The house was rarely empty – Pheobe stood in the golden light spilling through the windows and smiled faintly. The house was empty and silent, warm and expansive. There was nothing but tranquillity and so she had to break it. Just a little. Silk and chiffon skirt hissing, she sashayed to the covered piano and pulled the lid up, letting her elegant fingers trail a tinkling journey across the keys. It was wonderful to hear them ring out into perfect silence. Like the illicit pleasure of being the first to leave a footprint in fresh snow.
Or leaving lipstick on perfect white linen.
Rolling her soft shoulder, Pheobe played out a simple jingle. Upbeat and sparkling, it was the kind of thing she and Constantin had played, or had others play, at parties. Not the formal compositions of the court. Something with a little more life. Then, as if on their own volition, her hands slowed and started to play a smooth, staggering love song. She couldn’t remember the story that went with it. Something terribly tragic, she supposed, where the princess loves the guard captain and he’s sentenced to death by a jealous prince. Or where the serving girl gives up her life for the king who doesn’t even know her name.
There were a million love songs on the continent, and few of them were happy. But the music was sweet, and for all she was a grown woman, she felt a girlish thrill when she played them. Something about the music and her body at the piano felt like elegance – as if her hands were saying ‘gosh, aren’t we sophisticated’ with every note. She stopped and giggled, shaking her head in a way that sent blonde tresses tumbling around her shoulders.
“You play well.”
The voice was so unexpected that, for a moment, she had no concept of who it could belong to. Pheobe whirled, heart hammering in her throat, and then sighed,
“Captain Vasco, do you simply walk into the private domiciles of all the women you know, or am I the only person to have that dubious honour?” The words were undermine by the quiver in her voice. Vasco simply smiled and bowed, removing his hat. The tan skin of his face was a little red… sunburn, or perhaps something more immediate in nature.
“I did knock, lady, but you were too engrossed to hear me.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have entered,” she snapped, body humming with the acute mortification that only comes when someone is caught unaware. Vasco nodded and turned without speaking, “wait! No, I… I’m sorry Vasco, come in.” She stood and pushed the stool under the piano, “I was just shocked, how are you?”
“No, you’re right. Truth be told, I heard the music and I was curious. I didn’t know you could play… certainly not so well,” he said, almost with a wistful air, “I love music.” Pheobe tilted her head, awed by the vulnerability in his face,
“Would you like me to teach you how to play a song?” She asked, voice firm but soft. Vasco’s eyes widened, then a grin spread across his face slowly but surely,
“I would. Very much,” he curled his tongue around the words almost hesitantly, as if tasting them. As if it was too good to be true. But when she extended her hand to him, he took it without waiting only to blush when he realized she had been about to beckon him. The laughter that spilled out between them broke the tension and brought the world back into line with itself. “I would like that, De Sardet,” he said, “very much so.”
“Then come over here,” Pheobe said turning away before she added, “after you take off those filthy boots.”
This is so incredibly sweet and vdbshxhzhvzhxvzgzhsvshachzjaj
I simply love how Pheobe is so arrogant and huffy and at the same time so fuzzy inside ahahahahahaha and how she is all alone once again, since it’s almost always the case. You wrote it so well ;w; I am in aweeeeee
And Vasco being just a soft boi uwu She gonna teach him how to play the pianoooooo maybe they would even sing together vsvsgsczhvzhsvajja the imagination!! I simply love it, thank you soooo sooooo much, it’s so utterly precious and lovely, I feel so touched aaahhhhh ♥️♥️♥️♥️
My half of an art trade with the delightful @merruschka: Phoebe de Sardet, being more than a little amused. This has been such a fun project - I’ve learned several new rendering techniques! - and Merruschka has been cheerleading me all the way, including providing tweaks and redraws on the line art. <3
AHHHHHHHH MY BABY
My beautiful baby ;w;
I love the outcome! She looks so soft and gentle and sassy lol, absolutely my little fiery princess uwu
The blush feels so natural and cute, just like ingame I like how the colors mingle together ffhfyxjgifhu That’s how I imagine her being portrayed at the beginning of the game (with the difference that she likes being painted lol) and it’s so prettyyyy xhzhxghshzhzjagzjzhxjagxjajak Thank you so much for the trade! It had been a lot of fun! And you learned to draw in circles :’D look thos cute glupshi eyes and the soft cheeks
“Before Kurt knew what they were doing, their faces collided, their mouths pursued each other in desperation. Yearning, loneliness, fear, everything was there, in a kiss so sweet it unlocked something deep within Kurt’s chest. He shifted his weight, freeing Jeanne and at the same time putting his hand under her neck to hold her closer, kissing those red lips, so soft as they moved hungrily under his. […]”
Warning! This is an NSFW fic written for @merruschka so if you’re not looking for lemon, its time to look elswhere!
It was a beautiful dress, the kind Pheobe had always adored; pale blue silk, so fine it almost seemed liquid, and underskirts of taffeta and lace that looked like sea foam. Tight in the waist with a rigid bust, it pushed her breasts up in a way that was enticing without being vulgar, leaving the silver and sapphire necklace to rest at their meeting point. It complemented her milky skin and pale hair. It made her neck look long and graceful… but how she hated it. A gift from her Uncle that had been pushed on her as much as this Prince. This dress. This necklace. He had sent them with a note;
‘Neice, wear this and remember that you are Our jewel.’
It was probably the most precious thing in the room, if not for the sea pearl tiara her uncle had gifted her to wear with it. In short, it was resplendent.
And she would have thrown it into the fire if given the chance to leave with Vasco.Tears welled in her eyes, not for the first time that day, and she sighed tilting her head back to force them to stay where they were.
That was not to be, she knew. He was being promoted and she… well, she would be tied to Tír Fradí forever as on ol melawí, though she would have to relinquish her place in its governance. Shackled to Jean-Paul as an unenthusiastic bride. The future she had always known was coming, of course, but somehow it felt so much worse than she imagined that it would. After knowing Vasco and feeling the warmth of his love it was like being torn from the comfort of a warm bed and thrust into a blizzard.
I love it, so much. These two lovebirds simply are crazy for one another and you depicted it so well. God Vasco you cocky little bastard, you deserve a slaap for your arsy comments I had some real good laughs. “I fancy those slippers cost more than the ship you threw them at.” How ‘bout you catch these hands instead?? peak drama comedy at it’s finest. The smut is like, god dammit you throw dem lemons, but it turns into some delicious lemonde hahahahahahaah
Their chemistry, the switching povs and descriptive wording is as usual just superb
The ONLY THING I ALwAYS AM SAD ABOUT THAT IT ACTUALLY HAD TO END *NOOOOOOOOOOOO*
Now smash my heart and step on me Chaos lel
*eyebrow wiggle*
And hehe, that sweet picture @greenedera drew is just perfectly rounding this up
“She almost glided over the fields, holding the reins with ease, as if she was born to do so. With full grace.”
Jeanne De Sardet on her riding session with her mare Morgana for my very sweet @greenedera ♥️ Happy happy birthday my dear! ;w; I wish you the very best and I hope you have a nice day with lovely gifts, drinks and caaaakeeeee! UWU
“I was going to tell you, you know. I was… I didn’t mean to say love… Light, I’d gladly have you on a ship and never see you again - I’d take you hating me - if you’d live. Please, just live. If not for me, you’d never have been here.”
—
Vasco is horribly injured before he and Marie de Sardet can get it together to confess their feelings for each other. Here are a few scenes & vignettes about it.
So, I wrote another fic with the lovely @cowthropologist. Featuring: Plot-convenient poison and fevers! Angsty near-death love confessions! Panic! Awkwardly UST-y shaving! Tender “oh thank god you’re alive” sex! Vasco too knackered to have a filter! All the good stuff, basically.
![Chibi Art Trade with my lovely @merruschka [Phoebe De Sardet Captain Vasco]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f9eeb103683b46213ab3863b78da6920/db0ab08fae4e0685-2a/s1280x1920/b220c363bb1e02c078bee0bfd41fcc2f019f4ee8.png "Chibi Art Trade with my lovely @merruschka [Phoebe De Sardet Captain Vasco]")
