OOC: Since this initial thread never took off, I rewrote it to fit as an intro for my latest character, Angel!
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The bells were ringing across the town. Many were bustling around, many were so excited that two of the great Trading Lords were joining houses by the wedding of their two kids. House Lovett and house Dravish were to become fatefully unionized in a wedding (that had been a long time coming). The skies were at their bluest, the flowers at their prettiest and Angel was in her most foulest as she hissed through gritted teeth as women fondled over her, fussing over her hair at great lengths (for great lengths her hair was not), and brushed it thoroughly, weaving flowers throughout her pink braids set amongst the cerulean blue that was her hair, and began powdering her nose and face and body with enormous puffs of powder and perfume that she began to cough and gag on it, desperate for air.
She had had about enough of this wedding. Once the dress was on, cinched and tied up in back, she was able to get the coddling old, hen-like women to leave her alone for a minute, and sighed with relief when she shut the door when the last old hen had left. Slumping against the closed door, she groaned.
"By the Gods.. look at me!" she exclaimed, catching sight of herself in the mirror. She approached it with caution. Her lips were painted a juicy pink, with finely trimmed eyebrows raising up into a sharp brow (she was so used to seeing them untweezed..), darkly painted lashes and blue eyeliner and shading, and her hair all shiny and tamed, her cheeks, pretty, rosy red, and her skin seemed a lot more paler and dull like from it's usual, golden tan.
"Ugh." she smacked her hand across the vanity, the brush and a few loose ribbons and flowers fell to the ground. "I look so stupid." And and as she moved to yank some flowers from her hair, she heard a knock on the door. Shit! She should have locked it.
"Angel, can I come in?" Angel froze. "It's your mother."
Shit! Turning around, she didn't have a chance to rush to the door and lock it before her mother came on in. She paused in mid-stride, and her lips fell open, looking exasperated as Angel watched her mother place a hand to her heart and a few tears come to her eyes.
"Oh, Angel.. you look beautiful."
Angel grit her teeth.
"Come on, mom," she said, smacking her mother's reaching hand away. "And if you touch my arm, all of these silly flowers will fall out." And it was partly true, she ahd flowers just about everywhere, and hoped to god none of them had somehow made it inside her dress, for they were down the dress, woven into the dress, inside her hair, around her arms, and even spun through her earrings and necklaces. Pretty pink and white petals everywhere. She sighed when her mother came to more tears. Angel idly ithced at her arm that had flowers wrapped all around it over an ivory arm band plate designed for just such a silly thing.
"Mom, please.."
"Oh.. it's just that.." and her mother moved to wipe at a tear. "You look so.. so beautiful I just.." and she tried to sniffle it back. Angel was getting annoyed, and as her mother moved to hodl her hand, she yanked it away.
"Mom!"
"Oh, let me just hug you Angel. I know you're so prickly, but give me this one moment." And before Angel could protest, her mother's arms were around her, holding her tight. Angel cringed, remaining stiff beneath the embrace as she released a hot breath. This was so awkward. not only was she out of her element, in a dress,a frilly wedding dress of all things, but now her mother was hugging her. Angel was never one for hugs. And then she felt the tears on her shoulder.
"Mom! You're crying all over me!"
Backing away, her mother brushed at her still falling tears.
"Oh, I'm sorry Angel. It's just you look so... so..."
"Ridiculous?"
Her mother laughed.
"Hardly." And she moved forward and took her by the hands and brushed a loose strand of Angel's blue hair from her eyes. "I was going to say beautiful."
Angel rolled her eyes.
"Mom.. really." she gave an impatient stomp of her foot.
"It's just, your father and I have been waiting for this day for a long time. We're just so happy for you. And proud."
Angel rose a sharp brow and reared back from her mother.
"What? Happy that you're marrying me off to be rid of me? I hardly think this is fair.. and if I had my choice.." and she reached to yank at some flowers in her dress, which caused her mother to gasp, appalled.
Snatching onto her daughter's wrist, she frowned and looked up at her.
"Now, stop that now. You're not to act this way. You're a lady," she scolded.
Angel looked back at her mother bitterly.
"But I'm not. I'm just.. me."
Her mother's face fell.
"Why can't I just not get married, or wait another ten or twenty years then commit? I'm not ready for this mom. I don't want to."
"Oh, Angel.. sweet Angel.' ANd Mrs. Lovett moved forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her wtih a sigh. "I love you sweety, but you have to grow up. This is how the world works. As the.."
"..daughter of a merchant, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it." she rolled her eyes and pulled away from her mother's embrace. "You've both said it to me TOO many times." She sighed, tucking back some of her hair.
her mother just looked at her, uncertain what else was to be said.
"Mom.."
"Yes, Angel?"
"Can I have a few minutes.. to be alone?"
The sound of hte bells came again, echoing through their silence. But her mother eventually nodded.
"Oh, alright." And she brushed at another tear. "You always were so stubborn." Then she paused at the door, giving Angel a look. "And be kind ot your husband. I do want grand children some day."
Angel rolled her eyes."Mother, really, Mathew already gave you grand children! YOu've got three of them already! Besides," she made a face. "I'm never going to have kids."
Mrs. Lovett smiled. "Oh, Angel." She shook her head. "Jus tbe happy, ok?" And with that, she kissed a hand to her finger tips and waved them Angel's way, then left.
FINALLY. Ugh, could her mother make this day any more awkward?
Returning to her vanity, she stood before it, looking down at all of the goopy make up, and frilly strings and flowers and the golden comb she hadn't pushed to the floor. Her fingers tapped over a crystal perfume bottle before the open window caught her attention through the mirror when she lifted her blue eyes. A cold wind drifted in through it. Blinking, she turned around and slowly approached it.
She was high up, several stories.. at least three to be exact, as she watched the world bustling below. It was then the slopping shingles on the roof caught her attention.... an the way they sort of funnelled into one another, like rocks in a stream. And she got a horrible, HORRIBLE idea.
Several curses and a jump into a pile of hay moments later, Angel had managed to scale down the side of the church, her long white dress trailing behind her and gettig caught awkwardly on the last row of shingles from the roof top she had just jumped from. So when she rose up to make a mad dahs to run away, she let out a sharp cry, her dress nad veil becoming tangled, and it snapped her back lik ea rubber band, and a rip was heard. She winced an turned around, seeing the damn thing was stuck on the iron posts jutting off the edge fo the roof, to keep the snow back in winter.
Frowning, she grabbed onto the long train of her dress, and the length of her veil and gave a tug, and a tug and tug, and eventually, they both were tearing free.
Now she had a much shorter dress, (which made her sigh with relief, for it'd be easier to run) and as she was torn free, white clothe and lace, along with the scatterings of broken flower petals took off intot he air, while Angel went int he opposite direction, clinging onto her skirts and making a mad dash down an alley way and rounded a sharp bend.
She had to get the HELL out of here! and fast! There was no way in HELL she was to get married today! But before she knew it, she had crashed into something with a sharp cry,... or was it someone? Her limbs went pinwheeling forward, entangling into the other man's as they both went down onto the ground, flower petals and frilly dress layers settling all around them.