thecutdiamond | iron sharpens iron

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iron sharpens iron

She's stepped down from Head of Defense for a few years now, but she's still a Ten. It's a kindness, she knows-- the old guard didn't have the heart to Challenge the former Queen who had sacrificed so much of herself to the Suit, and the new guard didn't have the courage. Besides that, Eileen Eicheln is still very much (and once again) the Ace of Clubs, and while Rachel doesn't care quite so much for her Rank, these days, everyone knows that her niece will likely take some offense.

With Edgar moved into the Hearts castle, Rachel and Elliot had decided to move to a smaller place in Town closer to the Diamonds. It was easier for Elliot to get to the Wild Cards (though even he had begun shifting more to supervising than actually doing as much of the work) and for Rachel (who, after all these years and a few more injuries, was permanently on a cane, now) to get to the Diamonds castle.

Just as well, really. Rachel still devoted so much of her time to the Diamonds, even if it was more in emotional energy than physical, now. Even if that emotional energy was focused, rather largely, on helping guide some of the younger members of the Suit down their path.

She's had no small number of mentees, over the years. She has to confess to herself, though, that the young man with the name of one of her former Kings and who is about the age of her son, has been one of her favorites.

And it's always nice, to meet young Horatio Hornblower in the castle for tea.

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He tries not to be a bother.

Rachel has been so kind to him, after all. She's given him so much time over the years. She's had so much to do and so much to look after and so many people who have needed her, and she's still managed to give him little moments and attentions that have slotted him along in the right direction.

He's not sure he would have come back from his first fumbling Challenge without her guidance. He's not certain he would have gotten back up on his feet after a lot of things without a few carefully selected words from behind her quiet smile.

So he tries not to be a bother. He tries to lean on Archie. He tries to sit with his own thoughts and sort through them, as if they could be shifted into equations and solved through sheer force of will.

It's just that he's about to issue his challenge to Seven. That has him checking his watch compulsively as he waits for the Ten. It doesn't much upset the quiet of his features, but he can't stop himself from at least checking the passage of the seconds.

He's so young. She can't believe that she used to be so young; so invested in the future and ready to work until she dropped. It feels like so very long ago.

He's clearly one who needs guidance. One who, perhaps, needs some caution against losing himself to the greater system. One who, possibly, needed to hear the words she herself had needed, when she was his age.

She tries her best to tell him that, while guiding him on his way. It's a delicate line to walk.

It's worth it.

So she's not late (as if she ever is) whenever the time comes to meet with him. Horatio'll likely hear the sound of her cane against the stone before she actually enters the room a quiet smile-- as always, these days-- resting calmly on her face.

"Hello, Horatio. How are you?"

He always stands a little straighter at the faint, familiar tap and scrape. It's a unique sort of sensation, really. Knowing Rachel is close at hand relaxes something in his chest, after all, at the same time it always startles his spine into something like military attitude.

"Ma'am."

He'll never quite lose the impulse toward honourifics. Hopefully it's faintly undercut with the secondary impulse he has to reach for her arm in a faintly affectionate way.

"Well enough. I trust you and Mr. Reynolds are as well?"

The hand that touches at her arm is patted at lightly before he lets go, a fond smile on her lips as she does so.

"Both very well, thank you. Edgar had time to come over for dinner this past weekend and that always brightens our week."

Her son's responsibilities had, naturally, increased as he began his casual working up the Ranks, and he was busy enough now that dinner over the weekend at home wasn't always guaranteed. It always helps Rachel breathe a little better, when he's managed to come home and show them both he's still in one piece.

"Has he?"

Horatio came to the Deck young enough, thankfully, to catch properly on to the way a Diamond was expected to hold themselves. By now, he has the impeccable sort of mask that keeps members of other Suits slightly off-balance, the easy lulling tone that doesn't let much of anything on at all.

It's pure affection that has a spark of actual interest in his voice as he moves to pull out a chair for the Ten. "I've heard he's been doing brilliantly."

Rachel's smiles will always be somewhat quiet things, after all these years of life in the Diamonds. It's a testament of her fondness for the young man that he earns the brighter smile that, generally, only her family and dear friends get to see.

"He has been." The pride in her voice is obvious to hear as she settles into the chair, "We're very proud of him."

They'd be proud of him, regardless, really.

It's almost impolite to let his fingers glance against her shoulder when he pushes in her chair. Hopefully it isn't actually.

"As you ought to be." As all good parents were. "As I'm sure you are of Miss Eicheln."

It's almost a question. That Rachel would be proud of her niece surely wasn't the point of actual contention. The lingering almost-question-mark at the end came from a much longer angle than all that.

There were proud parents, and then there were people who were proud like parents. Surely Rachel was proud of Eileen the way the late Queen of Clubs would have been.

Surely that meant there was room to hope she might be proud of Horatio himself, if things went well.

"Oh, absolutely."

There's obviously not a single bit of doubt in her voice, for the fact. She's rather obviously proud.

"Eileen's been like a daughter to me for-- years, now." Even more so, after Argine had passed, "I doubt there's really any way I wouldn't be proud of her.

All a body needs, really, is hope. It sets a certain brightness in him now as he moves to take his own seat.

"She does always seem quite-- happy. To be working as hard as she is."

The hard work bit comes easily enough. It's the being happy part--the letting go just enough to let other important pieces of one's heart get filled in--that came as more of a struggle. It shouldn't, when Archie made him so happy, and yet.

"She's happy for the work, certainly."

Being Ace is so much of everything Eileen had known and hoped for, after all. Serving her Suit just like her father had hoped to is absolutely instinct, for her. But.

"But I'm quite certain it's not just that that's making her happy."

Some of his earliest time in the Deck had been in the Diamond kitchens. There's always a certain fondness to the edges of pouring out tea these days.

He doesn't falter in the slightest when she speaks, attention on the work at hand.

"No?"

"Thank you. And no, I don't think so."

An easy sip of her tea as she ponders the best way to explain.

"She has-- more than just her service to the Deck, I think, to-- let her feel fulfilled."

His brow doesn't twitch at all. He still needs a beat to carefully spoon a bit of sugar into his cup, to be certain his voice will stay bland as anything.

"She has you, I expect."

"All her family, really."

Her own voice is incredibly even as she takes grip of her tea.

"It helps her make sure she's-- more than just an Ace, mm?"

That gets his brow arching up just a bit, attention still largely on the teacup in his hands. He doesn't need to focus on it, but it's a favourite handy mechanism.

"That's already quite a lot to be, though, ma'am."

It's something to aim for. It's something to be consumed by.

That earns a small, amused, and entirely fond smile.

"Only if you let it."

If-- as he planned, and as Rachel herself had-- you let it consume you.

"Is that so?"

Horatio trust Rachel completely. She could ask him to jump, and he'd be in the air while starting to ask her how high.

He still doesn't quite see what she's pointing to, stubborn as anything.

He's so much like her. She wonders if this is how Ophelia felt, talking to her.

(She has to make sure, like Ophelia didn't, that she's very clear.)

"I'm not saying that it's-- a bad thing, mm? To be devoted to your Suit." Certainly given her track record, it wouldn't be a believable statement, anyways, "But there's-- got to be more than just-- the Suit that you-- put the work in for, otherwise your life isn't balanced. And things can get-- bad, when that balance doesn't exist."

Devotion to his Suit has been incredibly easy since nearly the first day he'd arrived. The concept of anything else, however, is still a struggle.

It's a credit to his affection that 'more that just the Suit' immediately calls Archie to mind.

"What else fits, then?"

"Taking care of yourself."

That has to be first and foremost. That has a wry sort of smile on her lips as she takes a sip of her tea.

"Making sure to spend time with your loved ones. That sort of thing."

There's something very careful about the way he handles his teacup. There's also something just a touch uncertain at the back of his gaze when he looks properly across the table at the Ten.

"I do spend time with my loved ones."

He's here, isn't he? And, occasionally, he's with Archie for comparable amounts of time.

"You do," she acknowledges with a gentle smile his way.

"But does it feel like-- spending time, or like you're stealing time away from when you could be working?"

That's very specific.

That's very specific, and--what's more--it's very correct. He can't imagine that the cavalier sip he takes of his tea fools her in the slightest.

"Depends."

He's a good Diamond. He's got, really, quite a good Diamond mask.

She's just a lot better at seeing through them.

"Exactly," she replies with a sip of her own tea, "You want more of the former than the latter, or you're going to work yourself sick."

"Despite all these claims, I'm not sure that's properly true."

Which is as close as he'll get, likely, to admitting that Archie's worrying occasionally gets to him.

"Besides, it's hardly forever."

It's just a few more years. It's just a few more sacrifices to make for his career. It's something Archie understands.

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sdkl rachel loves him already

ljsds momiral no /o\

you hush, tiny thing :|

not in front of the other sixes :'|

/pinches metaphorical cheeks :| <3

/GROANS FOREVER (but loves so hard)

/victorious headpats

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TAKE YOUR BOYFRIEND TO DINNER, HORATIO

BUT MOM, HIS AMBITIONNNNN

LISTEN TO UR MOMIRAL

BUT HE WANTS TO BE KINGGGGG

GOOD KINGS LISTEN TO THEIR MOMIRALS.

...rly :|a