Discussions [6/11, Aristide, Laurent, Lisette, C]

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Lady Lisette de Lac, Lord Laurent de Lac

Aristide took heavily to the brandy these past few days. Ever since Lila had miscarried, he had thought about what it would be like to be a father, even to a bastard child. He knew, for the good of his house, that marriage and fatherhood was to happen one day in the future. Truthfully, he had no desire to be a de Lac anymore, if that meant being associated with the cruel Veronica de Lac. What if another woman was to try to find him and tell him that she carried his child, only to be stopped by his mother? Lila was the only one who had shared his bed for half a year, and no other women had brought him news. So perhaps he could take that as a good sign, a sliver of light in his bleak world.

After he checked to see that Lila was asleep, he sat in the dining room, in one of the village houses outside of the Keep and poured himself a glass of brandy. Their mother was out searching for them, most likely, but he cared not. He had no idea what to do now.

He thought that he heard footsteps and looked up from his glass to see his siblings. "Welcome," he said, raising his glass. "Come, drink."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

The nature of the Keep changed dramatically in a course of a few days. Laurent scarcely recognized it as his own home anymore. Even though their mother had always added a certain stress to the environs, Laurent had never failed to be happy about something. Usually that good cheer of his spread easily to others. Not lately, however. It was hard to find the good in anything. Laurent had taken on Aristide's responsibilities while he tended to Lila, but Laurent was, essentially, going through the motions.

In addition, Laurent had been working hard to keep his mother distracted and on a wild good chase. It was difficult to interact with Veronica while pretending that he didn't know what had transpired. It often made him sick to his stomach. How could this woman have produced the de Lac children? How could a woman be so cruel and shrewish? What happened to her? In the end, Laurent concluded he pitied his mother.

It was time to check in on Aristide and discuss their plan of action, however distasteful it may be. The twins dressed in plain clothing so as to not draw attention to themselves, making use of hooded cloaks to hide their faces. Laurent made certain that Lisette entered first, always striving to be a gentleman no matter the circumstances.

He did not smile when he saw Ari. What was there to smile about? "Ari." He said with a simple nod, but refrained from having brandy.

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

The plain clothing was far more comfortable to Lisette than the overly elaborate gowns forced on her by her mother. Wearing a cloak against the storm brewing in the air, she carried a basket loaded with some items to ease Lila's pain and hopefully sustain Aristide. One look at her older brother as she stepped inside and she went to enfold him in a warm, tight hug. If ever Ari needed comfort, it was now. "How is she?" Meaning Lila, of course. The young woman was an innocent victim of their fiendish mother.

The brandy fumes were strong, prompting her to release Ari and open the window to let the place air out. Lisette didn't bother to hide her concern for the state of affairs, Ari's obvious half-inebriated state or the tension that lay like a blanket over the keep. It was time to discuss and reach a conclusion about what to do... before all of them went mad or worse.

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Aristide wrapped his arms around Lisette, breathing in her homey, comforting scent, and gave her a small squeeze before she stepped back from him. if there was any time he was truly grateful to have such loyal siblings in his life, it was now. "Slowly on the mend, physically." He frowned. "As for her state of mind, she is not faring well. She wished to give me a son and mourns him deeply." He threw back the last of the brandy and swallowed, setting the glass on the table.

"She is not safe here," he stated. "And to be honest, I do not wish to return to the Keep." The farther away he could be from his mother, the better. He ran his hand through his hair, blinking reddened eyes. His head hurt. Perhaps that was his soul. Ari met Laurent's eyes -- he wished his brother could give him an answer for what to do now. He deserved to be head of household more than Ari; Aristide managed to make a mess of everything he touched.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

"Then it sounds like we need to leave," Laurent said without hesitation as he returned his brother's look. Again, there was none of his usual sunniness. If anything, Laurent looked far older than his face actually belied. The sunniness would return some day. It take far far more for it to remain behind stormy clouds forever. "Triadon is what I was going to suggest. There are many people there and we'll have the protection of the Court." He winced, then, realizing something.

"We need to speak with uncle, too," and they all knew exactly which uncle he was referring. "He needs to know about how his sister has been behaving," he didn't bother to call Veronica his mother anymore. "And what her actions have wrought. He will know how to best handle her. He's seen the worst of her, I'd imagine." Daven St. Claire, in Laurent's opinion, was a good, solid and strong man. He helped Lisette through a very difficult time in her life and for that, Laurent would be eternally grateful.

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

The fresh air rushed in, though the heaviness remained, both inside and out. Lisette returned to stand near her brothers, quiet as the two spoke. "We need to take Lila with us when we go," she added. "She will be safer in Triadon, and we owe her a fresh start if she will accept it. I..." She hesitated, then spoke her thoughts bluntly, "It would be best if we do not tell her," meaning their mother, "our intentions. Make our arrangements discreetly, leave when she is not paying attention, and be gone before she can make any effort to stop us."

Lisette thought for a few minutes, then nodded. "Lady Rose needs to be made aware of this as well. Our lands are held in trust of her. If she works with Lord Uncle, we may be able to prevent a stain on the family name."

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Aristide nodded, appreciative of Lisette's suggestion. He was sure that Lila would say yes to a fresh start, away from the trouble that the de Lac house seemed to bring. He only hope that trouble did not follow them and ruin her chances as well. He could not help but feel responsible for this, because if he had never made a move on Lila, she would not be in this situation in the beginning.

"Agreed," he stated. "As soon as possible. I will send a personal messenger to each of them. I know a few good men whom I trust completely. Letters are too easily intercepted, I fear." Who knew what tricks Veronica de Lac held up her sleeve? Of course, they had to do whatever possible to protect the family name, as hard as that might be.

He then realized Thomas was still in Triadon. "And we should send word to Thomas as well, to let him know we are on our way."

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

"That's a good idea, Lisette. I'm sure the two of them can deal with her. I'll send the message to Thomas," he volunteered, and then he looked toward Lisette. "You've a very good handle on the servants and staff at the Keep," especially since she was the run that had been running things. "Would you mind recruiting those we can trust absolutely to prepare our things for the journey?" A hand came up to rub at his chin, "I've been keeping mother distracted for the past several days, and it's worked. I'll keep doing so."

His gaze was solemn as he looked between the two of them, "I encourage you to avoid her at all costs. She has now reached the point of being a danger to our safety. Let me do all of the talking and handling with her. We have a special rapport that I worked oh so very hard to maintain." The voice was not just dry, but it was on the verge of dripping with venom.

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

She hated what they were driven to do, what they'd been forced to become but there was no longer a choice. Veronica St. Claire de Lac had compelled them to such action with her own thoughtless brand of cruelty, the worst sort in her daughter's mind. "I will speak with George and with Hannah," referring to the housekeeper. "And make sure that when she realizes we are gone, that none of the servants are within her reach." Lisette refused to allow Veronica to vent her fury on another innocent, and was sorely tempted to visit some of Veronica's own medicine on her mother. "You will both need to tell me what you wish packed; I'll tend to that myself."

Meeting her twin's eyes, she felt a quiver of fear ripple down her spine, but nodded. He was right. "I will do my best. Are we agreed? You may want to send word to Lord Uncle as well."

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

They were handling everything and Aristide was a useless, emotional sack of nothing. He poured himself another glass of brandy, this time almost to the brim. Half the glass disappeared down his throat in two gulps before he said what needed to be said. "Thank you both." Ari frowned, ashamed with himself -- one of the few times he had been in his life. "I brought this misfortune upon all of us. I sent that woman over the edge."

He honestly would not be surprised if the twins disowned him as well. Blinking back tears, he finished the glass of brandy and nausea overcame him. The only task he was good for was keeping Lila company and so he swayingly rose to his feet.

[Lord Laurent de Lac]

Oh, no. Ari was not going to get away that easily. Reaching out, he took the glass of brandy from him and downed in an instant. "Gah!" He hissed and then immediately started coughing. "By the Triad, how long has that stuff been aging?" Laurent needed to take a few more moments to clear his throat. "Ari, we need your help. You know the men of the guard better than any of us. We need men we can trust to provide escort to Triadon. I have a feeling she will not be kind once she discovers we've gone."

Laurent looked around for the bottle of brandy and picked it up. "We can celebrate when we get to safety. We will drink this to feel even better, not to just feel better. We can't blame ourselves, either.'

[Lady Lisette de Lac]

She scowled at Aristide, not liking what she heard from him in the least. "It is not your fault, Aristide. That woman we are cursed to call our mother is a monster of her own creation. There's nothing we ever did or said to make her the way she is. If she's gone over the edge, it's because she wants to, not because of you." Lisette spoke with heat in her words and steel in her spine. She was not about to allow either of her siblings to take responsibility where it did not belong.

"The sooner we set about this, the better we will all feel. That woman is a poison, sickening all of us," said in a quieter tone. "It is too bad we can't send her from this place, but since we can't, we have to be the ones to leave. Before we die of this."

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Ari looked at Laurent drinking the brandy and chuckled at the expression on his face. "Is it a bit too strong for you, little brother?" he teased. Unfortunately, it was only a momentary distraction as the reality of his situation set in once again. True, he knew a few guards, some better than others, but he didn't know if that was enough. "All right."

He believed without a doubt that it was all his fault, though his sister's words lifted his spirits more than he expected. Bless her, bless both of them. Stepping towards her, he wrapped his arms around her in a sloppy hug and kissed the side of her head. "Wise words. Let us cleanse ourselves as quickly as possible." He would have to make arrangements in the morning, though, when alcohol did not twist his sense of judgement.

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End thread.