emotions and she often seems... distant or disconnected. But she is certainly... into it when it counts."[/color], her face was now as red as Lorelai's, [color=f49ac2]"But mine is still fresh... why did you and Sousiel end it? Does she still... I don't know... love anyone or was loving you too much for her?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"It ended when we realized that it wasn't good for me."[/color] Lorelai's smile was a little sad. [color=00aeef]"Sousiel's intimacy was stirring up the demonic taint in my essence before it's time, and I think she still loves me. I still love her too, in a different way. We'll be together until the end though, and that is a huge comfort to me."[/color] Genoveve nodded as Lorelai talked about how they ended it, but seemed curious still, [color=f49ac2]"She... 'stirred up your demonic taint in your essence'? What... does that mean? And how? I suppose I don't understand how... a human and a demon would... uhm..."[/color], again Genoveve blushed, gulping quietly. [color=00aeef]"We did the deed just like anyone else would I suppose."[/color] Lorelai's blush was as bad as it was going to get, so she didn't see any harm in explaining more. [color=00aeef]"Sousiel has all the bits and danglies she needs for such things after all. I don't know if you know this or not Genoveve, but I'm part demon. I was becoming less part demon than part human, so we had to call it off."[/color] Genoveve's eyes widened, [color=f49ac2]"Really? Your part Demon?! And she has... uh... the man... bits?"[/color], she looked about shyly as she said it. [color=f49ac2]"So it made you... less demon or more demon with all the... time you spent together?"[/color] [color=00aeef]"The longer me and Sousiel live, the more we gravitate towards half and half. Sousiel's a part of me, like a body part."[/color] Lorelai began attempting to explain. [color=00aeef]"However, age and wisdom are required to suppress the...darker impulses that come with demon-hood. Sousiel and I's naked escapades were hastening the process beyond my years and wisdom however."[/color] Lorelai gave Genoveve a small wink. [color=00aeef]"Sousiel has whatever bits she, or her partner, wants her to have at the moment."[/color] The end of her statement made Genoveve nervously giggle, [color=f49ac2]"Uh so I see... uhm so it hastened the process? What would happen if... it wasn't with someone who was half demon? I may have been lying about you teaching me about demons but they are interesting... so what would happen if she had 'naked escapades' with someone who was not part demon?"[/color] Lorelai shrugged. [color=00aeef]"I haven't the faintest, but I imagine it would just be...fun?"[/color] She laughed again. [color=00aeef]"My studies never quite made it to the consequences of demonic fornication...although perhaps they should have."[/color] Genoveve smiled, [color=f49ac2]"Well, if Sousiel ever finds someone else to... fornicate with I'm sure it would make for some interesting studies aye?"[/color], she tittered like a little girl at her childish joke, [color=f49ac2]"Though, that may never happen if she really does still love you heh... would that be strange for you? Learning your familiar was heh, 'fornicating' with someone?"[/color] Lorelai chuckled a bit. [color=00aeef]"I'd have to apologize immediately to the poor witch she'd managed to convince into it."[/color] Lorelai thought for a moment. [color=00aeef]"I think that would be strange, and a touch concerning. We're bound for life, so whoever she picked would be bound to me too, in a way."[/color] Genoveve smiled at her, [color=f49ac2]"They'd be bound to you as well huh? Well, having another witch 'bound' to you would surely be useful no? Let's gossip! Who do you think she could [i]ever[/i] fall for other than you?"[/color] Lorelai stroked her chin. [color=00aeef]"It'd be someone vulnerable, a little clumsy, that she could get interested in slowly. Someone she could corrupt a little, and perhaps enjoy corrupting them too much."[/color] Lorelai grinned. [color=00aeef]"If she wasn't a bit of a prude I'd say Elina, I'll bet Sousiel could warm her up nicely? You got any bets?"[/color] Genoveve tapped her chin lightly, deep in thought, [color=f49ac2]"Well from what you say I don't think Elina is for her, she is hardly clumsy or very open. Maybe...[/color], she was really struggling to think of it, [color=f49ac2]"Well, Clarissa is a bit of an airhead, but already sort of corrupted... hmmmm... this is difficult huh? I really don't have anything... you have anyone that isn't Elina? Or are we just waiting for her to make her move on the other Ruvina?"[/color], she giggled. [color=00aeef]"Hmm...."[/color] Lorelai looked Genoveve up and down grinning mischievously. [color=00aeef]"You. Could be you next little Genoveve."[/color] She burst out laughing. Genoveve blushed again as she giggled quietly, [color=f49ac2]"Well, she'd have to pry me away from Laina first! No easy task, first love being what it is. Though I suppose I am her type according to you..."[/color], suddenly she covered her mouth as she laughed and leaned in close, [color=f49ac2]"Maybe she is listening in right now, and already stalking me!"[/color], she started laughing loudly like Lorelai had been. [color=00aeef]"I doubt it, I've got her grabbing some last minute supplies, but she could be."[/color] After their laughter had died down Lorelai grinned at Genoveve. [color=00aeef]"Feel better dear?"[/color] Genoveve quieted herself as Lorelai asked if she felt better, [color=f49ac2]"Yes... very much so Mistress. Thank you."[/color], she smiled and put her hand on Lorelai's, [color=f49ac2]I am happy that you are with me. Oh and one more thing, if Sousiel is interested tell her she will have to go through Laina!"[/color], she chuckled a bit more, she was happy she has such good companions. [color=00aeef]"Sure thing."[/color] Lorelai flashed the girl one more grin as she climbed out of the carriage. [color=00aeef]"Hope you enjoy the trip, I certainly will."[/color] She closed the door behind her, happy that Genoveve was feeling better.