Manon's Ascension

Divine Corruption

Divine Corruption

Manon felt like she hadn't even been home that long and already it was time to load up on an airship again. Though, this time, Jacques was going to be accompanying her.

In their continuing mission to piece the country back together, they had been going to various cities to oversee cleanup and repair efforts. It was a slow process because, unlike Vasconia that had very few, but large cities, Gascony had multiple smaller towns and villages dotted throughout the landscape amongst the larger cities. While the invasion force had cut a nearly straight path through to Ambraude, they had still stopped at multiple cities along the way.

And destroyed them.

It was a dark time. One of grief and rage. Manon had understood everything her father had done, even as she condemned it.

And now, she made amends in his place by returning to those cities and helping set them to rights. This next city in particular, they had been putting off for some time.

Isaie. The capital of religious life in Gascony. And the city that had most been obliterated by her father's efforts. By rights, it should have been the city to get their attention first, but the scope of destruction meant that it couldn't be properly made safe for their arrival. There was no secure place for them to stay at night. The citizenry were homeless, desperate, and highly conservative due to living in the religious seat. If there was anywhere in the country Manon was truly unwelcome, it was Isaie. She had even asked Jacques if he would prefer to go alone just to make his job either.

But he said no. She was his queen. They would do this together, expressly because the citizenry were so against her. They needed to see her there, helping them, not being evil incarnate. It was for the benefit of everyone. Them and her.

Manon wasn't averse to danger. Her main concern was making sure her people didn't hate her more. He was right to say that being amongst them, helping, would do more to help ease tensions than locking herself safely away in the palace.

Emilien, their general, had been there for a few weeks already. He had been preparing for their arrival alongside his wife and the new Vasconian ambassador to Gascony – Lady Paladin Lea Severine. She was more than capable of defending herself if something went wrong and, using her as a template and test subject, Emilien was able to create a safe place for Manon and Jacques to stay

Manon was fully confident in his abilities as she climbed the gangplank of the royal airship, her hand in Jacques' arm. They were the very image of elegance and regal countenance. They were doing a great job of hiding that he was using his grip on her arm, partially hidden by her jacket, to occasionally tickle her side, the underside of her arm, her back.

He was trying to make her laugh or squirm. Break character in any way at all. And she was breaking her back teeth she was gritting them so hard to keep that from happening.

Turned out, she was ticklish. It was something Jacques had discovered yesterday when they had been racing down the halls in their stockings, slipping and sliding on the marble floor, running into each other and the walls, and laughing like maniacs.

He was wasting no time in attempting to use this weakness against her. And she was wasting no time in plotting her revenge. She was imagining putting something harmless but devious into his tea or putting crumbs in his bed or any other number of wicked schemes that she used to pull on her older brother like the bratty little sister she was.

This relationship was not at all what she expected. She would have thought being an adult and settling into marriage would mean she had to stop these childish games. Instead, she was pulling classic pranks that definitely would have earned her, at the very least, a lecture. And then receiving those same pranks in return - which was even more odd.