ravkanwitch | [[open post and announcement: no mourners, no funerals]]

[cw: discussion of death!]

Nina knows that word of Shen Yuan's death has been slowly spreading. She tried to put out a general warning of danger right after it happened... but she's not sure how many people were warned by it. She wasn't in the right mind at the time, after all. This time, she's more careful and collected. With SecUnit's help, she's alerted and gathered everyone who's interested for an important announcement in the lobby of the mansion. Despite all appearances of bossiness and stubbornness - all quite true - Nina has never been in charge of anything so serious. Kaz, Zoya, and the King himself; she followed their lead. As people slowly begin to gather and she attempts to compose herself, she wonders why she decided to put herself up to this.

Deep breath, Zenik. Pretend that - well, that this is pretend. She's back in the orphanage as the official greeter, making an important announcement to all the other children. She's the governor of a small town, making sure that all the citizens are aware and prepared. It does have to be her, after all. She's playing a crucial role in everything. She also doesn't want anyone else to carry the emotional load.

"Hi," she tells everyone gathered, trying to paste on a somber but not-too-morose expression. "Thanks for coming. I'm sure some of you have heard part of this announcement already and I'm sorry that it took so long to pass this information onto everyone else... but there was an incident not too long ago. We're not sure what caused it, whether it was the house or whether it was an individual, but... Shen Yuan is dead." There's most likely a reaction at this point and Nina forges onwards as confidently as she can, pitching her voice above the hubbub.

"But there is a way that he can return. We're sure of it. We're just trying to figure out the details, which might take a while. If you want to know more about that, you can ask Magnus, but I'm not sure how much he can tell you. Also, if you encounter any signs of Shen Yuan's spirit, you can talk to--" Here she meets Aleksander's eyes almost instinctively; this line of conversation is something she's purposefully kept from him. "You can talk to myself. Or... to Lan Wangji. ...That's all. Thank you."

A confident start but slightly deflated by her last few sentences, Nina steps back and allows for conversation to happen. If anyone would like to speak to her, she's looking much less strained and grim than she has in a while.

[[Feel free to post a single comment reaction and/or start a thread with Nina in the comments!]]

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In spite of himself, Sagramore laughs. "Oh, Christ, that's it. And say something ridiculously fond about Luo Binghe, too." Normally he'd try to ad-lib it himself, but he doesn't really feel up to it right now.

Nina gives him a wry smile as well; it feels more like an in-memoriam than the silly impressions she did with Magnus.

"All right. This is respectable." He piles three pancakes on a plate and brings them over to her. "Eat. Wouldst thou have syrup, or butter, anything like that?"

"Both butter and syrup, please," she tells him. "It looks delicious, much better than I could make it. I tried to make a sandwich a couple of days ago and I burnt it."

"Oh, sweet heart." Sagramore fetches both for her.

"It's fine, it's just-- well," she falls silent, looking at the pancakes. Just that Luo Binghe would usually cook for her and Laertes would sometimes help supplement and everything's been thrown awry. Just that the burnt sandwich was for Luo Binghe and he looked at it like he was about to cry and saved it.

Instead of continuing, she puts a large dollop of butter on her pancakes and drizzles it with syrup, and takes a bite. There's nothing extraordinary about it but it's the best thing she's eaten in a long time. "This is so good," she tells him, mouth half full.

"I've been practicing. I promised Mothwing a pancake festival this spring."

"A pancake festival!" Nina's eyes brighten slightly. "We used to celebrate butter week in the spring. The noblemen would drive carts filled with sweets and cakes around the town and the children from the orphanage would get to ride the cards and help hand them out."

He laughs. "What else? Was it just the carts and sweets?"

"It ended in a party on the estate lawn, but my favorite part was riding in the cart and being the generous benefactor." Nina takes another bite of the pancakes.

"I'll press Rivelin into service, then."

Nina gives him a fond smile. "Butter week and a pancake festival would go together well."

"Oh, perfectly. And I think we deserve it."

"We have some very special people here," Nina says, solemnly. "We all deserve the world."

"Thou'rt a fount of wisdom, sweet Nina."

Nina is halfway through the pancakes by now and they're good pancakes, but she sets the fork down and suddenly pulls Sagramore into a big hug.

Sagramore, caught a little off-guard, hugs her back, rubbing her shoulders in slow circles.

After a long minute or so, she pulls away and starts settling back into her chair again. "Sorry, I needed that," she tells him, though she doesn't actually sound all that sorry. She gives him a little half smile. "Emotions leaking through."

"Heaven forfend," he says lightly, and then, "Nina. Thou knowst that even though Luo Binghe and I have quarreled, neither of us would see the slightest harm come to thee, and any time thou needst someone to look to thee and take care of thee I am here for thee. Dost thou understand? Thou shouldst not feel thou must choose between us."

Nina stills for a moment, willing herself to not cry; she's been doing an awful lot of that lately. This isn't like working for Kaz or spying for the Ravkan kingdom, where she can pretend to be someone else and push through an emotional ordeal by telling herself that it isn't real. These moments with her friends, they are very real.

"I know," she tells him, voice small. She does understand it from Sagramore's perspective -- but it still stings her on behalf of Luo Binghe. "And I appreciate it, truly. But... you know it's the same way for you? You don't have to play nice with everyone. Difficult moments might come and pass, but we all love you for who you are."

"I--" He lets out a slow breath. "I hear thee, dear heart. Just go easy with me. I'm still learning."

She dials back the intensity of the conversation a notch with a smile; still small but genuine. "We'll just have to learn together, then."

"I think we can manage that."

"And eat more pancakes," Nina says, with a little bit of her normal cheer returning, and punctuated by another bite.

"And eat more pancakes," Sagramore agrees.

[[open post and announcement: no mourners, no funerals]]

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