dragonlady7

luisa lavalette

via https://ift.tt/3xL1ow7

So I wrote this ages ago and mean to cram it somewhere in the various Roveth saga bits, but I keep losing track of which scratch doc it’s in, and since it’s relevant to the ask i just answered, I figured I’d post it here.

Just a short bit of fic featuring Maria Luisa LaValette, gossip from Nilfgaard (set well after the end of Pearls that I haven’t written yet), Roche, and some history.

(Luisa understands neither bi-ness nor ace-ness, as it happens, but mostly what she doesn’t understand is her own place on the attractiveness scale. I don’t mean to be mean to her but we all know someone like this.)

“Well,” LaValette said, “of course I’m pleased by this outcome– having a personal friend on the throne of Nilfgaard is beyond being convenient into being life-saving. I just feel, well. Sympathy, for Cirilla.”

“Sympathy,” Roche said, frowning. He’d been of the impression Voorhis was a perfectly nice young man, which was a great deal more than could be said of the average Nilfgaardian nobleman. Moreover he’d rather gotten the impression Cirilla could take care of herself.

“I thought you liked Voorhis,” Natalis said, also frowning.

“I do! I do, I’m terribly fond of him. He’ll be a– well, he won’t be a bad ruler, and I rather expect social functions will be fun with him about. I like him eversomuch.” La Valette seemed earnest, but amused, and Roche wondered what the punchline here was.

“But you don’t think he’ll be good to Cirilla,” Roche guessed, considering the angles.

“Oh, he’ll be good,” LaValette said. “I mean– he has to be, she clearly will be wearing the trousers there.”

“Meaning?” Natalis tilted his head.

“She’s the one with the power,” LaValette clarified.

“You’re raising a daughter to be a queen,” Natalis commented mildly, “I should rather hope you don’t object to that on principle.”

“I do not in the slightest,” LaValette said.

“You think Cirilla would be better off with a dominating husband?” Roche said, quite certain that wasn’t it at all, but still at a loss.

“No,” LaValette said, “no no. It’s just. Well.”

“Well?” Natalis was never terribly patient with these sorts of conversations.

“I mean nothing bad by this,” LaValette said, “and you know I love you as you are, Roche, but. I’m quite certain Voorhis is…. As disinterested in women as you are.”

Roche blinked at her, and traded glances with Natalis. “Uh,” Roche said. “What?”

“Oh come off it,” LaValette said, “we’re friends here, it’s silly to be coy about it.”

“I’m not being coy,” Roche said, “I just think perhaps you know less of my affairs than you think.” Natalis was actively hiding amusement now. He knew rather more of Roche’s affairs outside the palace, which, well. Roche had drunk quite heavily for a while in there and had not seen fit to waste much time worrying about his reputation.

“We literally shared a lover for years,” LaValette said. “Who was a man.”

“Only the one, though,” Roche said. “And while your other love affairs were my business, mine weren’t yours. If Voorhis likes women as much as I do then Cirilla will be just fine, believe me.”

LaValette drew herself up, and Roche wasn’t sure whether she were thinking of all the times she’d carelessly been nude in his presence, or the fact that he had just admitted to having been assigned to spy on her for years. This attitude did go some way toward explaining how cavalier she was about physical modesty around him, though.

“Luisa,” Natalis said, “dearest, remember we have a treaty about all the things we did under the influence of Foltest.”

“But,” LaValette said. “You–”

“Not to be blunt,” Roche said, “but one can like one thing and also like another. Men and women aren’t opposite things. It’s not odd to like both. Foltest did.”

“I know that,” she said. “But–”

“And it’s perfectly possible to be attracted to women and still be no more than polite to you,” Roche went on, a little gentler. “Voorhis having been impervious to your advances is no slight on you, but the boy is twenty and a spy, much as I was when I met you. A powerful awareness of something being a bad idea is sufficient to outweigh a great deal of temptation.” (Your picture was not posted)