Dinner and Palpable Tension (Darcie and Lannisters)

Darcie had been invited to dine with Tywin and his family.

To be honest it made her want to vomit she was so nervous but she pulled herself together and decided that she was going to show that little bitch Circe that she could be just as pretty as she could be. She was wearing a dress that Charlotte had made for her, it was in the style of the dresses that many Southern ladies wore - with the long sleeves, metal work corset built into the bodice. The colour of the dress was a dark green, the detail which consisted of ivy trailing up from the bottom of the dress, the metal work was a silver colour which matched the colour of the detail.

Charlotte too had done her hair, it was braided nicely at the back but the majority did still fall down loose by her back.

It was the best that she was going to look, and to be honest, she rather liked it. She looked different without her dark eye make up but...it made her eyes brighter, made them shine in the light of the candles flickering about. Her quarters were within the tower of the Hand of the King - to be close to Tywin in case he required her so she did not have far to walk.

Approaching the venue where the meal was being served, the guards opened the doors for her and let her in. Smiling, and saying a polite thank you to them, Darcie gutted up and prepared herself for a night full of back stabbing and palpable tension. With the dinner guests joining her, she was lucky that was the extent of what would be happening. There was King Geoffrey, Circe, Jamie, Tyrion and of course Tywin.

Bending her knees, keeping her back straight Darcie wanted to punch the air when she did a successful curtsey.

"Good evening, your Grace, my lady, and my lords. Thank you for inviting me to dine with you tonight." Darcie stated graciously, her eyes shifting from Lannister to Lannister - the majority of whom seemed gobsmacked that she was wearing a dress of their culture, and looking so damn sexy in it as well.

Because the dresses weren't particularly fitted, it relied on the shape of the woman, and her breasts and ass made the dress fill out very nicely. Taking the seat that Tywin had left for her, next to himself at the table, opposite Jamie, Darcie smiled shyly.

"The dinner smells delicious." she commented with a gentle smile.

Tywin was willing to admit that perhaps the future of the Lannister name would have to come from someone outside of his immediate family. Because if his children and grandchildren were anything to go by then he was never going to have anyone worthy of the legacy he was building in the main Lannister family for a long time.

The dinner hadn't even started and Circe and Jaime were glaring at each other after Charlotte had been brought up in conversation and Tyrion and Geoffrey were in the middle of a competition to see who could cause the other the most distress.

When she finally showed up , tywin was happier to see Darcie than he was to see anyone else in the room. He smiled a little bit ,

"Good evening Darcie." He greeted her with a bow of his head, "Please join us Darcie. We were just having a brief discussion."

Circe, the fool that she was, immediately butted in,

"I was just saying how... Troubling it is to have three strong women with no ties of loyalty to our king." She immediately said, causing Geoffrey to smirk, "Perhaps you should spend some quality time with the king to help foster some loyalty?"

Tywin smiled slightly,

"Silence Circe or I'll have your tongue cut out." He declared in a light hearted manner, "Darcie is loyal to our family because we make good friends, not because we threaten. Right?"

Darcie couldn't help but want to turn around and leave already, the only person not arguing was Tywin and she wanted to sigh. She didn't though. She reigned it in. Politely she waited for the conversation to begin again and she was a little shocked when Circe said that she didn't think that having three strong women with no ties to the King was a particularly good idea.

That they wouldn't be loyal to them or something like that?

Of course...the suggestion of 'quality time' if it was indeed implying what she thought it was implying made her stomach turn. The king was like what... 16? Not to mention he was an asshole who would more likely tie her up and flay her alive than actually have sex with her.

"Oh please my Lord it is no bother. Of course it is natural that it should be of some concern that you have help for your cause that comes from outside Westeros. It is natural that you might not trust that help right away." she stated with a gentle smile "However this quality time we are having now should remedy that, more in the future will stay your worries I hope my lady Circe."

The way that Circe's face went bright red with suppressed anger and she blurted out;

"Why would we trust you, you could be spies! Your visions could be a load of old rubbish, why should we listen to you?" she exclaimed.

"Don't listen to me then my lady." Darcie said simply "And when you and Jamie end up burning on a stake and Lord Tywin's hard work making his legacy comes unravelling, then perhaps you will finally see I was telling the truth. Only then it will be too late."

The huffing that emanated from the woman, as Darcie fixed her with her calm blue eyes made her want to smirk but she didn't. Circe eventually seemed to wither under her father's and her own gaze and back down from the argument that she had caused already. Jamie coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat;

"Your dress. Uhm, your dress is very beautiful Darcie. It is nice to see you embracing our ways of life." he stated "What dress maker did you go to?"

"Why thank you my lord Jamie, Charlotte actually made this dress for me, she is a brilliant tailor. She could make anything you ask her to. She smiths, draws, paints, sews. If only I were so talented." Darcie stated with a soft smile, she really didn't have many talents beside her soothsaying which wasn't that impressive where she came from.

Why was it that his daughter seemed intent on disappointing him at every turn within her miserable little life? If she wasn't born his daughter he'd have had her throat cut out for bringing such shame on the Lannister family.

He honestly hated her.

When she seemed to do nothing other than torment Darcie tywin had to resist the urge to have the woman killed,

"Circe... You are my daughter and you would do well to remember that I am the head of house Lannister and I am the one who will make such a judgement." He told her simply as the good arrived and he picked up his knife and fork, "Don't forget that again."

There was a tense silence before Jaime actually used some of his few brain cells to try his best to defuse the tension in the room. Sometimes it was good to have Jaime as a son even if it wasn't most of the time,

"Your friend Charlotte designs clothing you say?" He hummed a little bit, "If it's not too big an order I would have her make the clothing for the royal family and the Tyrells in time for Geoffrey's royal wedding."

He smirked ever so slightly,

"I don't suppose you'll be able to see if the Tyrells live up to their side of the preparations ?"

Darcie looked at Tywin when he stood up for her and she felt herself blushing softly, it felt good to have him standing up for her when she was in a den of so many trip wires and hazards. She didn't know why he was standing up for her but she hoped that it was because he liked her, in some manner any way. Business partner or burgeoning friend. Somehow she thought that it took him a long time to actually admit to being close to anyone.

Staying silent when Tywin told Circe off, Darcie smiled gently and picked at the food that she had been given, hoping that her table manners were satisfactory.

"Yes she designs." she stated with a bright smile "Well you would have to ask her about that my Lord but I know that she does work fast when she has a deadline to meet. I'm certain that she would accept the proposal - for nothing if I know her well enough." Darcie admitted with a wry smile on her lips.

Unable to stop a small laugh Darcie shook her head;

"Oh if only it was that easy, visions don't come when they're asked for." she stated with a little grin "But I'll make sure to divine about it later on."

"How convenient for you my lady." Tyrion peeped up from where he was sitting quite on the end of the table.

Darcie was not too involved in her art to ignore the fact that many thought that she made up what she saw - of course those people were often never around when she did have a vision. Some were though, and they believed her after seeing her drawing.

"Are you a sceptic lord Tyrion?" Darcie asked with a gentle smile.

"Indeed. I find the whole debarcle of seeing the future something very hard to believe in without seeing evidence of it."

"It shall be a very tiring meal if I have to constantly defend myself against people thinking I'm some sort of charletan. If you truly wish to see if I am telling the truth, I'll have someone summon you when I next have a vision. Maybe then you will believe, and get off my back." Darcie stated with a sigh, finishing her meal in record time - this dinner was not turning out to be very fun at all like she had expected.

Tywin was glad that Darcie seemed to have been able to handle herself against Circe. Honestly not a lot of women would be able to do that. Circe had spent her entire life trying to look and be as intimidating as possible and it made a lot of sense that Darcie was able to stand against her. In the world where women were strong and independent. Circe was nothing.

But it was still troublesome.

"Please do ask Charlotte to draw up her plans and prepare them for the wedding." He asked her with a small smile, "It would not do for us to wear anything other than unique and powerful clothing made by someone who knows what they are doing."

And now Tyrion was getting annoying as well.

That was it.

"Everyone but Darcie is to leave." He declared firmly, the guards moving to ensure his command was followed through, "My family members must be tired... To let their decorum slip to such startling levels wouldn't you agree Darcie?"

Jaime rose from his seat easily enough and Tyrion seemed rather relieved but Circe was livid. She likely would have said something before Tywin gave her a strong look that had her growing red in the face and standing to leave with the others. Tywin matched Geoffrey's glare,

"His grace is tired."

Geoffrey twitched at the reminder that Tywin could order him to bed. The teen stormed off and Tywin and Darcie were left alone. He paused,

"Do you have family Darcie?" He asked her before adding, "Are they ever such a massive disgrace that you hate them? That is what my children are like sometimes..."

Darcie shrugged her shoulders a little bit when Tywin said that his family had dropped the ball on the manners front tonight, she didn't think that it had been as bad as it had been playing in her mind. Biting her lip softly she didn't want to talk ill of his family, but she didn't want to ignore him either. In the end she thought she must go with the truth.

"Indeed it does seem as if they have some issue with me. I doubt it is nothing that we can't sort out with time." Darcie stated with a soft smile "Tiredness can make even the most docile person irritable and argumentative."

Now that everyone had gone, Darcie sighed softly and wanted to put her head on the table and whack it several times. It would be severely embarrassing to do so though with Tywin still here and she felt some strange need to impress him. Perhaps she wanted him to think she was worthwhile...she wasn't like the other people around here. They could get on.

Taking a deep drink of her wine, Darcie sighed again;

"I did." she hummed softly "They were never like that though, always kind, polite to guests. I don't think that Lady Circe likes me very much, I cannot imagine why." Darcie stated with a little non commital shrug "I suppose that is my lot and I should make do with it. I am sorry that I caused so much trouble my Lord Tywin...I did not mean to ruin the meal."

Was it true that his family seemed to have an issue with her ? Yes it was true that Geoffrey and Circe had problems with her but these problems were as insurmountable as they were incredibly easy to see the reasoning for. Geoffrey didn't like anyone he couldn't order to do what he wanted and Circe hated any woman who had even a tenth of her intelligence or any kind of skill that she didn't have. She was petty like that .

He had literally no idea where she got that from,

"Yes well it appears that my family are often tired then." He observed with a small smirk before shaking his head, "They are fools the lot of them. I have tried to tell them all they need to succeed in this life and they all repeatedly ignore my advice and my rulings."

See?

Darcie had a family that was polite to guests and they were a lot more common than the lannisters but no! No the Lannister children, who were taught better, were the worst,

"Then you have a much family than I do my dear." He joked a little bit before adding, "Don't take it personally Darcie, Circe doesn't like anybody with more intelligence or talent than her and you have her beaten on both accounts."

Darcie felt like she should be consoling Tywin a little bit when it came to his children, it wasn't her place but he had told her that he was so concerned about his legacy...and his children seemed to be completely inept at doing what he wanted to be done. Perhaps that was why he was so sour all of the time, because he was constantly worried about what his children were going to do next, and making sure they didn't undo all of his work when he had gone.

Angling her body so that she was facing completely towards Tywin, legs and all, Darcie smiled gently. She wanted to place a hand on his arm, and she did initially start forwards to do this but ended up merely placing one hand on top of the other to mask it.

"You shouldn't think that it's your fault though my Lord." she whispered softly "You tried your best, and I'm sure that they appreciated the lessons even though they failed to grasp them in their entirety."

The fact that Tywin would so happily talk down about his daughter to HER, was slightly shocking. It must mean he either really didn't care what people thought about his daughter or he trusted her with his opinions. Either way, she wouldn't broadcast what he had said around, there was no need to do that.

"My lord." Darcie started, before she laughed softly at what he had said, a large smile on her lips "You are too cruel. Lady Circe probably only wants to impress you Lord Tywin."

Now that they were on their own, and the wine flowing steadily, Darcie smiled gently at Tywin; "I have to say, it is a lot nicer now that we are on our own. Your family dinners must be a god awful occasion my lord. Forgive me if I speak out of turn."

Looking out at the night sky, she thought that she had better leave sooner rather than later, and she was sure that Tywin had things that he needed to do as well. Finishing the wine in her cup, Darcie replaced it on the table feeling...odd about this dinner with Tywin. Did it count as a date? No, of course it didn't!

Tywin had often thought about where the blame lied when it came to how his children were turning out. Oh he knew that Circe had become bitter at losing her mother with the birth of Tyrion but Jaime had not become anywhere near as bitter and they shared the same mother. But then again Jaime was a disappointment in other ways .

The man had done nothing with the gifts that had been given to him and it was an insult to the gods and to everything tywin had done to nurture his sons talents in the more martial arts. Not to meantion his sons studies. He paused for a moment,

"Jaime... Has an affliction that makes it twice as hard for him to read and write. When he was young I spent days and weeks helping that boy learn to read and write properly regardless." He admitted, sipping his wine, "He has still refused to read. I suppose I might have to entertain the idea that even they cannot be trained."

Why was tywin being so open about all of this with her? Honestly he didn't know why he was so open with her in particular. Maybe it was because he didn't honestly think she would betray his trust. Who would she tell about what he had said? Her friends and that was her only real option. He snorted,

"I know she wishes to impress me but putting others down to make you look better doesn't actually make you better."

He sipped at some wine and couldn't help but agree,

"Yes I admit it's much more relaxing to just have dinner with you. We will have to do it again sometime now won't we?" He suggested before humming, "It's nice to have good conversation for once after all."

Darcie was surprised to hear that Jamie had dyslexia, there were people back home that specially trained to help teach dyslexic people how best to read and write. He would never be good at English, like writing prose and poetry but he would be infinately better at mathematics and things like that which she supposed he would need to be good at if he had to manage the finances when he took over the family.

"He has dyslexia...that's what we call it back home. I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't want to write...at all. Surely its important if he is going to take over from you? If you'd like, I could ask Charlotte to speak with him about it, I'm sure she'd get him to come around eventually?" Darcie suggested with a soft smile in Tywins direction.

The offer to have dinner with Tywin again in the future was one that made Darcie actually quite happy and she nodded her head;

"I would love to have dinner with you again sometime my lord Tywin." she smiled brightly "It is always nice, a good way in which to end the day."

Standing from the table Darcie dusted down her skirts and she folded her arms about her chest in order to give herself a feeling of security. There was always a little bit of niggling doubt that she looked awful, or fat, or ugly, or all three. Hugging herself gave her a small amount of comfort.

"If you do not mind my lord I shall retire to bed, it is quite late." Darcie stated, curtseying once more and sending a warm smile to Tywin "Thank you once again for the lovely food. I hope to see you again soon."