Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "An Unexpected Letter"

[Josée's Note: You will notice the change in name of the character. I have been somewhat awkward and decided to post this up before Lunetta's E5 diary, as I have under a week to write it, alongside a piece and a half of coursework to complete, plus packing, plus two other froth pieces I want to get done. So, you will have to make do with this particular piece because I felt I just had to get it done.

A brief overview of what lead to this occurring: Felix proposed-but-didn't-propose at E5 to Lunetta, and this caused all sorts of mayhem. Lunetta was suddenly under scrutiny, as were her Carta and she eventually decided proving her absolute devotion to Felix would be best done by moving across to join him in his Carta, and taking on their name, giving up her Mistresship in the Bellamarina to become an Apprentice in the Gilded Horn Carta. After getting drunk and (apparently) potentially making her situation a whole lot better (don't ask me how, I don't entirely know myself!) and having a very stern talking to by the one-and-only Senator for Tassato, Cesare, Lunetta vowed to prove herself worthy of Felix. Which leads to this.

For clarification, as Lunetta is very good at skirting around the actual details of the letter she received, Felix sent her an incredibly drunken letter explaining in great detail, exactly what he would like to do with her, including illustrations. Oh, the joys of having an ex-prostitute as a fiancé-not-fiancé, Lunetta!!

Enjoy!]

Lunetta stood in the pulpit of the Chapel of the Unbroken Chain, and bowed, her sermon finished. She looked at her small congregation and sighed. It was strange to think that soon she might be uprooting to Tassato. Taking the small blue envelope off the lectern, she tucked it into the pouch around her waist. She hadn’t expected a letter; well, she hadn’t expected that particular letter. She had been writing to Felix (Obviously she had been writing to Felix…) and so letters from him were common, and no-one really batted an eyelid when they arrived, even when they interrupted the services. But this letter had been different. This letter had told her that he had disappeared. Since its arrival, she had been noticeably nervous and uncomfortable.

No-one in the congregation really knew what had occurred in Anvil, aside from Giorgio, who had suddenly found himself in the position of his priestess’ confidant. Since he had aided her when she had returned, brokenhearted, from Anvil, she seemed to treat him more as a friend now, which he had no issue with! However, it had meant out of the entire congregation, he was the only one to know that she was semi-betrothed. He had become somewhat more distant since she had sat with him and half-excitedly, half-panicked blurted out that this “Felix” had proposed-but-not-proposed, and that his Guild were unimpressed, and that she had left the Bellamarina to prove herself and…everything else. He’d lost track halfway through her explanations as his mind had wandered. He had looked after the chapel while she had gone, he had waited patiently for her as she made her way around the Empire, and had literally picked her up when she was at her very lowest. And yet, she had found this mysterious Cambion and suddenly she was intending to get married and…it just…didn’t seem to make any sense. All he knew is that she seemed so very, very focussed on these letters, and they could make her the happiest woman he had ever seen, or the most distraught person in the entire world. And right now, he was not happy that she had dropped back down into worry.

The door to the Chapel opened, and a messenger stood there. “Message for…” he checked the envelope, “…Lunetta?” The priestess’ head turned in the messenger’s direction and she hastily strode across to him.

“That would be me.” She replied, with a gentle smile. He nodded, quickly, and passed her the letter, somewhat gingerly.

“Apologies, ma’am…” He gestured to the letter. “…it had this aroma when I was asked to deliver it.” He finished, with a small grimace. As Lunetta took the letter, a slight hint of alcohol reached her. She nodded, sympathetically, and before she could say another word, the messenger was off again, the door thudding shut behind him.

Looking at the envelope in her hands, Lunetta was both relieved and worried to see Felix’s handwriting. Without hesitation, she tore the letter open. Her next thoughts were, in order:

“Oh virtues, that smell is almost overwhelming.”

“Is he safe?”

“OH! OH, I SHOULD NOT HAVE OPENED THIS HERE!”

As she pulled the letter from its envelope, all eyes were on the Priestess. The first line was enough to tell her that she had perhaps made a mistake in opening it so publically. If the smell of alcohol wasn’t enough to suggest that her betrothed-not-betrothed was not necessarily thinking straight when he wrote to her, the sheer number of love hearts and kisses surrounding her name, and the fact it was addressed to “Lush Lunetta” set the larm bells ringing…and that was before her eagle-eyed congregation spotted the illustrations through the thin paper.

“Is that…” One of the gentlemen began to ask, tentatively “…a Cambion…straddling…” That was enough for Lunetta to flick to the back page and gulp quite audibly. Her lips pursed as though someone had just forced her to eat an entire lemon in a single go, and she quickly refolded the letter, her cheeks going distinctly pink.

“No.” She replied authoritatively, despite the very clear indications to the opposite. “I need to go and deal with a drunk Cambion…” She frowned, as she very quickly made her way through the throng. “…If you will all excuse me.” She cleared her throat as she pushed her way a little more forcibly through the crowd. As she managed to pass out the other side of the crowd, her footsteps were heavy and determined. She strode to the staircase and took the stairs two at a time to her office. She unlocked it fiercely, jamming the key into the lock with far more force than was required. As she entered the room, she was careful to shut the door as gently as she could force herself to, and then closed her eyes, her back against the door, and sighed deeply, an unusual aggression behind the sigh.

Rubbing her forehead with one hand, she realised she had quite vigorously clenched the letter in her hand, leading to a large set of crumples along its centre. She slowly walked over to her desk and sat down in the chair, placing the scrunched letter in front of her. The white rose hung over her and she found herself glaring at it. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose slightly at the smell emanating from the paper. Her anger at the embarrassment and humiliation she was no doubt going to have to face in the near future began to calm, and mingled with concern and worry for Felix. Sighing once more, she steeled herself and began to read.

It was hardly a secret that Felix was a cicibeo before she came along…but it was also no secret that she wasn’t. Lunetta, being the very sheltered only daughter of two Bishops of Loyalty, had only ever encountered the idea of a cicibeo when she had joined Matthias and Reynard on their travels, and it was still some time before she understood their role properly. As for intimacy…well…she wasn’t clueless, but her sheltered upbringing hadn’t really helped her on that front either. Most of her knowledge was second-hand from the small circle of friends she had while growing up, and everyone knew how trustworthy that was. Devoting her life to Loyalty at such a young age meant she had somewhat “missed out” on the discovery and experimentation everyone else was free to do. But she, and her parents, wouldn’t have had it any other way.

But this letter…well. That was something else. It was as if a hundred misconceptions were all shattered in an instant and whole new possibilities were thrown in their place. Had she not been so taken aback by its arrival, so infuriated by being shown up in that light, and so concerned for Felix’s wellbeing, she might have almost enjoyed reading it…and maybe the illustrations too. However, she was so caught up in the situation she had found herself in, that she found it difficult to keep her irritation and concern at bay. She grabbed some paper and ink and then…stopped.

What on earth could she say? For that matter, where was she going to send it? For all the detail he gave her (and, oh yes, there was a great deal of detail…), the ones he left out were the most important; no address, no hints of where he might have been…

She frowned. He really didn’t make things easy, did he?

As she went to dip her quill in ink, there was a knock at the door. Grabbing the papers, she shoved them hastily into a drawer before answering. “Enter.” She said, as respectably as she could. The door opened and Giorgio stepped in.

“I am sorry to intrude, Priestess.” He began, uncertainly. “I just thought I should…see how you are?” He finished, somewhat lamely.

She smiled slightly. “Firstly, you can take a seat; don’t stand on my account.” She replied, raising an eyebrow. “Secondly, you of all people should be able to call me “Lunetta””. She added, with an ironic chuckle. “After all, you’ve seen more facets of me than everyone else.” She paused for a second. “What are the opinions amongst the rest of the congregation?” She asked, steadily, dreading the response. Giorgio looked at her for a second and then raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

“Some seem rather taken aback that you should be receiving such mail.” He began, trying to suppress a grin. “Others have suggested it was a matter of time before you should find yourself the object of admirers’ affections.” He added, pausing for effect. “And others are wondering if these might be the solicitations of a particular gentleman you’ve been known to mention occasionally.” He finished, a hint more sourly. “You know, the one you’ve only vaguely hinted at to most of the congregation, so they have nothing more than the shadow of an image of a person none of them has ever met to try and blame this on.” He added, after a minute or so. “Put it this way…you’ve piqued their interest, Prieste…Lunetta.”

Lunetta frowned. “So…”asked Giorgio after a pregnant pause. “Was it…his doing?” The unimpressed look on Lunetta’s face seemed to say it all. “Ah.” Giorgio replied, succinctly.

“Yes, it was Felix.” She replied, irritated. “Roaring drunk, if the smell of the paper’s anything to go by.” She commented. “He is so lucky I don’t know where he is right now. I’d have to explain why I went to join my beloved, and how he just so happened to find himself fatally caught up in my stole.” She mused, almost as if she were truly considering the possibility. Giorgio chuckled.

“You’re that angry with him?” He asked, somewhat shocked at the ease at which she was talking about killing Felix. She shrugged noncommittally and then sighed.

“No.” She replied, after a moment. “No, I’m not. I’m…vexed, yes. And I did not need to be shown up quite as I managed to, but…most of all I am worried.” She replied, frowning. “He’s gone missing and those close to him in Tassato have asked me if he is here…I just…wish I knew where he was and why.” She finished, her eyes dropping to the floor, sadly. “And anything I write is unlikely to reach him until after our next visit to Anvil…” She frowned, her face creasing in thought. “We were meant to meet and return to Anvil together…but if I don’t know where he is I can hardly join him, can I?” She shrugged. She looked across at Giorgio and suddenly grinned, shaking her head. “Men…you are such strange beasts…” She mused. Giorgio raised his eyebrows and pointedly looked at her.

“Says the woman I had to escort elsewhere because she was causing a mini-flood in her mother’s church…” He replied, gently teasing, but very aware of the fine line he was treading along. Thankfully, for all her irritation, Lunetta took it well.

“I suppose.” She replied, looking slightly sheepish.

“So what are you going to do?” Asked Giorgio, deciding it was safer to move away from the topic at hand.

“I’ll write.” Responded Lunetta, resignedly. “It’s the only method of communication we really have…I’ll just have to hope he receives it in time to respond…Otherwise I’ll have to catch him in Anvil.” She paused. “That wouldn’t be too much of a difficulty now I’m apprentice to his sister…I just hope he sobers up enough to make it there safely.”

“Is there anything I can do to aid you, Priestess?” Asked Giorgio, as he stood. Lunetta turned back to the desk, picking up her quill once more.

“Call me Lunetta.” She began, shrugging. “And if you could bring up coffee for twenty people, that would be appreciated. Something tells me this letter’s going to be difficult to write well.” She finished, with a sigh. As the door snapped shut behind Giorgio, she looked at the blank paper.

“Well Felix…” She muttered to herself, “…where on Earth do I begin…?”