He looked good in the red shirt and white pants, somewhat modern for someone as conventional as himself, but it was a good fit. Of course, Venus wouldn't admit to it. That was just plain shameful. But she could silently appreciate the objective complement of colours against the man.
"How do I look, Venus? Your sister got me the fit. I'm surprised she knew my size." Technoblade knew. He knew. Of course he knew! He wasn't so stupid to think that Cecilla truly got him the clothes, she barely knew what room he slept in. Any host would be able to spot a lie so blatant. Technoblade was a host - he would figure it out with ease.
"Like a medicinal pill." Venus responded and looked over to Wilbur, who started laughing at the comments. "She must have gotten the measurements from my room." She continued as Technoblade scowled at Wilbur.
"Do I look good?" He asked, rephrasing his sentence. The previously perceived warrior and Blood God was found acting like a dog, waiting with great interest for validation.
"Well, red does suit you." She sighed and put a hand to his head, forgetting he was a year older than her and treating him like a child. At the realisation, she snatched her hand away and moved back entirely.
"Venus are you falling for me?" Technoblade asked excitedly. Venus stared at him and her face twisted into distaste. His face, which held a small smile, faltered at her look.
"No. Never. I thought you were a dog for a moment, in all honesty." She seethed and moved further away. Just like that, it was as if her flower crown wilted from her head, turning black with the shadows which overcast her appalled face.
"And here I am... the ruthless murderer, getting rejected so meanly. Ah, Venus, never change." Technoblade sighed and fell off of the cliff he was keeping himself up on. Venus watched him walk back to Wilbur, who was watching and listening, along with Cecilla.
She had long since moved away from Venus and Technoblade, a part of her didn't want to. She genuinely loved the man, but a part of her also wanted to see him lead her on. See what he did to seduce and toy women. But Venus's rejection was cruel and a revelation for the woman. She was happy that Venus rejected him, but the rejection was brutal. Worse than any capital punishment she had witnessed. Her sister in a bad mood was honestly terrifying, Cecilla could see the clouds move to try and extinguish her flame. Or cover that rage from the Gods. But Cecilla sighed in relief when Sapnap yelled.
"Look, a hare!" The boy yelled and pointed to the creature a fair distance away. The clouds cleared and everything was back to normal, Venus calmed at the sight, attracting the hare with her finger. Venus had a very good connection to doves and hares. She even named her bleached horse after the bird.
"Venus likes animals?" Tubbo asked, pulling himself up the cliff.
"Not all of them, only some. But often, yes. Her favourites are partridges, doves and hares." Cecilla chimed in and watched her little sister baby the animal.
"Is that so, what about you?" Technoblade asked the blonde lady, who turned to him in surprise.
"Me? I like... butterflies." Cecilla smiled sweetly and went over to Technoblade. "What of yours?" She cooed, running a finger down his arm.
"Snakes... vultures... dogs. I like dogs." He thought of a few before concluding. Venus heard and stared at Technoblade, mortified at his conclusions. "Why're you looking at me like that? Is it disgusting or something?" Technoblade asked her from below the cliff he was climbing up.
"No. Sorry. Just a surprise." She brushed off before picking up the hare. "Did I sound mean when I was saying no? I apologise, I didn't mean to sound so rude." She nodded and walked over with the hare. Technoblade wasn't too fond of animals, it was why his choices were as terrible as they were. Even so, he stroked the animal before taking it and holding it for everyone below to pet the same way.
"It's a shame we're leaving today. I'm beginning to enjoy the scenery of flowers and rivers. Maybe I could write a song about it." Wilbur thought to himself aloud and stroked the healthy brown coat of the hare.
They all doted over the animal as Venus lost interest. She had nothing to do but wait for them to leave. What would happen after was still a mystery but she knew it wasn't going to be exceptional. Just more scolding, recovering, talking to the maids and catching up. Venus did want to learn how to fight. Not so skilled that she could fight in a war, but to give her some confidence when she held the knife she kept in her pockets. Kristen flew up to her and walked to the left of her as she realised Venus was walking away.
"Where are you going?" Kristen asked.
"To train. I want to learn combat." Venus looked down at her dress, not dirty but slightly wet from stray droplets of the boys' roughhousing.
"I thought you knew! You seemed that sort of person and my husband tells me you carry a knife. Even pointed the thing at him!" Kristen retold. She wasn't mad, which piqued Venus's curiosity, but she seemed more impressed, and proud.
"I don't know how to fight with one." Venus explained, looking down with the memory of her first encounter with Phil after 2 years.
"What made you pull it out then?" She raised an eyebrow like Tubbo did. As far as Venus could see, Tubbo was related to them. But she didn't know where the goat horns came from.
"Well, stabbing someone who won't fight back is one thing, another is actually fighting with one." She responded, she pulled out her knife, which Sapnap had made just for her. A pretty, polished, pointed little thing. A small rose carved into the blade and a ruby in the handle, encased in wood and glass. The ruby was a dud, but still very pretty. Kristen took it and looked at it through and through. The women continued to talk on the way back to the castle, where Venus's mother stood.
She was a gorgeous lady. Her hair was brown, though it urged closer to a darker red in some lights. Her eyes were blue, and she had the same slender nose as Venus, but the same lips as Cecilla. Allegra inherited the ears and eye shape of their mother. Mainly seen in red with her husband, their mother wore a yellow scarf which draped and hung from her elbows, and she was 5'6. Her name was Beatrice.
Kristen nodded at her equal and spoke to her as Venus listened. Talk amongst adults interested her, she wasn't sure what it was, but the way they spoke was mature and endearing.
The clock soon reached parting time. Venus along with her family stood by the pier. An expanse of cobblestone with lanterns travelling far out to where the strip ended. The boat which Venus remembered being in was tied to the end of the dock and bobbed with patience. Tommy hugged Venus, getting picked up lovingly by the girl who put him on her shoulders. Wilbur had bonded well with Allegra, but looked down to Venus as a 6'5 teen. He smiled at her and took Tommy, giving Venus a bracelet. Wilbur had made gifts for all of them. Or at least bought them, as Venus assumed her bracelet was too high quality to just be made at home. Tubbo had also bonded well with Allegra, more with Sapnap, who nearly threw the boy into the ocean below. When Tubbo reached Venus, he offered his hand, which she hit happily and watched him jump up onto the boat. Cecilla was on the boat talking to Technoblade and Philza, so those two weren't seen, and with a great lack of interest, Venus waited for her sister to return. She looked over the edge of the pier and into the ocean, seeing a few fish, then a person on the beach a fair distance away. Two people. One was grabbing the other, and often, Venus didn't care, grabbing was just play fighting on the beach. But the taller of the two picked up the other, and something glistened between them. That wasn't good, usually. The shorter, elevated blob kicked as Venus watched, before she pulled out her knife.
"Sorry... Sapnap." She muttered, looking at the blade one last time before violently (yet tactifully) throwing the knife towards the pair. She watched it shrink, then: bullseye. The knife hit straight into the taller, green figure. They collapsed and a pool of red emerged from where they lay. Venus would have checked on the person but cheered and went over to Sapnap, wrapping her arms around him. "I did it!" She cheered.
"Venus Erotes!" Her father yelled, looking as though he was going to burst a vein. Venus froze and bowed in apology to her father. He sighed, bowing up to the ship where Venus realised Technoblade was going on about something.
"What did you do Venus?" Technoblade called and asked informally from the ship.
"I'll send a letter and tell you!" Venus promised with a small smile before Technoblade laughed.
He continued his speech but by that point, it was half-hearted. He was focusing more on Venus's promise. A part of him wondered what put her in such a good mood, it was the first time he had seen her jump up so quickly and hug someone with that sort of energy. She looked like she had regressed a few years with how childlike she suddenly acted.
As his speech came to a close, he waved farewell, and disappeared from the view of the kingdom. What was said between him and Cecilla would remain without him, nothing he said to her was the truth. Everything was a sham with him. Maybe he could understand why Venus hated him so much, if he imagined someone doing that to his sister, he would feel the same. Boiling with spite and distaste. It was a sibling incentive wasn't it? No matter how badly they would treat Venus, blood runs thicker than water. Venus was noble, her morals were in the correct place, but Technoblade wouldn't have minded if she were just power hungry and more of a dictator; she had the personality down to a science. Ocean crashed and rocked the boat on their steady trip back, Wilbur was strumming his guitar on the deck while Tubbo and Tommy sat by their older brother. Kristen was watching the castle slowly shrink and her husband approached the emperor.
"Do you intend on writing to Venus?" Phil asked him.
"Wouldn't she be such a fitting ruler, Phil? It's a shame she's only a middle child. Nothing will be hers." Technoblade sighed instead of answering the question. "I'd love to know what she's doing right now... what made her so happy. Say, have you seen her with the servants? With people?" Technoblade began rambling on his way into the ship. "She's kind, fair and charismatic."
"Those are what women say about you." Phil laughed. "They don't realise what you've done to them. And I don't think you realise what she's done to you."
"She hasn't done anything. She despises me. I couldn't ask for anything more from her. She's done what they feared. Plus she'd never treat me like some sort of fickle, the whole reason for her blackening tar they call abhorrence is because I do the same." He discussed her as a topic.
The conversation continued between the men as they embarked to the polar south. The boys wanted to spend some time in the palace. Have some of Calvin's cooking.