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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2018 21:27:22 GMT
Riku was living in a dream that called itself reality. He had gotten married to the woman of his dreams and they were heading to his family's vacation home in France, in a small town just a couple hours away from Paris. It was quiet, beautiful, and in the country of love. It couldn't be a more perfect place for them to head to on their honeymoon. Day trips into Paris were of course planned, but the majority of time would be in the villa, being together. It had been stocked with wines, cheeses, meats and a cook and maid to see to the cleaning and dinners of the couple. Perhaps if Sunshine wished they could cook some of their meals together, but since this was a honeymoon, Riku had thought that it would be a good idea to get some hired help.
They were being driven from the airport and Riku had his fingers laced with Sunshine's as they looked out the windows at the passing countryside. It was beautiful, Riku had forgotten just how breathtaking France even was. He smiled over at Sunshine. "How you doing, Sun?"
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Rural_French_chateau.jpg )
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 27, 2018 23:53:35 GMT
Paris, France. Ever since Sunshine had taken classes in school, it was a dream vacation of hers. The city was everything she could have wanted. Well, okay they weren't staying in a villa with a view of the Eiffel Tower like they did in the movies, but it was much more romantic. He was taking her to his family vacation chateau on the outskirts of the big city. The last time she had been in one of these was as a vampire's prisoner. But now, she was a different kind of prisoner. She was chained by love; a much better sentence. Her brain was foggy still from the layover hours leaving New Orleans and spending eleven hours on a plane. She sleepily smiled at her husband.
Husband. Calling him that would take some getting used to.
"Does this place have comfortable beds just as beautiful as the countryside?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2018 3:48:25 GMT
"My great-grandfather was a humble carpenter before he married my great-grandmother. He built the bed in the master bedroom. I just got a new mattress" Riku told her lovingly. "I want this to be special, and beautiful, so I made some plans to visit art galleries so you can buy some paintings for the walls, and I arranged for you to meet some artists as well" he was getting excited. "But, first, we sleep off the jetlag. I want this to be absolutely perfect for you, sweetheart. Good food, good beds, romantic strolls, anything you want I'll do my best to provide, now and forever" she was his wife. This was amazing. He loved her more than anything. His wife, his beloved, sweet and competent wife. His equal. It needed to show her just how much she meant to him, but first, sleep.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 28, 2018 5:17:19 GMT
Was he rambling because of jet lag? Sunshine was too exhausted to tell. She heard something about his great-grandparents making a bed, and she wasn't sure if this was lazy seducing or a genuine part of his history. There was also talk of art galleries and artists. She hoped this meant he was taking her to the Louvre. It had been her dream location ever since she was a kid. But he was excited and loving to her. It always made her heart sing. She yawned, leaning against him and inhaling the honey-chamomile scent that wafted off of him every time, making her sleepier. She would be sleeping with that smell always now. The back of a car to a chateau was a good start at least.
TIME SKIP
Sunshine yawned. A good long nap was exactly what she had needed. The chateau they were staying in was vibrant, and it made her blush that the setup played off of their designated alignments. There were hints of bright sun-colors reflecting evening tones. So, after adjusting the soft blanket over the sofa where she had passed out, she headed out to the outer balcony, her hair, albeit toussled, catching a lavender scented wind.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2018 23:50:24 GMT
Riku stood on the balcony as he watched the sunrise. Sunshine had slept on the couch an entire day and night and Riku had let her, not wanting to move her from where she'd sat down for "Five minutes" and by the time he came back with honey and cinnamon cocoa, she'd been fast asleep and he didn't want to disturb her. So he'd slept on the couch across from her, just to be close to his wife, in case she woke up. She didn't but he figured she was sleeping off jetlag. For him, it only dragged him down for a few hours, but everyone was different. So, he was on the balcony with a cup of lavender tea. He turned when he heard his wife come up behind him. He smiled at her. "You can always tell a voodoo house by their garden" he nodded to the lavender bush he'd gotten the buds for his tea. "The rose buds are dried enough you can have tea" he blushed a little. "Rose tea is beneficial for women, it's like caffeine, but it only affects women, so when you said yes and we decided on honeymoon location, I ordered some roses that bloom year round, so you can have rose tea" he was glad she was awake and went over and kissed her gently on the lips. "You can see the village from here" he said, happy and nodded to the small village where tiny people were just starting to move through the streets.
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Post by Zuyuri on May 7, 2018 0:08:00 GMT
"I've always liked lavender," Sunshine nodded. Well, here it went. He was starting voodoo 101 with her and she had woken up from a jet-lagged nap. There were no nightmares, thankfully. She was eager to listen to him describe the garden. In a way, the way it grew with little to no maintenance. She sat next to him, admiring the frosted purple and green. The smell made her think of the bush she grew in her tabletop herbal garden and when she'd make lavender biscuits for special occasions. He had even gone out of his way to get her roses? "How long have you been studying these garden books, anyways?" she asked. Her green eyes flitted to the village, watching people go back and forth. It was charming, like something out of a fairy tale.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2018 0:23:40 GMT
He looked at her face and went red. "Is it too soon? I mean, I'm bursting with telling you about more about myself, and that's got a lot to do with talking about herbal voodoo" Herbs were a big part of his life. He mixed them to make his powders, kept herbs according to the seasons and the seasons' spirits, kept dried sprigs to ward off different creatures and curses on him at all times. It was such a part of his life that it was awkward when he tried explaining it. He hoped Sunshine wouldn't regret marrying him when he kept going on about this stuff. He shrugged, still a little pink. "Gardens are natural places for witches and voodoo practitioners to get their herbs and protective spells. The plants and trees protect us, we just have to take what they give us" he watched the little village with a faint smile and glanced at Sunshine also watching them. "Some of them are werewolves" he offered. "French werewolves can become human if someone they love calls their name. So if say, some rebellious teenager was bitten and starts eating cattle, their mom can go "Jeremy you're grounded"" he laughed a little. "They also protect the villages from worse things. Like foxes or unseelie" he chuckled. "I love this place, because of the magic here. It's not as magical as other places, but it's old and drenched in lore and beautiful art"
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Post by Zuyuri on May 7, 2018 0:35:49 GMT
Sunshine laughed. He had been so open about himself when they had started dating. The very first thing he had told her about himself had been his rough go abouts at home. Did that scare her off like it would have someone else? No. If anything, it made her want to stay more. It made her want to protect him from the darkness. "Riku, the whole point of a honeymoon is for us to relax. If telling me about yourself and your garden if how you want to spend it, then it's bonding. Besides, I said I'd have to learn voodoo if I was going to marry you. I'm sticking to it." She looked back down. He told her about French werewolves. She remembered in the police academy having a question like that on a written exam. She giggled at his description of the reverting process and the magic in the area. He was right. A slight tingle was in the air, which she felt often from her heightened Seelie and Unseelie gifts.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2018 0:51:49 GMT
He nodded. "I'm just not sure you want to hear it right now? I mean, we've been married for a couple days. But..." he picked honeysuckle from the railing and showed it to her. "Honeysuckle was used as rope to bind things to packhorses or used in marriage ceremonies. To have flowering honeysuckle means everlasting love" he smiled and put the flower in her hair. "It also causes slight confusion. Every time a fey folk has confused their target, we've found honeysuckle oil in the area. It's a great tactic to get people to leave when they're not welcomed" He closed his eyes and smiled. The tingle of strong magic was in the air, and he could almost taste it. "I like coming to places like this and making charms, it doubles their strength" he said. "And the spirits are helpful ones. We have a browny and a boggart in the basement. The boggart keeps bad dreams away and we have an agreement that it doesn't scare the residents of the house as long as we leave a plate of food each night on the step" he chuckled. "The browny tends my garden when I'm gone. I like to leave it little trinkets sometimes. Never clothes, then it'll have to leave" he put his hand over hers. "After breakfast, do you want to see the village?" he asked gently.
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Post by Zuyuri on May 7, 2018 0:57:56 GMT
"I want you to feel comfortable with it. It's not fair to squeeze information out of you like a ripe fruit," Sunshine argued. She folded her arms as she still stared out to the village. There were sides she had yet to tell him. Like how she would still sneak food out of the bakery when they thought she was perfect. It was how she got "bargains" on bagels when she brought them into the police department. He presented her with an off-white flower. Honeysuckle. She recognized it anywhere. Even the smell was easy to pick out. He lectured her on discovering the fey with the oil, tucking the bud in her hair. It seemed so lonely just sitting behind her ear. He spoke of spirits and she was at work pulling her hair into a tight braid, enterweaving honeysuckles into the locks. As she secured the end, his hand fell on hers. She blushed. Every time. Every time they touched, she lit up. "I'd love to," she answered with a girlish grin.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2018 1:08:05 GMT
He laughed at the analogy and smiled. "Okay, okay, point taken. I just want to make sure you're ready to learn. I mean, there's so much, I don't want to throw it at you all at once" He watched her put the flowers in her hair and oh he realized he loved her more than anything else in the world. In the universe. She was gentle and pure and able to take care of herself and out of everyone she'd chosen him, and he got to see her put honeysuckle in her hair like she did it every day. The sheer surge of love almost frightened him, but it was alright. He could drown in this feeling and be happy because it was for her. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Then into the kitchen we go, Mrs Lafayette" he murmured. "The cook made food with some of the lavender and other herbs, and there's quince jam" he looked up at her, eyes glittering with mischief. "I might not have an orchard of them like Omar, but I know you like making quince pastries, and we have one that's been here since the house was built" he gave a small smile. "One of my ancestors was buried under it, and is said to tend it themselves. The fruit is better than anything, I tell you. And goes well with the honey pears" He just knew the village would love her, she was so bright and pure. But first, food.
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Post by Zuyuri on May 7, 2018 1:19:01 GMT
Sunshine looked down at her sandaled feet. Her face was turning pink. Was it a crime to love someone as much as she loved him? He was watching her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. At first, she wouldn't have believed it. Yet she saw him stealing glances at her, admiring every little thing she did no matter how quirky. He took everything she did and somehow found it wonderful. He kissed her knuckles and she leaned into him as he led the way. "Between the supply Omar gave us as a wedding present and this, we're set on quince jam for a while."
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2018 1:48:16 GMT
Oh shit, he'd embarrassed her. But when he looked in her eyes, he saw her love for him, as massive as the love he had for her, and he knew it was alright. She found his quirks beautiful, just like he found hers. This was meant to be, even if they did embarrass each other with just how much they loved. "Omar gave us two baskets of Rich's Dwarf and Pineapple, my tree is Cooke's Jumbo. It's made specifically for baking. Like pies or tarts" he smiled at her. "The jam is good too, but If you ever want to make pastries, I went and stocked the pantry with fruit preserves, most of it coming from the garden, some of it coming from the village. They've known me since I was a kid, most of them. Pretty sure they'd love to meet you" he led her to the kitchen, sunny and homey with rustic flair. The cook was bustling around it, warbling a merry tune and turned when they entered the kitchen. Riku grinned and nodded to the cook. "Her name is Francine. She speaks pretty good English, and I bet she'll let you help out if you want to" he turned to Sunshine. "I don't want to force you to cook, but I also don't want to get in the way of your fun. Take any recipe to her and she'll make it, or let you make it if you ask" Francine laughed.
"Oui Madame. Monsieur Riku told me about your bakery, I'd be honored to help you, or make your favorite foods" the cook beamed at Sunshine and Riku grinned like a little kid.
"Okay Francine, what is on the breakfast menu?" he asked and she laughed.
"Blackberry croissants with elderberry and honey on top, crepes with mixed berries, and omelets with sage rosemary and thyme" she winked at them. "It might be in a song, but it is certainly a delicious way to eat an omelet"
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Post by Zuyuri on May 7, 2018 2:06:33 GMT
"You are just asking for some cuddling, aren't you?" Sunshine asked teasingly. They would have plenty of time for that in the evening. He had picked specific quinces for her to bake with? How long did those even grow? He said the tree had been around with an ancestor. The villagers were going to pamper her to the point where she didn't want to go back to Bellerouge. The truth was, if the scary lady was waiting, probably good to stay low for a while. The kitchen of the castle was everything she had hoped it would be. It was so charming. Francine, the hired help, introduced herself and mentioned the bakery,
"Well, British recipes are obviously different from French," she said with a grin. "Help would be incredibly appreciated! And don't worry, I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirtyy," she imitated rolling up her sleeved with a laugh.
The breakfast menu made her stomach growl. After eating peanuts, pretzels, and drinking nothing but water, she was famished. Tyhe 'Scarborough' omelet sounded the best. She giggled with Francine nd hummed the tune.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2018 2:17:30 GMT
He winked at her. "Guilty as charged, my dear" he said and laughed. He smiled at the two women bonding and laughed when Sunshine hummed the song. "Remember me, to one who lives there. For she once was a true love of mine" he sang, his voice husky but could carry a tune. Francine chuckled and began dishing up the plates for the two of them as Riku nodded towards the table, a warm oak table big enough for four people.
Riku pulled the chair out for Sunshine and then sat beside her. Francine put the plates in front of them and nodded to Sunshine. "I would love to swap recipes" she said, fairly excited. "Crepes are simple and delicious, and you can fill them with any berry or fruit you want. Powdered sugar and honey on top is how I eat them, but whipped cream works too" she put down a bowl of homemade whipped cream beside the two plates, and for good measure a jar of lilac honey and powdered sugar. "We want you both to be happy here" she said seriously. "So please, enjoy the food and the scenery" Riku smiled.
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