[FIN] Coming of Age

[Suudonym]

He brought his other elbow to his other knee and folded his hands, creating a place to rest his forehead. "Just let me think about it for a minute," he said, closing his eyes to eliminate the extraneous sensory input. "Just a minute. Thirty seconds. Time me."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Time him? She blinked at that, but she did as he asked, lowering her hand back onto her lap she started to sound silently to herself, watching him as he remained motionless to think.

she hesitated once she had counted to thirty and he still had not moved,
"-Thirty..." She spoke unsure if he was being literal or not.  

[Suudonym]

Well, Lord Fabre, what will you do now? Being engaged to Rosie wasn't a problem; he was capable of forcing his father's hand if it came down to it. Not being engaged to Nicolette, however, after said engagement was announced to all of goddamn Parliament, that stood to be a bit problematic, especially given that he didn't know what kind of ulterior arrangements had been made between the two families. He had no intention of dishonoring Nicolette or her family, but--

"Ugh." As Rosie announced the end of the time he had allotted himself, he stood, looking through the collection of nobles. "Arceus, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I guess I'll find Father and just wing it from there."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sera blinked at Luke's sudden reappearance and stressed demeanor, and since she was still unsure how to think about them getting married, that kind of prevented any other thoughts from getting out either, thus the brunette remained quiet for the time being and simply watched. If she could think a little better, or voice her thoughts, she would've immediately suggested just punching his father in the face, but that probably wouldn't end well.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie started at the sudden noise that followed her end of thirty seconds.
As he stood, so did Rosie mostly out of reaction.
She didn't know what to offer him, but it worried her to see him this stressed trying to figure something out that was going to be unpleasant.  

[Suudonym]

There was a part of Luke that felt Rosie should just stay there and wait for everything to blow over, but the other part of him was already apologizing to Sera for leaving again and assuring to her that they wouldn't be long.

It wasn't difficult to pick his father out of a crowd; he seemed to make a point of surrounding himself with people. Fortunately, none of those people seemed to be Lord Lachapelle - yet. Before he had any recognition that he was speaking, he was already producing words, "Father, there's something we need to discuss."

A few of the individuals nearby turned to look at Luke curiously, joined by Lord Fabre's discerning gaze. Within a moment, his eyes traveled from his son to the passingly familiar girl that was with him, and with a long, unpleasant sigh and an insincere "very well," he gestured to them to follow through a door into the empty hallway beyond.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie was nervous, but she didn't realize just how nervous she was until Luke had located his father and was speaking to him, that nervousness only increased more as the man's gaze fell on her.
She would have liked to have kept a level gaze, but her eyes were lowered a second later.

She said nothing, standing by Luke and following where he lead.  

[Suudonym]

Lord Fabre folded his arms, speaking before Luke could seize the opportunity, "I suppose you intend to tell me that you're dissatisfied with the arrangement."

Luke waited for a moment to respond, as if expecting his father to have more to say. "Well… yes, but--"

"Of course. Honestly, I'm not sure how I didn't see this coming. You certainly do have a history of doing whatever you want to do without heeding my wishes or opinions. I'm not sure why I thought this should go any differently - save for the fact that Lord Lachapelle often told me how his daughter raved of her admiration towards you, of course. Because what would that count for."

"Father--"

"Is this all you had to say? That you wish to nullify the engagement scarcely two hours from the time it was announced? Forgive me for expecting that the young lady's gentle and caring demeanor would be good for you. And what exactly is she doing here? Come to ridicule her friend's idiot father for his laughable inability to remember that his son insists on making things difficult at every opportunity?"

Luke stepped partially forward, his expression stern. "She's here because I intend to marry her."

Lord Fabre's expression shifted from its usual air of general disapproval to one of surprise, and then to one of offense as he leveled his attention on Rosie, his words to follow apparently more directed towards her than towards Luke, "Excuse me?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

Luke wasn't even getting a word in at this point, it seemed that his father had a lot he had wanted to say, and there was little chance for Luke to get a word in.
Rosie held her breath, clinging to her own hands as he continued, her head jerking up slightly when he addressed her.

She was left stunned completely motionless, scared to even breath as he fixed a look on her that made her feel like she wanted to shrink. clinging to her hands nervously she glanced from Luke to his father a couple of times.
"I- " she couldn't thin of any words.  

[Suudonym]

Her lack of a response did little to abate his scowl, though it was unlikely that there was much that existed in the world that could accomplish that. "Marry her?" he repeated. "This… Kodo girl?" The words were spat like a slur.

"I have every faith that I could knock you flat if I wanted to," Luke warned, a slight aggression entering his stance and expression. "This 'Kodo girl' is my fiancee. More importantly, she's the person I love. If you had ever asked me about your dumb engagement plans, I would have refused on the spot because of her."

"From Kodo, though?" the older man reiterated, seemingly disgusted as he unfolded his arms to gesture at the girl in question. "Why would I have ever thought that you could possibly find a fiancee in a place like that? You were not raised to such standards."  

[Blood_Goddess]

He was being merciless in his displeasure, and as a result he was not only managing to make Rosie feel like a piece of trash on his pristine floor when already feeling like she didn't fit in with all of these beautiful nobles, but he had in the same breath insulted her home, the home she cared for deeply and fought so hard to help protect daily. To top it off, questioning Luke on his decision, making it sound like Luke had settled for something highly unsavory.

"Why would you-!" Rosie gasped on reflex out of horror of what he had just said her body still stuck in a fear though she was now shaking with the addition of the blatant cruelty that she did not expect, and had no idea how to deal with it. Another sharp intake of breath was covered with a hand.  

[Suudonym]

Luke moved a hand to take Rosie's, holding onto it tightly and regarding her briefly with an expression that fought to be apologetic through great offense. "It's okay, don't take him too seriously. He's only been to Kodo once in his life; he's just running his mouth." The words were half reassurance to Rosie and half a stab into his father's insults. Before the older noble could give his retort, Luke continued.

"Let me just take a moment to tell what my associations with Grande Ile are. Grande Ile is a place where I lived out the overwhelming majority of my rememberable life in total confinement. It's the place where I was daily berated or ignored by my father and coddled like a baby by my mother; it's the place where no one ever took me seriously or seemed to give any real effort towards sympathizing with me. It's the place where I found out that my entire identity was a carefully constructed lie." He paused briefly, his embittered tone fading in its strength, "It's the place where I was essentially held prisoner and denied seeing my friends during a time that I really needed their support, and it's the place where I came within inches of ending my life."

Lord Fabre, who had appeared increasingly agitated as his son continued to speak without allowing interjection, suddenly looked quite speechless, and after several moments of failing to produce a response, he eventually managed one, "What are you talking about?"

Never releasing Rosie's hand, Luke drew a long breath. "Last spring, I stood in that hall with a blade against my neck and every intention to push it through. I'm standing here right now for two reasons: One, because Yuri physically prevented me from carrying it out, and two, because Rosie convinced me not to let go so easily."

Luke's father remained silent for a time, his expression an amalgam of surprise and distress and perhaps something that at least marginally resembled shame. His eyes fell. "I wasn't aware of this."  

[Blood_Goddess]

It was hard to ignore it, since she knew he probably felt that way for a long time, but it was true, how could he say those things if he had no idea what Kodo was like. He was saying terrible, hurtful things for the purpose of being hurtful, and that wasn't any better.

When Luke took her hand she stepped closer to him, how she managed to move she had no idea, instinctual just bringing herself to him.

Luke had finally gotten his chance to talk, and giving no opening to his father to interject said exactly what he wanted, and as Luke continued, he had seem to struck a subject that had shocked his father.
Though Rosie didn't go without reaction either, even if it just involved her reaching down with her other hand to close both of them into Luke's, glancing over at him. But she was warmed by the fact that he didn't have any intentions to try again, and that she had somehow been able to help.
It chilled her to think that it had almost happened in this house.  

[Suudonym]

"Before you start criticizing Rosie and Kodo," Luke said, not responding to his father's words but abandoning the hardness his words had previously held, "maybe spare some thought to the fact that if it weren't for them, you wouldn't have an heir at all right now. I don't need your permission for this. If you want to threaten disowning me, then I don't need the Fabre name either."

"No one's said anything about disowning anyone," Lord Fabre snapped. He heaved a sigh, pressing his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose. "Honestly. This is quite the mess you've created."

Luke shook his head, "If even one word of this had been said to me, it never would have happened."

"I thought this would be good for you," his father countered. "I knew that you were depressed - certainly not that you were that depressed, but still. I arranged to have Nicolette sent to you so that it wouldn't be such an unpleasant surprise. Everything I heard from her father suggested that the two of you were on very good terms. She's bright and supportive, kind…"

"If those are your requirements, Rosie meets them easily," Luke replied. "Nicolette is a good person. I'm glad I was able to meet her and get to know her, but I can't imagine spending my life with her. Not having known Rosie."

His father sighed once more, folding his arms again. "You're actually very serious about this, aren't you?"

Luke nodded.

"And you," the lord addressed Rosie. "I barely even know your name. How do you intend to prove to me that are considering this arrangement as seriously as my son?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

Things seemed to be starting to calm down, at least the tone, much to the relief of the blond amidst the two red haired men.
She found a way to breath again, though as Luke's father spoke to her again she remained speechless for a couple of seconds. surprised by the question.
"I... I -"

Oh come on Rosie this is an opening that he's giving you don't go make a fool of yourself now.
At least try not to.
she hesitated for a moment longer, looking as if she might be frozen in fear again and not able to talk, before she tightened her hands against Luke's and finally found her words.

"Don't know what you need as proof sir but... Uh- We met... almost three years ago- yeah and uh... I was very lost...Not really in the city- just, some terrible things had happened, and I was young, I had no means of understanding how to deal with it and how to come back from it, something I suspect I would have had a difficult time doing, but then- I met Luke,
He didn't even know who I was, I was just some sad little girl on the street and in his own way at the time, he reached out to me.
He was a different person then, in a lot of ways, but that kindness and genuine instinct of helping people has always stayed, every sine that first day, and that's always been who he really is."

She seemed to snag through some of what she was saying as she tried to go on, though as she continued she seemed to forget that she was talking to Luke's father, and was now instead just talking about Luke, and that made things a whole lot easier. it was always easier since she couldn't seem to look up for very long before her eyes fell, then looked to Luke.

"I love him, and when he told me for the first time that he loved me I have never felt more comfortable in my own skin, and I have ever since that night.
I don't know how I'm supposed to convince you other then tell you about all the things we have been through together and helped each other up or cheered each other on through any of the struggles we've had. But through the last three years I've seen his best, I've seen his worse I know what kind of man he is and I love him so... so much for the person he is, Even if he has trouble seeing it for himself."

And then she remember she was talking to Luke Father after she looked over at the older noble and she flushed with uncertainty realizing what she had just said, glancing down again.

"T- to be honest I'm... pretty sure I'm a bit scared of you... sir... but I didn't want him to do this alone. He's never going to have to do anything alone again."