Frost 58, 109 AoS
“Tonight is the night!” Mannon's younger sister exclaimed with a childish squeak.
Mannon part snorted, part giggled at her younger sister’s fussing before averting her eyes back to the mirror to apply rouge to her lips.
“Hey Madelyn.” Mannon smacked her lips, calling to her sister and putting down the brush. Madelyn had been ready for the past half an hour at least. Well collected in her evening dress, she was check that the necklace set perfectly upon her collarbones. Mannon was surprised that her sister had not yet freaked out and wasn't ushering them out the door.
“Yes?” Madelyn responded in that well-measured tone trained into her by their mother. Mannon's face curled into a grimace.
“One, you're super stiff right now," Mannon told Madelyn. "But that's not what I wanted to say." The young girl then turned on her stool. Her sharp eyes burying into her sister's profile. "How come you don’t get to meet your charming man?” Mannon asked, running her hands down her own dress, her lips turned into a teasing smile.
Madelyn looked at her sister with raised eyebrows.
“Well don’t look at me like that. I have a man. Maisie will soon have one. But what about you?” Madelyn’s otherwise controlled expression started to grow a little tense. Mannon knew she was playing with a hornet. But she also knew that the hornet could not sting today. So she waved her hand at Madelyn, brushing off the reaction and an answer that would not come. They all knew why Madelyn had no man yet. She was trained to be the next matriarch and to matriarch’s, all good things come in time.
Well I will have a bunch of babies by the time Maddie discovers where man's crotch is located, Mannon thought and chuckled to herself.
“Anyways, don’t you think our parents are quite unimaginative anyway?” Mannon then threw out another curveball.
“What?!” Madelyn questioned face scrunching into confusion. Mannon liked it when that mask of collectedness broke and her sister came through. Next to Mannon, Maisie’s hands curled in excited balls under her chin watching her big sisters go at it again.
“I mean, think about it. Firstly, this indoors ball when we could have an outdoors ice sculptures and dance." Her hands gestured with the picture she had in her mind but Madelyn just sighed and shook her head.
"No, no, bear with me," Mannon continued, pointing at herself. "Mannon.” Then she pointed at her older sister. “Madelyn.” She patted Maisie's curly hair that by the end of the night would stand in all directions. “Maisie.” After a pause, she added. “Marco, Martin… I mean, come on! It’s like our parent's could be asked and instead opted to take stock of their children!”
“That’s enough!” Madelyn exclaimed and took a few resolute steps towards Mannon. Maisie shook in anticipation. “That’s enough, Mannon. If you’re trying to upset me, well you’re doing it. Now shut up, finish up getting ready and let’s go.”
Maisie giggled which only earned her a stern look from her older sister. With a squeak, the little girl scooted away, towards one of the maids who was to finish putting on her shoes.
Yet, Madelyn wasn’t finished with Mannon. She took one more step towards her sister, meeting Mannon at standing. They had these face-offs quite regularly these days. Madelyn was trying to maintain her position of the future matriarch and Mannon was happy to challenge it on occasion. Not out of spite. Mannon couldn't be asked to be a matriarch. Mannon believed she did it to remind Madelyn who she really was.
But right now, she was looking at a nicely manicured finger pointing at her face and heard her sisters whispered words of caution. “You better behave tonight, Mannon. Leave those absurd ideas behind. This matters to the family and your future. Do not let us down.”
Mannon’s face grew still. The smile disappeared from her lips and she returned the stiff stare to her sister.
“I will,” she said. “But will you, my dear Madelyn?"
A flash of confusion ran across Madelyn's face
"With all the handsome men around?" Mannon opened up her arms, her own mask breaking. "Or will you dash away ---”
Madelyn threw her hands in the air and uttered a displeased, angered grunt before turning around and stomping away.
“---to chase another man’s pants?!” Mannon called after her sister. Unable to hold a straight face anymore, she burst into laughter.
There was no way in hell she was going to play by the book tonight, not with her man attending the ball. She believed him when he said he would make her ideas come true.
Mannon part snorted, part giggled at her younger sister’s fussing before averting her eyes back to the mirror to apply rouge to her lips.
“Hey Madelyn.” Mannon smacked her lips, calling to her sister and putting down the brush. Madelyn had been ready for the past half an hour at least. Well collected in her evening dress, she was check that the necklace set perfectly upon her collarbones. Mannon was surprised that her sister had not yet freaked out and wasn't ushering them out the door.
“Yes?” Madelyn responded in that well-measured tone trained into her by their mother. Mannon's face curled into a grimace.
“One, you're super stiff right now," Mannon told Madelyn. "But that's not what I wanted to say." The young girl then turned on her stool. Her sharp eyes burying into her sister's profile. "How come you don’t get to meet your charming man?” Mannon asked, running her hands down her own dress, her lips turned into a teasing smile.
Madelyn looked at her sister with raised eyebrows.
“Well don’t look at me like that. I have a man. Maisie will soon have one. But what about you?” Madelyn’s otherwise controlled expression started to grow a little tense. Mannon knew she was playing with a hornet. But she also knew that the hornet could not sting today. So she waved her hand at Madelyn, brushing off the reaction and an answer that would not come. They all knew why Madelyn had no man yet. She was trained to be the next matriarch and to matriarch’s, all good things come in time.
Well I will have a bunch of babies by the time Maddie discovers where man's crotch is located, Mannon thought and chuckled to herself.
“Anyways, don’t you think our parents are quite unimaginative anyway?” Mannon then threw out another curveball.
“What?!” Madelyn questioned face scrunching into confusion. Mannon liked it when that mask of collectedness broke and her sister came through. Next to Mannon, Maisie’s hands curled in excited balls under her chin watching her big sisters go at it again.
“I mean, think about it. Firstly, this indoors ball when we could have an outdoors ice sculptures and dance." Her hands gestured with the picture she had in her mind but Madelyn just sighed and shook her head.
"No, no, bear with me," Mannon continued, pointing at herself. "Mannon.” Then she pointed at her older sister. “Madelyn.” She patted Maisie's curly hair that by the end of the night would stand in all directions. “Maisie.” After a pause, she added. “Marco, Martin… I mean, come on! It’s like our parent's could be asked and instead opted to take stock of their children!”
“That’s enough!” Madelyn exclaimed and took a few resolute steps towards Mannon. Maisie shook in anticipation. “That’s enough, Mannon. If you’re trying to upset me, well you’re doing it. Now shut up, finish up getting ready and let’s go.”
Maisie giggled which only earned her a stern look from her older sister. With a squeak, the little girl scooted away, towards one of the maids who was to finish putting on her shoes.
Yet, Madelyn wasn’t finished with Mannon. She took one more step towards her sister, meeting Mannon at standing. They had these face-offs quite regularly these days. Madelyn was trying to maintain her position of the future matriarch and Mannon was happy to challenge it on occasion. Not out of spite. Mannon couldn't be asked to be a matriarch. Mannon believed she did it to remind Madelyn who she really was.
But right now, she was looking at a nicely manicured finger pointing at her face and heard her sisters whispered words of caution. “You better behave tonight, Mannon. Leave those absurd ideas behind. This matters to the family and your future. Do not let us down.”
Mannon’s face grew still. The smile disappeared from her lips and she returned the stiff stare to her sister.
“I will,” she said. “But will you, my dear Madelyn?"
A flash of confusion ran across Madelyn's face
"With all the handsome men around?" Mannon opened up her arms, her own mask breaking. "Or will you dash away ---”
Madelyn threw her hands in the air and uttered a displeased, angered grunt before turning around and stomping away.
“---to chase another man’s pants?!” Mannon called after her sister. Unable to hold a straight face anymore, she burst into laughter.
There was no way in hell she was going to play by the book tonight, not with her man attending the ball. She believed him when he said he would make her ideas come true.
