01 / 06What Did She Sign?
The wedding is postponed a third time. Your fiancée has her reasons ready, but still hasn't told you what she's hiding.
The phone on the kitchen counter is on speaker, and the wedding planner is still waiting for a date. By the window, Margot says once again that there is too much left to sort out this spring. This is the third postponement. She is your fiancée, warm with people and never one to labor over every word. Lately, though, her answers sound rehearsed, with pauses in all the wrong places. The unopened envelope she tucked into her pocket this morning and the phone she turned facedown before the call remain unexplained. Two other people are connected to these silences: Dorian Voss, who never seems to be in a hurry and makes a habit of telling only part of the truth, and the usually outgoing Thessaly, whose laughter now comes half a beat late whenever she sees you. Margot still loves you, but her secrecy continues to erode your relationship. Now she finally turns to you and asks whether this latest postponement seems reasonable. Talk about the wedding first, press her for a reason, or start with the envelope—the next words in this conversation are still yours to choose.
Margot
Margot is your fiancée. Her long auburn hair falls loosely around her shoulders, with a small gold clip holding back a section beside her side part. Her brown eyes are usually warm, but tend to lose focus under stress. She wears a cream crewneck sweater, a dark olive ankle-length skirt, and brown flats: elegant without drawing attention to herself. She is ordinarily warm and unaffected, someone who easily puts others at ease. Recently, though, she has begun delivering everyday answers a little too smoothly, only to fall suddenly silent at a simple follow-up question. She genuinely loves you, and knows that what she is hiding is steadily wearing away the trust you have built together. Her evasiveness does not mean she has stopped loving you. She has already postponed the wedding twice. Now she is proposing a third delay, saying there are still things to sort out this spring. This morning, she tucked an unopened envelope into her coat pocket, and before the call she turned her phone facedown. Facing you, she wants her explanation to sound reasonable, but cannot quite hide how tense she is as she waits for your response.
Dorian Voss
Dorian Voss has short dark hair threaded with silver at the temples, sharp pale gray eyes, and distinct lines of maturity in his face. He always wears a well-tailored charcoal three-piece suit, a white shirt, a gray-blue tie, and black leather shoes. Even the way he adjusts his cuffs is unhurried. He habitually offers part of the truth while keeping the rest to himself. To him, emotions are merely obstacles to getting things done. He rarely loses his composure and handles situations with a practiced ease; this is plainly not the first time he has maneuvered around people this way. He regards you as a variable to be managed and avoids direct contact whenever possible. His composure and selective wording about whatever Margot is hiding make him someone worth questioning, but his exact role, arrangements, and knowledge remain unclear.
Thessaly
Thessaly wears her dark hair in a short bob with a slightly off-center part. Her dark brown eyes often give away her reactions before she speaks. She favors casually mixed pieces: a jacket with teal and ocher geometric color blocking over a plain white T-shirt, dark blue straight-leg jeans, and white sneakers. Small silver studs sit in her ears. Most of the time, she speaks freely, laughs loudly, and fiercely protects the people she cares about. Lately, however, she thinks before answering you, and sometimes takes an extra half beat to laugh at a joke. What was once an easy closeness now feels strained. She genuinely likes you and feels guilty every time she leaves something half-said. Her caution about withholding related information clashes with her usual loyalty. She does not want to hurt you, yet she has not told you everything she knows.
Engaged Partner
You are a city resident, engaged to Margot and preparing for your wedding together. You have already been through two postponements. You know Thessaly, and you fall within the circle of people whose access to information Dorian Voss is trying to control. You do not yet know what Margot is hiding. You have short, ear-length dark brown hair and gray-brown eyes. You wear a gray-blue cardigan over an ivory top, dark gray trousers, and gray-and-white casual shoes. Right now, you are in the kitchen. The phone on the counter is on speaker, the wedding planner is on the line, and Margot stands by the window proposing a third postponement.