I dedicate this one to Imogen and Fenella (ooh, dedication!) because they wrote the fics that inspired it. Imo's is a Roger piece (not published, unfortunately) and Fen's is Portrait: Volney Rain. (story id: 2338337/1).
And since this is becoming a sort of Delia-verse, the chronology (er... order): down but not Out, Fen's Volney fic (hah! I appropriate you), (un)married couple, venom, Thirteen.
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When Jon finally came to visit Delia in her tower, she curtsied too low (on purpose), asked him inside (once he was already in) and wondered if he was visiting her to spite his wife.
She didn't sit when he asked (until it came as an order), ask why he came (if he told her, he wouldn't have a reason to stay), or let the conversation lag (even if it wasn't kept entirely civil).
Jon insulted her, threatened to kill her, and told her to shut up when she tried to act helpless. So she said she'd been helpless to Roger, and Jon wanted to believe her.
He didn't want to believe her (even though it fed his ego) when Delia said she wished she'd met him first, loved him first, and married him forever. He definitely didn't want to hear about how much better the sex was, although Delia assured him he was probably better now (she neglected to remind him that Roger was dead).
When he called her out for 'trying' to flirt with him, she called him out for marital problems and he changed the subject, finally getting to the point.
Delia couldn't have been more shocked when Jon said he wanted her to pose for a painting (and she suspected an ulterior motive).
Jon's professed motive ("…have this court artist… so much vision! …Won't paint what I want him to until…" chuckle, chuckle, joke, joke, etc., etc., ad nauseum) was not his real one, although Delia wondered if it might not be the cause of his marital problems. It hadn't occurred to her before, and it should have, considering Roger.
The artist (in exchange for being allowed to fulfill his 'artistic vision') was going to update security records for all the prisoners in the city and had gotten enough support and interest from the Provost and some mages to start an experimental security system. Delia, in her role as guinea pig, was going to be made to step in and out of her cage while they found out whether or not a drawing would work accurately as a focus.
White rage.
She froze over, though, when Jon pointed out how shoddy her own security was (true, even though she hadn't tested it herself) and how easy it was for small children to enter and go at will (… it was). They would inevitably leave the door unlocked by mistake (…she hadn't left, even then – where could she go that she wouldn't be recognized and killed?).
Jon told her that against his better judgment, he wasn't going to stop Neal from seeing her (he's not above using children to spy on her) and so Delia resigned herself to doing what he wanted (she's always known more than she should and she's not above using children either).
She asked him why he didn't just order her, or send someone else. Since he just won the last round, Jon told her he liked to taunt prisoners, and equally stupid, that his artist (pet) was shy.
Delia was tempted to seduce the artist, now, and told Jon so. He got jealous, but to Delia, any possible ways of construing this as flattery were destroyed when Jon told her she was a mistake – to both him and Roger.
She corrected him; they were all each other's worst mistakes.
Jon showed himself out (told her to expect the artist tomorrow) and took his presence with him.
Delia sank to her knees, drained, and let out the breath she'd been holding.
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The end, for now (no extras – boo). Thanks, Fen for beta-ing (although drat you for giving me ideas).
Has anyone noticed that I use parentheses waaay too much?
Sally
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