This is Halloween!

[we_bring_hell]

The Bar loves her holidays, but she is also capable of respecting religious strictures. That's why she put a lot of thought into finding a Halloween costume for Harrow that works with her face paint and general insistence on the monochromatic.

Harrow, for her part, is baffled by the white-pinstriped black suit and the oversized bow, but the gloves are very cool, and the buckled shoes suit as well. She has no idea what's going on but she can live with this.

The Bar seems even more unusually populated than usual, and there are a lot of gourds around. Hm.

Comments

[we_bring_hell]

She nods. "I was startled to hear that Lan Wangji's preference for men would be an obstacle to him in his world. But of course, they don't have even rudimentary fetal technology."

[herald_ingress]

"Oh, would it? Wei Wuxian said it wasn't a typical thing, but not that it would be an obstacle."

She shakes her head. "That's sad. I don't understand it. But even for Valdemar, it's not commonplace, nor is it universally favored. Not for men, anyway. Women have an easier time, I've noticed."

[we_bring_hell]

"It doesn't matter in the Empire," Harrow says. "Well--an exclusive preference might be remarked upon, if it were made obvious. The assumption is that gender is not a deciding factor, but of course most people have no idea about a stranger's romantic history."

"But we have our rules, I suppose, and our political marriages. Mostly around necromancers and cavaliers, or marriage out of House. It's assumed if you marry a necromancer of another House you will join the House of the necromancer; two necromancers of different Houses would likely not be permitted to marry."

"And a marriage between two necromancers has its own complexities; more practical than legal."

[herald_ingress]

"I'd like to get married one day. Tom and Door, they've been together for a long time, and they still make googly eyes at each other sometimes. And my mother and father were fond of each other. I don't remember a lot about them, but I remember they were so sweet to us, to each other. I hope to find someone to be with like that."

Ugh. She's getting lovelorn and maudlin on Halloween in a Wonder Woman costume. There has to be a bar rule against that!

"But, here now, we're both too young to talk of getting married and settling down. There's much too much to be done before that happens."

[we_bring_hell]

"My parents--I'm not sure if they were a love match or a political marriage. They united two powerful family lines, I know that. And by the time I came along..."

By the time she came along, there seemed to be no love left in Priamhark Noniusvianus or Pelleamena Novenarius at all.

"I suppose I haven't had many examples at all," she says, growing pensive. Some sweet elderly couples on the Ninth.

[herald_ingress]

"Well, then you're here now. You can find new examples to model."

[we_bring_hell]

She brightens; it is hard to dim her shine today, even if Harrow has a wealth of gothic memories to do so. "It is so. Lan Wangji gave me some extremely insightful advice, on composure and propriety and relaxing such strictures with the right person."

"Do you know if Moiraine Sedai has a partner? A marriage partner, that is."

[herald_ingress]

"I'm really, really happy for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji," she sighs.

Then she squints, remembering their most recent talk. "I- don't think so? I asked if she was married or had children, because I've known her since I was a kid, but I realized I had no idea. She said no. She's always been, um, aloof. Not in a bad way. More 'I'll protect everyone from harm' and not 'I'll mention any details about my life in conversation'."

[we_bring_hell]

"I admire that greatly," Harrow says. "I feel I too often veer between ominous silence and unbridled nastiness."

[herald_ingress]

"Harrow, you're very poised. Much more poised than I ever am - or ever will be. If you want to be like Moiraine, you can, but I think you're best as Harrow. I bet Gideon does, too."

[we_bring_hell]

Her smile turns faintly wry. "Griddle has often demands more transparency from me, but she also suffers the worst of my bouts of temper."

"A mixed blessing at best."

[herald_ingress]

"And she's still your sworn sword and cavalier," Ingress reminds her. "One flesh, one end."

It's so romantic. SO SO SO romantic.

[we_bring_hell]

"Lady Ingress!" she yelps, burying her face in her hands as the blush consumes her whole.

"Oh, I am blessed beyond reckoning."

[herald_ingress]

"Yes, and you'd best get used to it, silly," she says. She almost reaches out to pat her on the shoulder, but thinks better of it at the last minute, gripping the lasso on her hip instead.

[we_bring_hell]

Harrow does not look around the room, but her furtive manner gives that impression. She says in a low voice: "She loves me, Lady Ingress."

"I had to tell someone."

[herald_ingress]

That gets her a full on "awwwwwwww".

"You deserve it, Harrow. You both do. I'm happy for you."

[we_bring_hell]

"I am entirely out of my depth," she confesses.

[herald_ingress]

"If it helps, everyone usually is, no matter whether they've been in love or not. I certainly feel like that each time."

[we_bring_hell]

"So you have been before?" she asks. "How old were you?"

[herald_ingress]

"I thought I was. I was 17 the first time, and it was here. I'm fairly sure the second time was true love, but there were things in Haven that got in the way, and it didn't last much longer than a year or so."

[we_bring_hell]

That's a comfort; she doesn't seem too far behind, then.

"I must seem very foolish to you," she says. "It is... not something I have ever contemplated."

[herald_ingress]

"Harrow, you are the farthest thing from foolish that I can imagine. You're definitely not the first teenager at Milliways to have never contemplated love."

[we_bring_hell]

"I have contemplated love," she says. "Of higher things. Of God, and my patron of the Locked Tomb. Of my people and even my cavalier."

"It is... other things... I have left out of my reckoning."

Sex. It's sex.

[herald_ingress]

"That's okay. You know that, right? Some of the people our age have no idea about anything, depending on the world you're from. I had a friend called Mary who wouldn't have known a date from a hole in the ground, and I'm pretty sure she'd be more interested in the hole in the ground."

Actually Harrow and Mary Lennox are quite similar, when she stops to think about it.

"You'll pick it up as you go."

[we_bring_hell]

"Holes in the ground can be quite interesting," says the queen of graves. Not, perhaps, as interesting as a well-turned bicep, she is forced to admit. Although it pains her.

"But yes, I believe you are right. I hope I am... getting the hang of it."