[ It's telling that, of her elder siblings, Vermillion is the one Claret is afraid of. (Not Titian. ) They may both be monsters steeped too well in that Duke madness, so near to two of a kind that — in the dark — you can hardly tell the difference, but it's Vermillion who never turns her face towards the sun, Vermillion who has no gentle laugh or closed-lip smile or secret place inside her heart. It's Vermillion who loves only dragons, who is a dragon herself; with talons instead of fingernails and a barbed wire heart and a maw that feasts. The beast in Titian's soul and the lioness in his bed and Claret knows — she knows in her heart of hearts — that there is no comparison. (Blood is blood is blood, and Vermillion lives in Titian's blood. Not her. She just has his heart.) ]
You're the next Red, [ she concedes her faced turned upwards to his, something like pain (exquisite and keen and profound) pinching at her brow. With both hands she takes his face and cradles it between her palms. She loves hm, she loves him and — in a way — pities him. Oh, to be a slave of such terrible appetites. ] And when it's your turn, no one will be able to stop you. Not even me.
[ She fears her father's death and what it will mean for all of them. Part of Claret wants to believe it means that Titian will chose her, in the end, but Claret has always been practical where her siblings are grossly impulsive. What it means is that Titian will feast and feast; he will paint the town red; he'll reign.
Carefully, she hazards a smile. ] You'll have the family, and Red, and the whole city. You'll have Vee. [ There isn't a place for her in that picture. Claret shrugs. ] And I'll still love you. It's okay.
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You're the next Red, [ she concedes her faced turned upwards to his, something like pain (exquisite and keen and profound) pinching at her brow. With both hands she takes his face and cradles it between her palms. She loves hm, she loves him and — in a way — pities him. Oh, to be a slave of such terrible appetites. ] And when it's your turn, no one will be able to stop you. Not even me.
[ She fears her father's death and what it will mean for all of them. Part of Claret wants to believe it means that Titian will chose her, in the end, but Claret has always been practical where her siblings are grossly impulsive. What it means is that Titian will feast and feast; he will paint the town red; he'll reign.
Carefully, she hazards a smile. ] You'll have the family, and Red, and the whole city. You'll have Vee. [ There isn't a place for her in that picture. Claret shrugs. ] And I'll still love you. It's okay.