Baby, you’re perfect

[buckynats]

find the word.

+ top level with your person. prefs/canon info/etc.
+ other people will reply with the first word that comes to their character's mind to describe yours. it could be about their appearance (consider this an 'are they beautiful?' meme if you wanna), their personality, or the mystique that may or may not surround (they're...interesting). break out the thesaurus.
+ your person reacts.
+ thread.

Comments

[oftheshadow]

[ Of course knows. But one of the perks of being in his position is that he gets the option to pretend otherwise. ]

I deny nothing, my Nina. You know better than to believe that I would.

[ Just as she knows that suffering his disappointment is far worse than incurring his wrath. ]

[callmedeath]

I'm your favorite.

[ She cheekily sings it out. Ivan has always gotten to her about being far too familiar and informal with the General, but he can be a wet blanket so she mostly ignores him. ]

[oftheshadow]

[ A certain amount of cheekiness from one so favored he usually allows. Ivan is an expert intermediary, yet his gruffness is well known among the Grisha. It serves Kirigan well, thus he can allow those he chooses to 'cross the line' every so often.

Hence his small chuckle and ironic twist of lips at Nina's antics. ]

One of them, yes. Though I trust you'll take care not to parade it about too flagrantly.

[callmedeath]

[ She gives a cheeky salute, eyes sparkling with mischief. ]

Yes, moi soverennyi. Your secret is safe with me, your favorite, most exemplary Grisha.

[oftheshadow]

[ Perhaps surprisingly, he doesn't correct her. Her exuberance and sometimes whimsical nature are part of what make her exceptional at her work. ]

Good girl. Your discretion never fails to warm my heart.

[callmedeath]

[ There's an unexpected heat that flashes through her at that praise. It catches her by surprise. Like all Grisha, she'd once harbored a crush upon the Darkling when she'd been a girl. It's practically a rite of passage for the Grisha in the Little Palace. It momentarily puts her out of sorts until she remembers herself. ]

Truly, an honor. I'll be sure to tell Ivan that I've kept your heart warm today.

[oftheshadow]

[ He's aware of the fascination he holds for his people. And expects it, to a degree. He is their Savior, their Paramount. He is all that stands between them and persecution, horrible deaths at the hands of those lesser, ignorant peasantry that should be on their knees in awe of those born with such power.

But that is neither here nor there between them just now.

What matters is the girlish flush on her lovely cheeks, and the veiled adoration gleaming in her eyes. It is enough. ]

I doubt he'd believe you, my Nina. But please, feel free to shock him all you wish. Likely it will be good for him.

[callmedeath]

You need not say anything more, moi soverennyi. It is my personal delight to ruffle his feathers. If you think it's for his own good, I must certainly increase my teasing. Who am I to argue with the General's word?

[ It amuses Fedyor too. She and the more cheerful Heartrender had always been two peas in a pod. She knows Ivan only tolerates her because of that friendship. ]

[oftheshadow]

Ruffle gently, please. For all of his sour dispositions, Ivan too is exemplary at his work.

[ The elder Heartrender is Kirigan’s second in command and his personal aide. Positions he takes more than seriously sometimes, but then Kirigan would have never groomed him for either had he not.

Yet a little harmless hazing is commonplace amongst his Grisha; they’ve all more or less grown up together in the Little Palace, and he insists on camaraderie between all, regardless of talent. ]

I do need him capable enough to work, and not spending his hours plotting retaliation.

[callmedeath]

I can be gentle.

[ Perhaps. If she really puts her mind to it. She knows that Ivan has amazing work ethic. He's loyal and hardworking. It takes a special kind of person to serve so closely to the General. She gives a flourishing bow to add to her promise. ]

I do appreciate your kind words today, sir. I know you do not hand them out freely.

[oftheshadow]

I've little doubt.

[ Nina's shenanigans at the Little Palace - and beyond - are hardly unfamiliar to his ears. But seldom are they truly harmful, and she has earned the frivolity, thus he lets them pass. Yet he knows she has a gentle heart, a generally kind disposition, though she can be ruthless when necessary.

A precious girl, indeed. ]

No, I do not. [ Still he returns her bow with a deep nod. ] Yet you have earned the reception, my Nina. Many times over.

[callmedeath]

[ The heaping praise is more than she knows what to do with. Nina is a little taken back. She's certainly received praise from her instructors over the years, but from the General, it's different. It's potent and near intoxicating. It throws her off balance for a moment as she stands before him. For once she's at a loss for words.

Finally, when she realizes she's staring, she clears her throat. ]

Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?

[oftheshadow]

[ He'll never admit the thrill he gets whenever he does something unexpected. It's also part of his methodology; being unpredictable serves his goals in more ways than one.

Yet, for his own he doesn't always have to be such a stern taskmasker; everything that he does, everything, is for his people. ]

Not at the moment. Enjoy your small sabbatical, Nina, for I will surely have need of you soon. [ A faint, very faint, smile emerges. ] And you will be the second to know.

[ Ivan, of course, will be the first. ]

[callmedeath]

[ It's not often she gets a chance to be home for a long stint. Her skills are better used elsewhere and each time she finds a lead, she's sent to follow it. Now she gets a chance to relax a little and catch with her friends and fellow comrades. She'll be called away again just as he's said.

She gives him one last cheek smile which is followed by an even cheekier salute. ]

Of course, moi soverennyi. I live to serve you and Ravka.