Festival of Roses

Jynessa rode out on top of her horse with no name with a startling lack of awareness. Her horse handled most of the pathfinding as she looked to the sky with a solemn expression on her face. She furrowed her brow and then glanced to her sister. "I know you love me regardless of faults but I cannot help but believe I have taken advantage of such trust." She fiddled with her loose hair, the braid undone from the earlier encounter. "Oh Mari, why must we be beholden to desires?"

Unlike Jynessa, Mariessa looked very pleased with being outdoors, and Valerian was a natural leader for other horses to follow... and as he was familiar with the other twin's palfrey, it only made it easy for the docile horse to follow the more active one.

"Eh?" Mari gave her sister a puzzled look, "taken advantage of... me?" And then the question about desires. "Huh? Uhm... well..."

She fiddled a little with the reins, slowing Valerian's pace. "... Some desires are good, some ones are... well, not bad as such, but have consequences. Jyn, I... you haven't...?" she leaned a little closer for a better look, concern in her emerald eyes.

"You trust me with choosing what is best for this house," Jyn explained, "But what has been consuming me has been far from it." She began to braid her hair while on the horse but the movement and stress combined proved to be too much. When she was ready to give up, she let out a frustrated sigh and put her hands back on the reins. "Mari, have you heard word of whom I have spent my time with during this festival?"

Mari turned her steed around, so she could look straight at Jyn as their horses stopped.

"... I can't say I have heard anything about that, when I think about it. And you haven't shown any interest in the men here," she said, placing a hand to her chin in thought.

Jyn neglected to tell her steed to stop; they only ceased moving once the collision was obvious to the horse. "Well, your last statement certainly is true. But it would be a falsehood to state that I have been uninterested in anyone here."

Mari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Pray tell, who is it that has caught your attention then," she smiled sheepishly, "everyone seems to know who I have been spending time with... like how everyone saw me leave the dancefloor last night."

"I believe Lady Rayley and I were more subtle than you, Mari," Jynessa said before lowering her burning red face.

She blinked a few times at first, as if she wasn't quite sure if she heard correctly. Then her eyes widened in realisation.

"Jyn!" she covered her mouth in surprise. "But... I... though... oh..." she stuttered and mumbled, not quite sure what to say. "... Rayley?"

Does that mean Rayley was flirting with me the other day?!

"I'm sorry... I never knew, Jyn..."

Jyn looked up to her sister with guilty, puppy dog eyes. "I learned to hide my attractions well. Mother told me that it was something to never reveal." She held a palm up to her cheek and sighed. "She nearly slapped me when I told her."

There was a slight frown. "... Was that during the later years?" she asked, somewhat dreading the answer. Their mother acted so unpredictably as time had gone on, and if she had nearly slapped her twin over this, she would find it easier to forgive their mother if it was when the madness was at its worst.

"She... she is right though. It is not something others will be accepting of. I don't even know what father would say." And it really concerned her. "Don't worry... your secret is safe with me, sister."