A Small Lexicon Of Love, Part 2 Vladimir Nabokov To His Wife Vra

a small lexicon of love, part 2 — Vladimir Nabokov to his wife Véra

♡ · 　ashencrwn

Rifling with life, the museum was unusually empty. Scatterings of art enthusiasts and starry-eyed artists in the making dotted the marble flooring sparingly. Lethargic guards lumbered around with slack enthusiasm, nothing better to do than to politely remind people to put away their open bottle of waters and to not get so close to delicate pieces. Their languorous behavior made it easy for a pylon of dark, viscous smoke to materialize in a dark corner of the museum unnoticed as a tall man stepped through with laced up, leather neiman marcus dress shoes. 

The god of the Underworld had come to take a break from his burdensome duties, but there was more than an appreciation for art lingering in his dark blue eyes. His stoic features were normally challenging to read, but there was a distinct lack of satisfaction mixed in a complicated confluence of heavy frustration and unhappiness in the subtle way he clenched his jaw and looked forward with a dull look in his stare.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” The tall man spoke as he stepped forward into a room with a sole person in it. They were seated in front of a large painting of the fallen angel Lucifer concealing his tearful expression of anger, resentment, shame, and exclusion. ( the painting tw: nudity ) He took a step forward to stand beside where they sat on the bench, settling his hands into his pants pockets and exhaling sharply through his nose to resist an audible sigh. “This one is a favorite of mine.”

          IT SHOULD BE OF LITTLE SURPRISE  to  most  people  that  aurora  had   learned  to  appreciate  art  from  a  very  young  age .  granted  it  was  through  books  and  the  stories  her  dear  ‘ aunts ’  would  share  but  just  like  singing  or  dancing ,  the  world  of  paintings ,  sculptures  &  the  like  had  a  place  in  her  heart .  that  may  not  be  where  her  own  talents  lied ,  but  that  didn’t  matter .  so  long  as  painters  continued  to  paint  and  share  their  gift  with  the  world ,  she’d  be  more  than  content .

         however ,  even  with  all  that  in  mind ,  not  every  piece  of  art  made  her  smile  or  filled  her  heart  with  joy .  not  because  it  wasn’t  worthy ,  oh  no   —   but  becaused  it  evoked  another  sort  of  emotion .  thankfull ,  the  princess  had  only  felt  this  way  a  handful  of  times  in  her  life  and  while  she  knew  all  emotions  were  important  in  their  own  little  way ,  aurora  would  much  prefer  to  be  nothing  but  a  ray  of  light ,  radiating  nothing  but  the  purest  warmth .  sadly ,  it  was  hard  to  hold  herself  in  such  manner  while  gazing  upon  the  painting  before  her .

         upon  hearing  a  familiar  voice  fill  an  otherwise  silent  room ,  the  princess  almost  jumped  from  her  seat  in  surprise .  almost .  ❝  yes ,  it  is ,  ❞  her  dulcet  voice  responded  calmly ,  though  a  slight  frown  rested  on  aurora’s  gentle  face .   ❝  it  is  also  the  saddest  painting  i’ve  ever  seen ...  i  feel  bad  for  him .  ❞

「 ofmalevolence 」

Kieran sighed as he listened to her. He didn’t think she’d understand. She didn’t carry the fear his mother had instilled. She hadn’t even existed when Maleficent had. Kieran could remember the darkness of her. He was grateful that most didn’t. “Rose, I don’t even want to be around anything that reminds me of her. She was a terrible being and she manipulated my father and caused my family a lot of pain. How can you expect anyone else to just get over that?” He figured the most honest response was best. He never let anyone into his own feelings. It was easier to help others then it was to deal with how difficult it was to be king of his mother’s kingdom. “It’s not a choice to be born first. Being an older brother is very different. He has to learn to be king because there will be a day that you and Seth have your own lives and Liam will be king on his own.” Kieran understood Liam because he’d always been the one that was responsible to siblings who didn’t seem to care about anything. “I need you to let people make their own decisions because it’s what’s best for them and not you.” Kier fixed her with a look. “You are not a burden, Beastie. I am your friend because I want to be but like I’ve said, you need to learn to make your own decisions and let others make theirs. You don’t like being told what to do but you can’t control others either.”

                                                                   🌹

         HEARING KIERAN TALK ABOUT HIS OWN MOTHER  in  that  manner  makes  the  princess  stop  for  a  moment ,  forcing  her  to  reevaluate  thing  rosalie  thought  she  already  knew .  it  was  one  thing  to  hear  tales  of  maleficent  from  her  family ,  rare  as  the  mentions  of  her  were  ( for  obvious  reason ) ,  but  a  completely  different  one  to  hear  them  from  kieran .  ❝  ... she  was  really  that  bad ?  i  just-  i  thought  she  must  have  had  some  sort  of  redeeming  quality ,  anything ,  but  i  trust  you .  ❞  after  all ,  what  would  he  gain  from  admitting  to  his  mother’s  cruelty ?  furrowing  her  brows  as  kieran  talked  about  what  would  be  rosalie  and  her  brothers’  fate ,  she  looked  down  at  herself ,  struggling  a  bit  with  said  notion .  it  couldn’t  just  end  like  that ,  right ?  it  wasn’t  fair .  ❝  it  shouldn’t  have  to  be  like  that .  sure ,  i’ll  have  my  own  life  one  day ,  but  that  doesn’t  mean  i’d  just  forget  about  my  family .  no  matter  where  i  am  or  what  i  do ,  i’d  still  want  to  be  there  for  liam ,  ❞  though  he’d  never  let  her .  the  way  kieran  looked  at  her  made  the  princess  feel  small  for  a  moment ,  so  much  that  she  wanted  to  hide  not  out  of  fear  but  embarrassment .  she  didn’t  mean  to  cause  such  a  ruckus ,  especially  for  him .  ❝  and  what  if  other  people  don’t  like  my  decisions ?  should  i  just ...  not  care ?  ❞  the  concept  seemed  so  foreign  to  her .  ❝  it’s  not  easy ,  you  know .  i-  ❞  rose  catches  herself  before  she  can  continue ,  soon  lifting  her  gaze  and  speaking  again .   ❝   you’re  like  family  to  me ,  kieran .  so  when  others  don’t  see  you  in  the  same  light  i  do ,  it  hurts .  but  i’ll  respect  your  wishes  from  now  on .  ❞  a  pause ,  lips  slowly  curling  into  a  smile .  ❝  that  being  said ,  bernie  misses  you  &  you  must  make  time  for  him  in  your  busy  schedule !  he  is  so ,  so  big  now ,  no  longer  the  little  bunny  you  once  knew !  ❞

「 flynnridcrs 」

♔

            THE PRESENT MOMENT IS SURREAL  and  that  isn’t  quite  lost  on  flynn .  such  a  casual  reunion  seemed  almost  out  of  character  for  the  pair  of  them ,  but  it  wasn’t  like  they  had  experienced  it  quite  like  this  before ,  either .  the  time  that’s  passed  between  them  had  been  longer ,  during  the  most  formative  years  of  his  life .  hers  too ,  he  was  sure .  there  was  so  much  to  potentially  catch  up  on . 

            his  mind  fleeted  past  the  thought  and  considered  what  it  was  he  promised .  was  his  aim  good  enough  to  be  so  bold ?  well ,  he  had  been  training  with  a  sword  -  and  that  surely  had  to  count  for  something .  ❝  and  perhaps  the  bunny  as  well ,  ❞   he  agrees .   ❝  but  we’re going to need  more  darts .  ❞  he  flashes  a  grin .

            the  man  running  the  booth  hands  him  three  darts  and  flynn’s  gaze  falls  to  the  line  of  balloons  in  front  of  him .  he  holds  up  the  dart and  with  a  flick  of  his  wrist ,  it  flies  through  the  air  and  hits  a  bright  green  balloon ,  the  burst  causing  a  loud  pop !  in  the  air .  one  more  and  he  got  the  panda .  ❝  what  are  you  going  to  name  them ?  ❞  he’s  cocky  as  he  throws  the  other  two  darts ,  another  balloon  popping  in  their  wake .  ❝  &  look ,  there’s  pink  or  blue .  ❞

                                                                 🌹

            ❝  WHY MORE DARTS ,  are  you  not  confident  in  your  skills ?  ❞  she  tries  to  keep  a  serious  tone  and  expression ,  but  it’s  impossible  to  when  the  very  person  rosalie  had  missed  so  desperately  for  the  past  three  years  was  standing  right  there ,  not  to  mention  smiling  at  her .  it  makes  rosalie’s  lips  curl  into  a  grin  of  their  own ,  hand  placing  another  five  bucks  down .  ❝  i  do  want  that  bunny ,  ❞  she  giggled .

            her  gentle  gaze  watches  in  excitement  as  he  continues  to  pop  a  balloon  right  after  the  other ,  hands  clasped  together  against  her  chest .  ❝  they  do  need  names ,  don’t  they ?  let’s  see ...  ❞  the  princess  paused  to  think  for  a  bit ,  though  her  attention  returned  to  flynn  the  moment  he  pointed  out  the  two  colors  available .  that  was  more  than  enough  to  send  rosalie  her  greatest  dilemma .  ❝  oh  no ,  you  know  i  can  never  choose  between  the  two !  ❞  it  might  as  well  be  one  of  the  few  things  that  haven’t  changed ,  &  it  brings  a  certain  sense  of  comfort  to  the  girl .

             with  a  sigh ,  she  gives  her  answer  in  a  shrug .  ❝  you’ll  have  to  pick ,  i  love  both  colors  equally .  as  for  the  panda’s  name ...  fitzy ,  after  no  one  in  particular .  ❞  spoken  in  a  playful ,  teasing  tone  as  a  smirk  sits  on  her  lips .  rosalie  could  argue  that  it  would  be  named  after  juliet ,  but  she  knew  he  wouldn’t  buy  it .  after  a  moment ,  the  princess  spoke  up  again ,  keeping  her  focus  on  the  balloons .   ❝  you’re  taller  now ...  don’t  let  my  brothers  see  you ,  it  might  hurt  their  feelings  to  have  their  heights  defied .  ❞

「 honeylemondrop 」

Ada felt relief in having finally told the truth. She was actually surprised by how easy it had been and how the awkwardness of it was gone. “Of course. I’d never lie to you. It’s why I had to tell you.” Ada knew that Rose had a very complicated heart and a highly romanticized idea of love that worried Ada most of the time. “I know. I think we have to figure this out together. I promise it’ll be the best date ever.” Ada had no idea what it would be yet but she’d make sure it was a good one. If it was the only one they ever had, she’d make it memorable. “I can’t help it. I’ll be as patient as my mother. I’m glad I could be the first though now the expectations are higher than ever.” She grinned and moved to return the kiss to Rose’s cheek. 

                                                                     🌹

              ❝  YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME SOONER ,  i  know  it  hurts  to  keep  these  things  bottled  up ,  ❞  spoken  with  a  remorseful  tone ,  as  if  the  princess  is  apologizing  for  whatever  stress  she  might  have  caused .  the  last  thing  rosalie  wanted  was  for  the  brunette  to  suffer  because  of  her ,  or  even  suffer  at  all !   and  while  she  didn’t  really  have  any  other  dates  to  compare  it  too ,  she  knew  ada  would  come  up  with  something  special  ---  it  was  just  like  her  to .  giggling  when  the  other  girl  kissed  her  cheek ,  rose  felt  her  cheeks  become  red  with  warmth ,  lifting  her  free  hand  to  cover  one  of  them .  ❝  ada !  we  haven’t  even  been  on  our  date  yet  and  you’re  already  spoiling  me  with  kisses ...  i’m  afraid  i’ll  have  to  report  you  to  the  authorities !  ❞  she  jokes  dramatically ,  ❝  your  mom  is  the  most  patient  woman  i  know ...  you  won’t  have  to  be  like  that ,  i  swear .  and  i  don’t  want  you  thinking  about  expectations !  whatever  we  do  will  be  absolutely  wonderful ,  i’m  know  it !  don’t  even  worry  about  it ,  okay ? ❞

bold of you to assume i won’t tell you i love you again just because i did ten seconds ago