Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: crystaltears on 01-03-2011, 21:40:39</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>01-03-2011, 21:40:39</strong>
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				A bit of OOC Explanation: This thread is being posted with Saerra's knowledge and permission. Eden and I are collaborating on things involving Atticus' past and certain current and future circumstances of Atticus and Sebastian both. Saerra granted us permission to use up one of the allowed threads for the Teahouse game for this series of letters rather than having them be kept hidden in our PM boxes. I believe I can speak for both myself and Eden when I say we hope that those who should choose to read the contents of this thread enjoy it. :-)<br><br><div align="center">~*~*~*~</div><br>The first such correspondence came rather unexpectedly. Rich vellum scented of an all-too-familiar perfume. The perfume of the sweet, if vengeful, one. She'd come the first time to spite her father for telling her she could not marry the man she wanted to, but in more recent months her visits had become so much sweeter, gentler. And now she came for him, for comfort and relaxation. Only sixteen years old and far too gentle for such a place as the Lamb in Briars, but he could not have mistaken that perfume for the scent of any other. The predominant aroma was that of the moon flower, uncommon but appropriate to the lady who wore it. <br><br>The letter was handed over with an air of amusement and teasing, but it appeared as though Atticus would be the first to read its contents, for the envelope was still sealed with a purple wax seal bearing the very flower it smelled of. The face of the missive bore the entirety of his name in a curving, feminine script. When he did open the envelope he was faced with the following letter and a rather delicate bracelet he imagined she had enclosed to be certain he would know the letter's origin.<br><br><em>Dearest Louis,<br><br>Some time now has passed as I sat staring at blank parchment, trying to think how to tell you what I now intend to disclose... No thoughts or ideas have come to offer me the perfect words, and it is no wonder I suppose, given my circumstances... And yours.<br><br>How I hate to think of you in that place, so full of darkness and pain. The very building gave me misgivings when I first came to you there, and to be honest it still does, but it <sup>has</sup><del>is</del><sup>been</sup> worth it to see you. But I'm delaying myself... So let's to the point of this correspondence and out the truth.<br><br>I'm a fool, I know, for this confession, and for fearing telling you face-to-face, but can you blame me with your profession? It will be at least a month or two before I see you again. Time enough to try and get my mind straight... I love you, Louis... but we can never be together though that is the dearest wish of my heart.<br><br>That is not all, I fear, for God perhaps punishes my defiance... That is what this feels like. How did I ever end up in that place? And yet, I would not trade the world for the time I've had in your arms... Even though the same arms have held a hundred other women to your chest. Such memories of sweet time savored carry me through the waking day. When my eyes fall closed I can feel the rise and fall of your chest, the warmth of the circle of your arms, the gentle stroke of your fingers in my hair...<br><br>What have we done, Louis? <br><br><del>|/x X/||x &lt;|x/||&gt;</del><br><br>I'll tell you about the rest when I see you next... If I haven't found a way to take care of it myself. <br><br>With all my love,<br>Ellen</em><br><br>This was the first time she offered him her name, and of course it was in writing when the lady was not close by for him to say it to her.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>01-03-2011, 21:44:50</strong>
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				The Lamb in Briars was a contrast in every way for the surroundings in which one might expect to see Ellen Hatch. Her black hair crowned her head in perfect curls and spilled over her back for six inches beyond her shoulders. Nigh-porcelain skin framed her sparkling blue eyes with only a touch of coral rouge to color her cheeks and lips. Her dress spoke of access to money through some means without being quite on par with what one would expect a noble to wear. A single brooch adorning her collar served as her only jewelry, a silver circle with mother of pearl inlaid in the shape of flower petals.<br><br>She was not quite nobility, but she certainly seemed to have resources above such a place as this... And yet she had been there several times now. And this last time lay heavily on her mind as she put quill to rich vellum which carried the scent of the moon flower.<br><br><em>Dearest Louis,<br><br>It is three days since we spoke and words remain hard to find. I will not risk injury to the babe, worry not for that... But in not doing so I may well lose the esteem of the gentleman whose graces keep me off the streets and allow me my visits with you. <br><br>Three months gone with child am I as of tomorrow if my attentions prove well-merited. I know you asked more than once of the timing in my last visit, but I was so shaken. Forgive me that, Louis. I do not know what carrying to term will mean for me, or the babe.<br><br>Who am I to put such weight upon a soul before it even enters this world in which we live? Who am I to be so irresponsible?<br><br>You have my heart, Louis, but they still have my keeping.<br><br>Write to me, if you wish, and on the fifth day of next week I will send a boy to collect your letter. Should you choose to write, promise me in your first letter that you will not try to uncover my identity if you have not already. Also promise you will not forget me.<br><br>With all my love,<br>Ellen</em><br><br>On the face of the envelope she wrote his name before sealing the letter in purple wax. The symbol on the wax, a moon flower. The tears came after it had been sealed this time, and continued long into the night when the parchment had already begun its journey to the hands of Atticus Cross.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>02-03-2011, 00:41:47</strong>
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				Atticus had been putting off penning a letter, knowing she wouldn’t contact him again if she didn’t receive word for him. It was so tempting to keep silent – a child. They always served a special tea before or after the trysts so that these things would not happen, yet… it had. <br><br>She was having his child. His heart squeezed tightly in his chest, and the regret and dread he felt was oddly outmatched by his excitement, his joy. <br><br>She was only meant to be a client, but she was nothing like those who visited him. Beautiful and innocent. He had taken her virginity on their first meeting, and he had held her close after. <br><br>He had grown fond of her, become eager for her visits. She never hurt him very badly. If he didn’t write to her, he would give her more pain than all his clients combined ever could give him.<br><br>His materials were not rich as hers were, paper and watered down ink. His hand was not very practiced, as it had been some years since he had needed to do anything but sign his name, though there was still a little carriage left in his style. His spelling told of his vocabulary outreaching his education.<br><br><em>My Ellen,<br><br>Let me lay your fears to rest at once, however abrupt a start it makes this letter, and promise I shall never seek you out. I, however, will be in your reach for as long as I am able. It is with regret that I tell you, I will burn your letter as soon as I have finished writing this. I have no desire to risk your comfort or health. Forgive me.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>It is all that I can offer you, and my heart breaks that it is so little. If I were more, if I could… I would not leave you to the mercy of that gentleman who keeps you. Know that. <br><br>I should have told you that when you last visited, but I was too overwhelmed. My reactions were cruel. <br><br>As for forgetting you, that is a sin I will never be guilty of. You are engrained on my soul, branded on my heart and scarred on my skin. I will never forget you, or my child. <br><br><del>I intend to </del><br><br>Should anything happen, I will be here. <br><br>Keep well,<br>Louis X </em><br>&nbsp;<br>He stared at the page as the ink dried, read her previous letters again then threw them both in the fire. The bracelet was slipped into the envelope along with the letter, to which he added;<br><br><em>Post Script – I enclose your gift, which I cannot accept. My room smells like you. I will hold you tonight in my dreams.</em><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>02-03-2011, 04:25:39</strong>
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				Ellen paid off the youth she had bribed into collecting the letter. He was young enough and scruffy enough to look like he belonged wandering into the less savory parts of town. He asked twice the price they'd agreed on, of course, but it still wasn't a large sum and it brought her news. Her soft fingers closed around the parchment, rougher and of lower quality than what she was accustomed to. It brought a smile to her pink lips and a tear to her blue eyes as she turned from the youth and made her way back along the shady road she'd found him on. <br><br>It wasn't until later that day she finally opened the rough parchment and read the words written on it. Her blue eyes poured over the words more than once before she finally sat to pen a response.<br><br><em>Louis,<br><br>I am glad you wrote. I suppose I should not be, but your response offers me some sense of comfort and of hope. It saddens me, of course, to think that you must burn the letters I write. Still I will write them between my visits that you might find some pleasantries in your darker days.<br><br>I had a dream some nights ago. The child was in it. My family will surely disown me when they learn of my pregnancy, but I am not willing to sacrifice the babe for them or what society views as right... Still, on some level I wish this had not happened. On many levels if I am honest.<br><br>I am afraid.<br><br>As things are now I have some time to make myself close to another who could provide for me. With family such as mine you would think it a small task, but I was born out of wedlock and so I am a shame to my father. If he casts me out though, I'll do my best to have somewhere else to go. I would hate to leave you fretting over my well being or our child's.<br><br>You know in some ways it is a joy to think of. A wonder really. That a woman can carry life within her and bring it into the world. Such a miracle you would think should never be viewed as a sin or shame, but I do not fool myself; I still feel the blush on my cheeks for thinking anything positive of my circumstances now.<br><br>You were in the dream too, Louis. You often are. I am glad to think my scent can be found in your room, though sad you cannot keep the bracelet. It would not be recognized. I am more clever than that.<br><br>I will have to try and find a gift you can keep some day. Perhaps something that has never truly belonged to me so that there is no risk in the matter.<br><br>Dream of me, Louis, and I will dream of you. Perhaps in our dreams we can share a more lasting happiness.<br><br>E</em><br><br>She didn't sign her name this time, having grown more fearful of being discovered. The letter E would offer no hint to who she was, but the stationary might. For that reason she let the seal go unmarked and did not give the envelope any more scent than what would be present from the ink she had mixed with moon flower extract. Secrets put a heavy weight on the heart, and this one more than any other she'd ever known. Ellen hid Louis' letter in a plain wooden box beneath her bed and fell asleep with her lover on her mind. The next day she sent her newest letter to him by the same boy who'd come to collect his.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>04-03-2011, 00:14:43</strong>
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				The letter came to him slightly damp from the downpour outside, but thanks to the expensive materials it was not ruined as paper would have been. Being sent letters was not something so very uncommon, but the richer clients were often the most clandestine, so such blatant expense turned heads and made the servant’s noses twitch.<br><br>It was a mute battle, between the whores keeping their patrons safe from exposure and the forces outside the House luring the servants into becoming spies. Atti’s fear that Ellen letter might be read or even stolen were not unfounded.<br><br>Clumsily he opened the letter, wincing as the small cuts on his fingertips reminded him of the previous night’s work. He read her message, then at once set pen to paper. <br><br><em>Beloved E,<br><br>Your words reach off the page, though my mind and caress my soul, soothing aches in it I had not known were there. Could I keep your letters without fear, I would. Unfortunatly, I cannot offer you similar comfort in this correspondence.&nbsp; <br><br>Your dream will not come to pass. There is a way to guarantee it will not, foul though you may find it. <br><br>Seduce a man of your family. The more powerful, the more senior, the better. If he shares a few of my attributes, it will help pass our child off as his. Blackmail him, when the time comes. Be ruthless, be cruel, be the beautiful queen you were when you came to me that first night. You say I have your heart – so I will keep it safe while you are heartless.<br><br>It is the only way I can see this play out with you still in the comfort you have been reared to depend on. I cannot hope to offer you its equal for many years, and I am no fool. If you have an opportunity to marry within your station, take it. I will love you and our child just as much. Just as gladly. <br><br>Do not trust good will or charity. They are frail things. <br><br>The world is a thousand times more cruel than you know. One must be equally savage to survive. If you do not think any will take you to bed, we have a powder that can be mixed into wine. It will make the drinker insatiable. I will enclose a vial. Use it wisely.<br><br>I cannot bare to write any more, now.<br><br>I love you, I love you. I am sorry.<br>Louis X</em><br><br>He crushed the pen is his hand, making ink fall onto the page like grey blood, then stood up so swiftly his chair toppled over. His first struck the wall once, twice, three times before he could calm the broiling emotion his note had stirred in him. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>04-03-2011, 01:16:32</strong>
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				<em>'Seduce a man indeed,'</em> Ellen's knuckles were white from the force with which she clenched the vial she'd been sent. Her other hand held Louis' letter. Today was a most unhappy day long before the written words had reached her and they only served to further darken her mood. Angry paces carried her across her room several times before she finally sat at her writing desk and made herself read the words again.<br><br>If only it had stopped with the happier sentiments. And again, she did not have as much time as she would have liked. Three months with child meant the time was coming quickly when she would show, and in the meantime she had to hide her condition from all members of James Hatch's household. <em>'The only reason he's not cast me out already is fear that his wife will produce no children for him.'</em> And idea stole through Ellen's mind then. One which her twisted morals found not quite as deplorable as stealing a man's heart and blackmailing him with the theft later. Her mood changed as quickly as the evil plot came to fruition and she set her pen to parchment again.<br><br><em>My Louis,<br><br>My heart is glad to learn that I can offer you sweet comfort in any measure. If I must write a thousand words for you to read to replace the hundreds that could have done had you been able to keep them, I will. No man will ever be able to provide what you have for me, even if they can keep me 'in the comfort I have been reared to depend upon'. Know that, and take some measure of pride from it.<br><br>There is one man only within my reach to seduce, and I would not have him be the father of your babe any sooner than I would have him be my own. The other I spoke of is too young yet for such a thing, and his father too intelligent. Trust in me though, I will provide for both myself and our babe through one means or another. And you of all should know that when need requires it I've no qualms being heartless, though I am glad to know that you would not willingly relinquish your hold over my affections if the matter came down to resolutions rooted in lust.<br><br>Trust in me, Louis, to handle the matter for now, and take some happiness in the few details I have offered. The rest are too dark for paper, I fear, but perhaps I will have an opportunity to come call on you again.<br><br>I can't help thinking of you when I'm alone now. In another life, we would have been together, wouldn't we Louis?<br><br>I'm afraid I'm in a poor state at the moment. I'll write again soon if I haven't heard from you.<br><br>All my love,<br>E</em><br><br>Her hands were shaking. <em>Shaking</em>. Fear, loss, grief, and guilt all swept over the woman, and there was nothing she could do but tremble. The stationary was the same. The wax seal unmarked. The envelope free of perfume save for that in the ink. Ellen heard footsteps approaching and swallowed hard, quickly sliding the envelope between her back and the elegant chair of her writing desk. She scribbled a few words on the next sheet of parchment just in time to hear the door open and see her father enter the chamber.<br><br>A solid week would would pass before she found an opportunity to seek out the boy that now served as her messenger. A week in which she truly debated using the vial that had come with Atticus' last letter.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>12-03-2011, 16:05:00</strong>
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				Atticus was lying on his belly when the letter arrived, bed bound, white bandages wound around his chest. He was awake but drowsy from a mix of sedative the doctor had given him and the opium smoke that curled from the brass slow burner next to his bed. He lifted his head as a servant opened the door, cloth to his mouth. <br><br>&nbsp;“Nnn... not...” Atticus tried as the servant entered, trying to sit up. His arms didn’t move right, couldn’t bear him. The servant shushed him, placing the letter near the brass burner and laying a hand on Atticus’ head, stroking his hair. He stopped struggling to rise, panting. “Ism... is...”<br><br>“Just a letter. Go to sleep, you’ll not be used tonight.”<br><br>The fingers felt good, gently twisting through his hair. His back throbbed just a little, and he was so, so tired...<br><br>...<br><br>... He woke the next evening with a low hiss. He had a sullen bitch of a headache and his back burned terribly. One long but very thin stripe had been slowly cut out from his skin, from right shoulder to left hip. A terrifying wisp of a girl had done it under the close scrutiny of one of the more veteran guards. She was a new customer asking to do something dangerous, so Atticus had requested a watchman to stop her if she went too far. The girl knew her trade, however. It was neat and clean and should heal almost invisibly... if his next few patrons didn’t fuck up the stitches. <br><br>He lifted his head and blinked a few times, then saw a cup in arms reach. He braced himself and reached for it, the onslaught of pain making his head spin but he got the cup. He downed it all, water dribbling from the corners of his mouth in his eagerness. His gaze drifted to the table, the burner long gone – why waste opium on a sleeping whore? – and saw a bit of parchment. A letter.<br><br>With a little squirming and a lot of hissed curses, Atti was able to reach it. He cracked open the seal and held it to his face, breathing in the slight hint of perfume that was her.<br><br>He didn’t want to read it. He couldn’t stop himself.<br><br>He read the letter twice over, then stiffly eased out of bed and threw open his windows to better clear the air of the last of the smoke, so he might think, and gather pen, paper, ink and a stiff backed book before returning to his bed and dropping to it.<br><br><em>E. Precious, beloved E.<br><br>I thought you would hate me for suggesting what I did. I am pleased that you do not, that you write, that you wish to see me once more. I wait in eagerness to see your face, breath your name against your lips, earn your forgiveness in all the ways I can imagine. <br><br>You ask me to trust to you, and I will, and do. Whatever your plan, I wish you luck and courage. The dangers you face are much more dire than my own, I think. <br><br>Oh, E. Yes. Should our worlds not hider us, shackle us, I would desire to be yours alone. I wish you were here now so I might say this to you. See your eyes. Feel your belly. I would wed you, and give to you my future to make a better one. My fortune, so we could have something more valuable than gold. My all.<br><br>When I dream of that, waking is bitter.<br><br>There is more I wish to say, yet my mind is addled and the words will not come, and I have run out of time. <br><br>Courage, luck, and love<br>Louis X</em><br><br>The lineup bell had sounded. Even though he was still hurt, he would be expected to at least make an appearance. He folded it and hid it in his chest of draws before heading down to meet the evening rush.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>22-03-2011, 04:11:47</strong>
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				The warmth of the fire hardly seemed to reach Ellen where she stood. She held in either hand a small glass vial. One empty, one full. Tonight marked the end of her innocence in a way that made losing her maidenhead out of wedlock seem a child's error.<br><br>Ellen wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks and turned to her writing desk. Crossing the room to the desk, she rested the two vials upon it.<br><br><em>'Be vague, Ellen.. Be vague, so your love may keep the words you write him... If he chooses.'</em><br><br>She pushed her deeds from her mind and took to the writing of her next note, though this particular note was burned many times before finally finding its finished form.<br><br><em>Beloved Louis,<br><br>You will be pleased to hear that your words reach me and stay with me. Things are in motion to assure the safety of me and mine, and we both take comfort from your writing.<br><br>It pains me to think what circumstance keeps us from sharing, and then again were circumstances different we may never have met. You are so very dear to me, Louis, for the friendship and strength you offer me so readily.<br><br>Keep me with you always.<br><br>Your flower</em><br><br>How childish she found the signing, but taking all facts about who was involved out of the letter gave him a better opportunity to keep it. Particularly when the words were also kept so brief. She could have written for ages, but instead she said what mattered concisely using plain, black ink that would not carry her scent. She sealed it with pale, red wax bearing no symbols and considered the parchment for a time. This one she would deliver herself.<br><br>She would visit Louis soon, when she was as close to showing as she dared wait to be before telling her father, and she would enjoy the stolen hours they shared. The myriad things she wished to write here in plain words and couldn't she would speak aloud to his ears as she caressed away his pains and soothed any suffering she found him in.<br><br>When she left, and only then, would she give him the letter, with a spoken promise of her love and a spoken plea that he not read it until she was well gone from the Lamb in Briars. <em>'The rest will be in vague terms, my dear, and I'm sorry for that.. But perhaps in plainer words you can find a few shining moments to savor for eternity... A few words that need not burn within your fire here.'</em> She was still many nights from visiting, but already her eyes welled with tears and her throat felt constricted by a lump from her emotions.<br><br>"How can love be so cruel?" Ellen sighed aloud as she asked, taking the two vials in hand again and pacing to the window.<br><br>When she at last did visit she savored every moment, every touch, every scent and sound. Her hands roamed his body. In the end she could not speak the words which had welled to the surface of her mind in parting, and instead simply pressed the plain parchment into his hands and left the chamber while tears had yet to fall.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>29-03-2011, 01:44:02</strong>
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				<em>My cherished E<br><br>Forgive me my late response, I had taken a fever soon after you visited and was unable to think let alone write. Do not fear, I am hail again. Ah, the dreams I had, of us, of you… terrible and wonderful phantasmagorias. My delirious state did show me one thing clear – that this hell is one few survive. I have made certain arrangements so that, should I pass, you may lay claim to what fortunes I have. There is no one else to take it, no other of my family live and the friends I have do not engender any feelings of charity. Use the word I would have spoken to cease your touch – do you recall it? That word will give you all I have made in life.<br><br>Grim and dire. How bleak I sound. Will I ever be able to write to you with happy news?<br><br>I kept your letter close to me while I was recovering, the scent carried with it your voice and touch into my dreams. The heat, and weight of you, in my arms and on my chest. Such comfort I drew from it, its like I had not felt for many years. The seal was cracked when I came to read it, though I suspect that was my own doing.<br><br>I hope this letter finds you in peace and happiness, for you inspire both in me.<br><br>My deepest love,<br>Louis X&nbsp; <br></em>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>30-04-2011, 01:42:34</strong>
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				<em>Beloved,<br><br>I was so sorry to hear of your illness, but I am pleased to know you are quite well now. If only we could breathe life to the dreams of fevers and night. I am thankful of your 'arrangements', though I wonder at what that must have required. Of course I remember the word. I always will. It is something I can carry with me of you, something that can find me in dark circumstances and bright ones alike. A comforting touch that no one else can see every time it happens by my ears.<br><br>How silly I sound. I am glad though, that the words I've written could carry some comfort to you. It makes the writing that much sweeter. Obviously I'm not being as vague as I likely should with this letter, but how can I write to you and not say the thousand things on my mind.. How much I love you, how much I miss you.<br><br>Your touch haunts my dreams, begging me to stay in sleep and savor the warmth of your presence. But every day I wake and the room is the same room I've known for years. The bed is empty save for me. I cry in the mornings, my fingers curled in the pillow where your head should be resting. Circumstance is so cruel.<br><br>Louis, the hours seem longer when we are apart, and I've begun to show. I will be able to mask this for a time, but eventually there will be no hiding my condition. My father will not cast me out, I feel certain of it, but I can't imagine what he will do. I may not be able to write you for much longer, my love...<br><br>Promise me you will not forget me if my words come to a halt.<br><br>I promise in turn to think of you daily, to love you, and set aside some time every evening to think of what we've shared. I promise also that I will try to write. I should be able to manage something, perhaps.. More than likely after the babe is born.<br><br>I miss you. I am incomplete in your absence.<br><br>Love,<br>Your flower</em>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>21-05-2011, 04:16:05</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> My Love,<br><br>I think of you, every moment I am awake. I have never before felt like this. You follow me like a shadow made of joy and light. No touch can compare to even the most fleeting memory of your skin, I can savour no kiss lest it be from your mouth. My heart hurts like it has been filled with more than it can bear. Your name tries to spring forth at the most inexcusable times, and I cannot find it in me to feel regret that it is not you and that I must bite it back.<br><br>Forgive me if that is too crass. I have never been a skilled conversationalist, and I lose even that skill when I try to find words to give you.<br><br>It comes to this – no matter if you never send word to me again, no matter if we were to never lay eyes on one another for the rest of time, you are forever in my mind, on my skin, around my soul and through my heart. Should my bones be bared, your name would be plain upon them. I would live a thousand years and never forget you. <br><br>I will write as frequently as I may also. The new clients are rather exhausting, but I do not care for their purses are fat and each one brings me ever closer to a future that is as fragile as blown glass. But it is what I dream, and for it I will suffer more than any man has. Should you be cast out and your friends turn hostile, come to me and I will do what I can. <br><br>I pray to whatever god is listening to help you, both.<br><br>Keep safe,<br>Louis X<br></em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>crystaltears</strong> on <strong>02-06-2011, 18:09:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Dearest Louis,<br><br>Forgive me for the long delay in my writing. I was... quite mistaken about my father. Despite the precautions I took in an effort to ensure he would not disown me.. He has.<br><br>Thankfully I was able to play upon the mercy of my uncle.. Whose holdings are independent of my father's. Now I work to bring myself closer to my cousin, the current heir of the family. My own father will have no legitimate children.<br><br>The hours have grown longer as I've come so close to term. A child will be born soon, Louis. At the very least now I know it will live in a safe house. My station is.. reduced. Where before I was without station, but living in the comfort of a noble.. I now am a servant, or will be when I'm no longer with child.<br><br>I'm grateful though, if it means I can raise our child in a safe atmosphere. Perhaps in time I'll live more comfortably again, if I can earn the favor of my cousin.<br><br>The doctor says it will be a week at most before the babe is born.. Perhaps a bit longer. I will send word to you again when time allows, but it is not often I'm alone. Now I've a friend among the servants in this household though.. Making the courier of my correspondences one I trust much more than the previous one.<br><br>I love you, Louis. That will never change.<br><br>For now, though, I need rest.<br><br>Be well in my absence, my Love.<br>Ellen</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Teahouse - Character Background - The Moth and the Flame (Eden and crystaltears)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nadir</strong> on <strong>31-07-2011, 03:26:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He should have thought of doing this before, but he had been too wary of the staff and the prying ways of the other whores. It made his chest ache now to think of the letters he had destroyed, and the messages of courage and strength and love that he could never again get back – but he couldn’t bear to do it again. <br><br>He could save, if not all the letters she sent, then just small fragments. He should take just the most bland of the lines, the least incriminating. Bare of emotion. If the notes did escape his possession, then they would not be too damning. <br><br>‘Too damning’ – as if consorting with a male whore was a minor transgression for a lady of Society. No, he must hide they came from Ellen at all. Her hand and scent... they could be used against her in court.<br><br>With great care, Atticus copied the last letter, though missing out mention of family, which left it a scrap at most. <br><br>Only when that was done, he settled to write a response.<br><br><em>My Sweetest Bloom,<br><br>It anguishes me to hear your loss of standing, the cruelty of your father. I wish, my darling, that I could be near you in your hour of need. I desire nothing but your – and the babe’s – safety and comfort. Nothing else matters.<br><br>I am grateful that you have been given shelter, though it sees you diminished. I wait for your next, and I am anxious for it – to know you are well, to know how beautiful and fairfaced the child is, to know you are happy... <br><br>Each day, the money in that account increases. Each day is another towards your freedom from charity. <br><br>Write again soon, my sweet flower.<br>Louis X&nbsp; <br></em>
			</dd>
		</dl>
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