The King's Favorites. [PRIVATE]

[CVKE]

〖 S h h ,　 H　e 　T a l k s 〗

❝Arata smiles as the girl shook his hand. It felt tiny and fragile in his grip. He felt if he squeezed it any more than he was doing that it would break. Her whole body look likes that. Breakable, and fragile. Arata made a self-note to tell Chez about how weak the girl looked. Maybe Chez could tell the chefs to send the girl more fatty foods? Not they already were. He glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on every dress that lay there. “Guess you didn’t like any of the dresses?” he laughed quietly to himself, before faking a cough and quieting. He definitely did not like a gloomy atmosphere, Arata didn’t feel comfortable in them. “Well, I can’t say how you feel…but please just cooperate with Chez. It may not look like it but he’s having a tough time right now. He needs all the support he can get, especially from people that are close to him.” Arata took a deep breath, and continued. “ I know you two aren’t close but since Chez claims you to be his personal assistance…The public views you guys to be close.” He took another deep breath and turned around to face Lucrecia who was no facing the window. Arata hoped that she would understand not for his sake but for Chez’s. Hearing the door click open, Arata tilted his head to see who had entered. Luckily it was Venetia, maybe she could help him convince Lucrecia to attend the ball. He nodded his head towards the other twin in a greeting before returning his attention to Lucrecia.

Arata motioned the maids in the room to leave. Once the last one had closed door, he moved towards the couch, moving the dress that was on it so he could sit down. “Look you probably feel uncomfortable, uneasy, scared in the castle right?” He waited for Lucrecia to answer before continuing. “If-“ He stopped talking unsure of what he was going to say next was right or wrong. “If it makes you feel safer, and a little uncomfortable…I could go as your partner? Stay with you until you leave.” Arata hated to admit the fact that he wasn’t doing this for the girl at all, he was doing it for Chez. This made him feel guilty, and look away.

--------------------------
She was definitely not Vitani. Valerii was sure now. The voice was to deep to be the Queens. ‘Why the frown?’ He asked. “I called you Queen Vitani when you weren’t and I hate to be wrong.” Valerii pouted.

“Pft. Disappointed? No. Absolutely Not. I was just curious why the Queen was wandering around the hallways so far away from her Suite. That, and I heard that she was too busy to hang out with.” The girl blabbed out the words quickly, sounding a bit bemused. No sooner than the young man introduced himself, Valerii grinned. “Nice to meet you Shenzi. I’m Valerii. Call me Val.” She playfully saluted him like a solider before bringing her arm down back to her side. “What brings you to this part of the caslte?”

Valerii got her answer from Shenzi none to quickly. “Ah.” Restroom. Restroom. There was one in each room, and since they were in the newer part of the castle it would be easy to find one. Valerii stepped around, and Shenzi to reach for the door knob behind him. Turning it, she found it locked. “tsk.” She clicked her tongue. Turning to Shenzi she talked quickly. “Can you run?” What a stupid question? Of course he could run. He’s from Assanya for Pete’s sake. Valerii growled at her conscious before grabbing Shenzi’s wrist and started running. The girl only slowed down when they reached the next room, but it too was locked. Clicking her tongue again, Valerii quickly made her way to the south side of the building. There definitely wasn’t anyone living there…yet. When she reached the hallway, Valerii reached for the first door knob that came into view. With a click the door opened. Rushing inside, Valerii let go of Shenzi’s wrist and pushed him towards the direction of the bathroom. “Have fun.” She giggled.

Once Shenzi was gone, Valerii explored the new made room. It was more ‘modern’ than the other ones and bed looked comfy too. Making her way over to it, Valerii sat down on it. She decided to wait for Shenzi. He would probably get lost once he was outside the room.

-------------------------
Nyx felt so embarrassed. Dammit all. Nyx stared at the ground hard, refusing to meet eyes with the white haired man or look at him. She only looked up when she felt another presence. Dull blue eyes met light blonde hair. It was the Queen. The girl quietly listened to the duo talk, and when she addressed she could only nod before understanding what had been said to her. “Yes, Queen Vitani. I’ll make sure of that.” As she replied to the queen Nyx couldn’t help but smile at the end.

As the Queen left, Nyx entered the room. The white haired man behind her. Her eyes glanced around the room. It was one of the grandest she had seen. Very beautiful and exotic. She stood there waiting for instructions as Damian went past her to the desk that was stacked with paper work. “I would introduce myself, but I already did that earlier.” Nyx frowned slightly as memory of her falling down whizzed in head.
--------------------------
Nyx was mindlessly wandering around the room as Damian finished the paperwork. She stood next to the window, and almost immediately was lost in thought. Only when Damian called out her name did she blink out of her state. “Oh the door…” She mumbled and scrambled across the room. Opening it she saw two butlers and a huge trunk. Nyx looked at them and then back at Damian. “Um, Sir Damian.” She called out politely. “Are you sure this belongs here?” She asked the two butlers with a confused look. I though the Queen had moved temporarily in the castle a while ago. She thought to herself.
--------------------------

Rei smiled as Damien came back, his wet locks sticking to his head and neck. “A while ago, before the raid. Actually this was right before the raid. I met my brother. And…” She stopped to rethink her words before continuing. “ He had been looking everywhere for me. And he was very happy when we met…I can’t live in the castle alone…like this without having to worry about anything when he’s down there in the village having to work so hard for food and everything else.” Rei looked at Damien and then over to the window. “Could you maybe do something to get him in the caslte?” The blonde girl asked quietly.
--------------------------
Lysander took the scarf that he was wearing off his neck and held it in his hands. Unlike outside it was warm and cozy in Renny’s shop. “Uh. Hey, Renny. I need some new clothes. Warm new clothes.” He quietly laughed nervously and pointed to the attire that he was currently wearing. A low round neck that exposed his sharp collarbone and some of his should blades. The grey shirt was fitting so it showed his well built body and the sleeves came down over the wrists. Beneath he was wearing faded jeans with a tint of black in them. “It’s a bit cold outside.” He did have clothes but as said earlier he hadn’t expected the winter to approach so quickly.

Speaking of staying in the castle, he still had gotten the chance to talk to Chez. When will that time come? He thought to himself. Not anytime soon. He answered that question with a mental sigh. Seems like the man was already busy enough, and Lysander didn’t want to put anymore load on him.



❞



〖 D i d y o u l i s t e n ? 〗

[NaomiHikari]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀【Whεrε♂Årε♀Wε?】▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
What τhe Hεll ιs Goiηg Oη?

___

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Henry glanced over at Kyle, eyes widening a bit as he stood, ready to catch Kyle or the bowl if either fell. He hadn’t expected such a dramatic reaction, but as neither fell, he sighed and simply scooted the bowl back on to the counter so it would be more secure. His head jerked up to Kyle as the boy snapped at him, flinching as if the words had hit him. Bowing his head after wards, he looked much like a scolded puppy as he murmured an apology and went back to his place. He nodded as Kyle explained himself and forced his head back up, his lips stretching in to a strained smile that seemed to take all his strength. “It’s okay… I should of known better…” he replied, his voice dull.

Quietly, he returned to his task, though now he was completely immersing himself in to the work. His teeth worried her tongue and lips as he fell deeper in to uncharacteristic concentration. His smile fell as minutes passed and he didn’t look up. The warm kitchen suddenly felt cold. He was tempted to simply tell Kyle he could leave and he could take care of the rest, but… he didn’t want his friend to feel any worse. But wasn’t what he was doing even worse? Henry’s head hit the counter in frustration next to the bowl of pan that was filled with the marble cake mix. A feral growl rolled up from his throat as he glared at the smooth surface of the counter top, a sudden urge to hit something, anything.

Raising a hand, he caught Kyle’s attention as he raised his head and smiled, “Sorry about that, but after we put this in the oven, you can leave, maybe I can meet you later?” he dismissed; his eyes were a slightly dark shade than normal. Once the cake was in the oven, he ushered Kyle out of the kitchen with a more cheery personality than earlier, reassuring that he was alright. “Ciao!” The door closed and Henry continued his work, finishing up Bizen’s cake and soon the first tier of the cake for the ball. He helped assemble and decorate the grand confection for that evening before boxing up Bizen’s and taking his leave. In the end, it had taken him a little over forty five minutes to finish everything, with the help of Donovan and the rest of the team. He’d even prepared a small pastry for himself, since he missed breakfast.

Now, he was carrying the rather large box (or at least large compared to him) down the hall. He was moving slowly as to not jostle or disrupt the confection inside as he made his way to Renny’s shop. His violent urge was still nudging at the back of mind and as much as he wanted to drop the cake and simply slam his fists in to the nearby wall. He ignored it. It confused him that he would have such an urge, as he’s always been passive. Sighing, he hoped he would not run in to Kyle or anyone else besides Renny on this trip. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on with him. He’d hurried Kyle out of the kitchen for this reason. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt him, plus, he didn’t want to ruin his friend’s morning anymore than he had.

Maybe Tyki could help him? He seemed smart! But he barely knew the guy…. Leaning his head against the box, he released a small whine. He longed for his sanctuary, his room up in the tower where no one could find him. But he couldn’t turn back now…. Deciding to voice his frustrations, he used a new word he learned from Kyle, [********]


.o0Oo.oO0o.


Shenzi chuckled at the girl’s reply, but currently couldn’t make a smart reply considering his situation. If she could see his face, she would see the distressed and strained expression. Even a seasoned Assanyan could not deny Mother Nature when she calls and damn it, Shenzi wished she would shut up! His interest piqued a bit as she spoke of his sister and he listened, taking note of her words. So his sister was busy? Hopefully not too busy that he couldn’t play a small game of hide and seek. “I’m sure she’d make time,” he mumbled, cringing a bit as his stomach tightened. As she saluted, he restrained himself from laughing as she saluted him. It was too adorable and he wished he could express that, but currently he wanted nothing more than sweet release.

Watching her reach behind him and try the door, he gave a slightly anxious sigh. Could he run? He thought for a moment, considering the question and mulling it over. Well, running did go well in this sort of situation, but he supposed he could- His thought process was halted as he felt her hand grip his wrist and soon he was being led down the halls. He found himself getting a little dizzy as he tried to keep track of where they were and how to get back if possible. When they slowed, he released a rather pathetic whimper as the door was found locked and he mumbled a curse, he was so close to asking her to lead him to a window. They were off again and this time he simply concentrated on following the girl, quickly getting on step with her. He took note that this new part of the castle looked much more… modern? It certainly looked untouched.

As they reached the last door, he held his breath as she reached the knob and he nearly cried for joy as the door clicked open. Shenzi did not need to be told twice and he made a mad dash for the bathroom. Sliding in, he closed the door and immediately got down to business. Few minutes later, he was humming happily as he washed his hands. Exiting the bathroom, he clicked the light off and purred happily as he looked for his escort. Now that he was free of that burden, he could thank her properly. He grinned as he spotted her sitting on the bed and quietly made his way over, making sure to stay out of her line of sight. Peeking over the edge, he looked for a good angle of attack before shifting. “Valerii~” he called before pouncing on the girl, tackling her on to the mattress. He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close and laughing, “Just wanted to thank ya! Ya saved my a**!”

“Oh and by the way,” he gave her a quick squeeze before releasing her, “You looked ********’ adorable saluting.” He gave her a lazy grin and pinched her cheek, “If Mother Nature hadn’t been bitchin’, I would have had a good laugh,” he added before pulling his hand away and raising his right. He lifted his arm to a ninety degree angle to his body, bent at the elbow, with the rest of his arm to his fingertips completely straight. His fingertips rested where the edge of his brow would be, if not covered by his hair. His thumb was hidden with a slight tightly of his hand. “This is a proper Assanyan salute, not sure about Trinitian though,” he explained and let his arm fall as he laid back on the bed. It was pretty damn comfy, he noted and chuckled. Thinking of the salute, he chuckled and mumbled a few words in a foreign tongue quietly.


~~~~~~~


Damian found Nyx amusing and as he continued to work, he listened to her approach the door. He had a few more papers to sift through before he could take a small break. He had already separated the papers in to two stacks, one for his sister to look at and the other papers he could handle. Reading over a report on current events, he pulled a picture that was attached and smiled as he saw the print. It was of the day the treaty had been announced and its success. He found more photos and smiled as he sifted through, gazing at the pristine images of his people cheering and celebrating. Even heavily trained and normally stoic soldiers were grinning and howling in the images. He had a feeling they would celebrating once again when the treaty was completed tonight.

His sharp blue eyes moved from the photos and to Nyx as she called to him. He felt his brow twitch a bit as he heard the added ‘Sir’. He wasn’t that old and he’d prefer not to be called such unless it was during drilling or on base. “”Hm?” he hummed curiously and squinted, trying to see past her. Standing to investigate, he heard her questioning someone and as he stepped up behind her, he could see two butlers. With them, they had a rather trunk, much like the one he and his sister had brought with them. One still looked quite out of breath from the long haul, while the other was nodding.

“We were told by the Queen to bring this chest up to her suite,” he replied, affirming the Trunk’s destination was correct. And if it was not, he was not about to drag this thing anywhere else. His counter nodded after he finished and took one last breath before he could finally breathe properly. “It belongs to a young man named Shenzi. He’s a spitting image of the Queen herself,” he explained, now breathing normally as he thought back to the teen.

Damian nodded, releasing a small sigh as that signaled Shenzi was somewhere in the castle now. Slipping past Nyx, he examined the trunk and saw his family’s crest. “You may leave, we will take it from here,” he dismissed the butlers and they made their departure with a quick ‘Yes, sir’. “Nyx, hold the door open for me,” he ordered and tested the weight of the trunk, finding it a bit heavier than his own. What the hell had his brother packed? He glanced at the carpet and sighed, preferring not to ruin it by dragging the trunk across it. Glancing at Nyx, he waved his hand, motioning for her to move behind the door. Shifting and leaning down, he placed a hand on each of the groves on either end before lifting the trunk with a grunt. Using his leg, he balanced the trunk before bouncing it enough to hike it up. Little by little until it sat on his shoulders comfortably, relieving the weight a bit as he ducked in to the room and walked to the middle, carefully depositing it back on to the floor.

“Nyx, you may close the door,” he informed, all the while rolling his shoulders to ease the pressure that had built up. Sighing, he knelt in front of the trunk and stared, “Let’s see what my baby brother packed,” he murmured to Nyx before turning his attention back to the heavy luggage. Digging in his pocket, he took out a key and quickly unlocked the chest, lifting the top. Clothes, mainly sweaters, athletic wear, training gear, and surprisingly a dress or two. Shenzi must be planning to get Vitani to wear a dress. He found the thought amusing and continued to search the contents: another box, but he didn’t bother with it, knowing it was his brother’s work. He soon found what had made the box so heavy, a pair of twin axes. His siblings’ weapons that they were training to handle.

“Well, at least now there’s something to keep you busy,” he murmured and glanced at Nyx, beckoning her over and lifting one of the sweaters to set in her hands. “The clothes are weighted,” he warned, knowing one sweater weighed about thirty to forty lbs by itself. “I need you to start putting his things away,” he stated and picked up another item, weighing it and arching a brow as he found it to be light, normal clothing. “I’ll help you after I finish up with this paperwork, should only take a few more minutes,” he informed before dropping the garment and returning to the desk to continue his work.

╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[The PrinceofHeart]

You can't leave the place you are...

Lucrecia turned her head and glanced outside her window. She knew she was Chez's "personal assistant", and her cooperation would have an impact on his reputation as a new King. And even though she didn't always like him... he did revoke her slave status. If he hadn't... well... who know's where she would be right then?
Lucrecia glanced back at Arata as he politely offered to be her escort for the night. She grimaced a little, her face turning sour. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't like pity. Especially from a man." She turned and walked over towards her closet, opening the door and glancing through what clothes she had.
"...I'll attend this stupid ball. But only because I owe Chez a favor." She glanced over at Arata over her shoulder. "And I'll do so by myself, thanks." She didn't intend to be cold towards him, he was only trying to be kind, but she could tell that he wasn't doing this for her.
She didn't want any sort of pity-gifts that weren't even sincere. Lucrecia turned and pulled out a few of her own dresses, scissors and a roll of thread.
"Please leave now."

...Until you decide where you'd rather be.

[junodog]

Kyle Bernham

Kyle walked down the hallway with his back slouched and his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He felt miserable, but while it was pretty much par for the course for him, this time was worse because it was Henry's fault. Well, no, not Henry's fault, per se, but his friend was definitely a huge part of it. Why the two of them couldn't just get along and forget all the s**t in their lives was beyond Kyle, but he supposed there wasn't much either of them could do about it except for, well, get over it. Which was going to be a total pain in the a**, as far as Kyle was concerned. He didn't want to wait to recover from what had happened, he wanted to be happy now.

And then Henry had just kicked him out of the kitchen like that... Kyle had stared numbly at the door for a good couple of minutes before getting himself together and getting the hell out of there. He had no idea what to do now... so he walked. Maybe he'd feel better if he got all the excess energy out of his system...

He wandered through the halls, switching between a brisk walk and a light jog as he tried to clear his mind and focus on the positives. He hadn't snapped too badly at Henry, at least... and he'd apologized right after, so that was good... but still, he felt ridiculous for getting so upset over a little bit of frosting, and he wished he could've kept his cool long enough to leave on a more positive note. He sighed and continued his aimless wandering, switching his thoughts to the performance he was supposed to give and going over the steps in his mind. He soon became so absorbed in the mental rehearsal that he was almost dancing as he walked, but luckily he jolted back to reality before anyone could catch him in the act. He frowned as he listened to the voices coming from around the corner, and as he rounded the corner and reached the next hallway, he saw that one of the doors was open. Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to look inside and saw something that he definitely hadn't been expecting: Queen Vitani talking with some girl Kyle had never seen bef-

No. That wasn't Vitani. Vitani was only an inch or two taller than Kyle, and this person was... well, tall. Not only that, but the stranger's voice sounded masculine, and the way he stood did not match up with Vitani's stance. This person was definitely not the queen of Assanya, but the similarities were far too great for comfort, which meant...

"Oh, great, now I'm ******** hallucinating," Kyle snapped, his voice loud enough to be heard by the people within the room. "This is the best ******** day ever." And with that, he stalked off again, his face slowly turning red as he realized he'd just yelled at two complete strangers. He checked over his shoulder to see if they were behind him, then broke out into a sprint, heading straight for Renny's shop. He didn't really want to force his company on Renny while he was in such a bad mood, but he knew his mother would probably be there, and she'd know what to do...

[NaomiHikari]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀【Whεrε♂Årε♀Wε?】▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
What τhe Hεll ιs Goiηg Oη?

___

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Renny would of questioned Tyki’s mental state if he had not known the man for some years and had grown accustomed to his quirks. He enjoyed Tyki’s presence, even if at times he was tempted to choke him. His taunts and teases, and questionable behavior, shooed his troubles and kept him out of boredom’s clutches. Of course at some times, he never realizes these benefits since sometimes he is ill timed and invokes the dressmaker’s ire. And now, was a time when he was left blinking at Tyki in bewilderment, too frazzled from the sudden change to even think. Once it registered just what Tyki had said and done, the gay gave the favorite a withering look, “Man, not ev’r thang is connected up there, no!” he laughed and tapped the man’s forehead. He’d let his accent shine through for that moment.

Bizen had caught that slip and smiled, giggling as Renny sent her a warning glare. “C’mon, just for today, talk with your true accent?!” she begged, sending the dressmaker a pleading gaze. Renny’s eye twitched as he stared at his friend and after a few minutes, he sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“Bizen, ya know I can’t,” he murmured, only a fraction of an accent showing through before turning back to Lysander and listening to the knight. He could hear Bizen’s pleas in the background and relenting, he glanced over his shoulder, “Awrite, awrite!” he snapped and saw the birthday girl grin from ear to ear. “But… after I’m done with Lysander. The boy needs to be able to understand me,” he explained and Bizen nodded, just happy she got her way. Sighing and turning back to the man, he arched a brow at his choice in clothing and noted the man had good taste.

“I’ll have you a winter wardrobe prepared in no time,” he agreed and patted Lysander’s shoulder, “But first, since you’re a new client, I’ll need measurements.” He heard Bizen snicker behind him and he sent her small warning glare before reaching in to his pocket and taking out his measuring tape. From behind his ear, he plucked a pencil and out of his other pocket, a small pad. He scribbled down Lysander’s name and glanced at him, walking around him slowly. Once he finished a full 360 degrees, he came to a stop in front of the man and smiled, “Normally, I would require you to undress, but its winter and your clothes are well…” he chuckled as he thought of a good word, “…accommodating.” Pushing up his sleeves, he instructed Lysander to lift his arms and hold still before Renny set forth on his task.

Neck, shoulder width, arm length, bust height, waist, hips, leg length, and so on, he moved swiftly and scribbled down the measurements. He was at the last measurement, the most awkward one to take, whether it be with a female or male. “Excuse me,” he murmured to Lysander before taking his measuring tape, pressing the beginning of the tape at the waist band at his back before looping between his legs and up the front. Pulling taut, he took note of the measurement and stood up, the tape falling limp before he rolled it up. “Thank you for being so patient and I apologize for any discomfort,” he chuckled and glanced over the measurements. “Let me get you something warmer for now until your clothes are done,” he offered and disappeared in to the back of his shop.

Bizen giggled, switching between watching Annie and Tyki and Renny and Lysander. She settled on Tyki as he addressed her and she chuckled, waving her hand to signal she was not getting involved. Sighing, she wondered how this day would go. Her eyes moved to watch Renny enter the room again, carrying a small, neatly folded pile of clothes for Lysander. After he laid it in the man’s hands, he glanced at Bizen and arched a brow. “Yes?” he murmured and Bizen smirked.

It took Renny a moment to realize before he lightly cursed, remembering his promise. As much as he loved his accent, he acknowledged that it didn’t make him sound all that… intelligent. “Bizen, one smart comment and I’ll be on you like white on rice! Goes fer you, too, Tyki!” he warned before glancing at Lysander, nodding to him and quickly informing that he was welcomed to stay. Renny excused himself before retreating back to his room to resume his preparations.


.o0Oo.oO0o.


Staring up at the castle, the dark skinned boy huffed and crossed his arms, “Not all that spectacular,” he grunted, looking from the grand sight. Like many others, he had been impressed with the castle of Trinity, but he unlike others, chose to hide it. He just knew the castle of fully snooty, know it all chumps and chumpettes! Sighing, he wondered why he had to come. Why couldn’t he and his sister stay behind with their Maw-Maw and Pahrain? Speaking of his sister, he glanced at his precious baby sister who was currently staring up in awe at the over sized mansion.

“It’s sho big!!!” she giggled and held her arms wide open, bouncing up and down giddily. Her face nearly breaking from the wide grin on her innocent features. Absolutely too adorable and took all his efforts not to gush over her. That was his father’s and every other adult’s job. His job was to protect her and keep her away from creeps. Really, it was ridiculous how naïve she could be at times, but she had yet to be tainted by the world. “Big bruder!!” she called, pulling him from his reverie as she tugged at his arm. Hazel eyes shifted to concentrate on a pair of onyx eyes.

“What Tatiana?” he questioned, smiling as she continued to tug on his arm excitedly. She had too much energy, he concluded, as he felt her small hands grip his and pull him along towards the open doors of the castle. Today only would the doors be wide open like this, welcoming guests as they arrived. His sister never replied, simply pulling him along before both paused at as a familiar voice called to them.

“DeAndre! Tatiana!” The two turned to the dark skinned woman, her hair cut short in a fade. Her eyes matched Tatiana’s, pitch black, but someone warm. She wore traditional clothing from the Kalahari, which wasn’t much. She made her attire more appropriate with a colorful wrap wrapped around her waist and tied at the hip; a colorful shall to match hiding her shoulders and chest just enough to be deemed correct. On her normally bare feet, she wore thin sandals that tied up her ankles. She wore scarce make-up and a single pair of earrings, carved herself. The only thing that forever remained constant on her was the tattoo on her left arm, which matched her husband’s on his right, and the necklace about her neck holding a bullet. This was their mother, a Kalahari Bush Woman originally until she met their father, but she still is and always will be that little woman surviving day by day. Smiling gently, she spoke again, “I’m going to find your father. DeAndre take care of your sister,” she murmured, “And remember to come find us before the ball so you two can prepare. Just ask for your father or Ms. Bizen.” Her voice was unique and so hard to describe, a true Afrikaans accent.

The two children nodded before rushing in to the castle, or at least one of them was rushing. Tatiana giggled as she looked around the castle, her thin black braids bouncing, causing the beads on them to click together. She wore a colorful ensemble, much more appropriate for the weather then there mother’s. DeAndre wondered briefly if his mother was cold out there, but she hadn’t been shivering. Sighing and letting his fingers idly twist one of the dreads on his head, the blond tips reaching his chin. He wore a pair of jeans and a simply black T0shirt with a gold fleur-de-lis on the back. White tennis on his feet and thick coat toward off the cold. He truly despised winter; in fact he despised any temperature below sixty-five degrees (Fahrenheit).

“Dee!” He jumped a bit, once again jerked from his thoughts by his baby sister who was pouting up at him. He only arched a brow and she grinned, raising her hands, “Dee wide!” she chirped again and he chuckled, knowing what she wanted. His sister couldn’t pronounce her r’s correctly, but he wasn’t rushing her, after all, she was only six. A few maids cooed as they passed, giggling at the adorable sight as DeAndre crouched down and let his sister climb on his back. Hooking his arms beneath her legs and feeling hers wrap around his shoulders, he stood again and bounced her a bit to get her settled on his back and to make her giggle. He was rewarded and soon he began to walk down the halls before feeling her tug on a dread and utter, “Mush!! Mush!” Rolling his eyes, he obeyed and picked up pace, her giggles and laughter pushing him forward. Sometimes she would make him stop to look around, but would quickly rush him again with another tug.

“Dee, stop! Stop!” She chanted after a few minutes and he panted a bit, looking back at her and following where she was pointing. “Look! Who’s dat!?” she questioned, her finger still directed at the white haired boy carrying a rather large box. He looked to be only one or two years younger than DeAndre.

“How should I know?” DeAndre mumbled, receiving a stern smack on the head from his sister who huffed. With her urging, or rather whining, he approached the boy. “Hey?” he called; laughing the boy jumped and nearly lost his grip on the box. Though the terrified expression halted his laughter and relinquishing a hand, he helped him balance it again until he had a firm hold. Relief washed over the kid’s face before he turned to DeAndre and Tatiana, raising a pale brow in curiosity.

“Y-yes?” he stammered, sounding a little unsure and narrowing his eyes at the two. He had never seen anyone who looked quite like them, except maybe Ruben or Stephen. In fact the boy looked like miniature version of Stephen, except with darker skin, but sharing the dreads and hazel eyes. The stranger’s lips were set in a small frown instead of the carefree smile of the older man. And the little girl on his back was quite a sight as well, dark mocha skin and wide eyes as dark as a moonless night. Her long black hair in braids and falling to her shoulders, decorated with beads and ornaments of many colors. Her clothes matched her hair, colorful and bright, a stark contrast to the boy’s dark clothes. White flashed and his eyes darted back to the stranger, blinking at the rows of pearly white teeth that seemed brighter against his dark skin. And he decided, he quite liked how it looked and hoped he would get to see the stranger smile more.

“Hey, don’t be shy! Promise I don’t bite, though I can’t speak for my sister,” he joked, winding as she tugged on a dread spitefully. He chuckled and looked back at the white haired boy who was smiling quite contently, his eyes moving from DeAndre’s mouth up to meet his hazel eyes. “Name’s DeAndre Butannaziba, just call me Turk,” he introduced and then pointed a thumb back at his sister, “And this little twerp is my sister, Tatiana.” As he finished, he noticed the boy’s eyes widen a fraction as if realizing something and it only made DeAndre’s smile widen. “Ya know our father, right?” he couldn’t help laughing as he received a mute nod, “So, what’s ya name anyway? Or are ya dumb?”

The white haired boy’s lips pulled in to a pout as he heard the last statement, narrowing his eyes. “My name’s Henry Lee,” he introduced, biting off the words rather harshly. Henry did not take kindly to being called dumb. Sure, he wasn’t the brightest, but he was not dumb. Then again… maybe he misinterpreted the meaning. He was shaken from his thoughts as DeAndre slapped his back and laughed.

“Henry?” DeAndre repeated as in disbelief, “What a weak name! Type a name that gets you teased, man!” he bellowed, yet another slap connecting with Henry’s back. The already frustrated boy letting out an agitated grunt with the hit before excusing himself, walking briskly away. “Pansy…” Deandre muttered under his both, yelping as his baby sister yanked on his dreads before hopping down and running after Henry. Huffing and following, he grumbled, lips pulled in to a heavy frown.


~~~~~~~~


“Three Wishes?” DeAndre read, brow raising as he tried to think of why a shop would be within the castle. He turned his attention to Henry, the boy staring dejectedly at the door before blinking as a tiny body rushed to his aid. Tatiana opened the door eagerly and let Henry past, the boy sending her a thankful smile. DeAndre followed the two in to the shop, tilting his head curiously at the gathering of people. Henry was handing off the box to a raven haired man wearing glitter and- wait a minute. He glanced at the man again and took most of his self control to keep his jaw from dropping. Glancing at the others, he decided to simply stay back and watch from afar, avoid people. He liked attention, but he was going to avoid it for now…

Henry arched a brow as the once enthusiastic and rather noisy DeAndre fell back and took place against a far wall. Turning away, he handed the box to Renny who smiled, ignoring the eager questioning of Bizen. Glancing over at the others, he managed a fleeting smile before looking away abruptly as his eyes fell on Annie.

╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[junodog]

Kyle Bernham

Upon arriving at Renny's shop, Kyle felt much calmer about the whole ordeal than he had been. He still didn't know how to feel about what had to have been some kind of hallucination, but he didn't really care. He just needed to come up with a solution to his friend issues, and he had a feeling his mom would know exactly what to do.

He entered and said a brief "Hi," to both Renny and Bizen, then nodded politely at the third man in the room - he couldn't remember the man's name, but he knew for a fact that it was something from a play he'd read... Demetrius?

"Okay, I know for a fact you were planning on avoiding me for as long as possible today," Annie said to him once things had calmed down a bit. "What happened?"

"Henry..." Kyle began, then bit his lip. He was getting all emotional again. Not good...

Annie sighed. "Did you have one of your moments?"

Kyle nodded.

"So, did you want to talk about it now, or would you rather wait until later?"

"Um... later," Kyle said as he looked around at the room. The box in his mother's hands was really pulling at his curiosity, and he wanted to know for sure whether his mother had done what he'd suspected and asked Renny to make him a dress. Before he could ask, though, he heard footsteps in the hallway, and he suddenly remembered that Henry was going to deliver Bizen's cake at some point. He instinctively ducked behind the nearest piece of furniture as the door opened, hearing his mother mutter, "Oh, real mature," as he did so. Thankfully, she did not betray his presence to Henry, who had indeed been the one to enter the room.

Apparently Henry wasn't too happy to see Annie there, because Kyle heard Annie sigh and say, "Listen, Henry, I heard from Kyle that you two had a bit of a rough patch this morning, and I want you to know that I'm not mad at you, and neither is Kyle. We're going to have to talk this out at some point, but for now I think the two of you could benefit from taking some time away from each other. Right now is not the best time to talk about this, however, so that's all I'm going to say on the matter. Just remember, I'm not going to take Kyle's side just because he's my son. I love him, but he is a total idiot."

Kyle had to bite his lip to keep from retorting, and he snuck further into his hiding place as his mother asked, "So who might you be?" Was there someone else here? He really wanted to see, but he didn't want to reveal that he'd been hiding in here the whole time.

[CVKE]

〖 S h h ,　 H　e 　T a l k s 〗

❝Her head on the soft mattress, Valerii let her dull brown eyes trace the elegant designs on the ceiling. Her head kept turning towards the washroom. When was he coming out? Shaking her head, she decided to close her eyes. It was rather comfy on the bed; if she could she would have fallen asleep right there. It was tempting too. Valerii sat up before her mind decided that she needed to sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she stared straight head. In the next moment she heard her name being called, but as she was about to turn towards the sound she was none to quickly tackled down on the bed. Her legs flew up as her back hit the soft mattress. Valerii's eye widened with, but she managed stifle her cry that she was about to make. “Eh…Shenzi?” She looked at him questionably as he grinned widely on top of her. Boy, this would like an awkward situation to an outsider. His arms were suddenly around her, and she could only giggle when she heard him talk. “You are very welcome.” She smirked.

“Don’t call me adorable.” Valerii pouted, and tried to swat his hand away. She rubbed her pinched cheek as Shenzi showed her the proper way of saluting. She could only grin. “Oh? My bad.” She sat up on the bed, copying Shenzi after he was done showing her. “Is this better, Prince~?” She raised her eyebrow questionably before lying back down on the bed next to Shenzi. Closing her she raised her arms and stretched. “As far as I know…Us, Trinitians, don’t have a salute. Just a hand shake would do, I guess. ” She murmured. Sleep was still tempting her slowly. “So…What brings you here?” She asked slowly, trying to make a decent conversation.

Her head tilted towards the door where she was sure that she heard some talk. Were they being peaked on? Valerii frowned and quickly got off the bed. Opening the room door, she pulled it open and peaked out. Her eyes caught a distant figure running away? Valerii leaned back and looked at Shenzi. “We’ve got a little peaker. Wanna go after him just for the hell of it?” She grinned evilly. Thought it would be hard to find someone’s whose face she hasn’t seen, though she did catch the clothes he wearing as well as that his hair color.

====================================

Nyx quietly let Damian do all the talking. “Right.” She moved back and held the door open for Damian. Her blue eyes widened as she saw Damian easily lift up the trunk…on his shoulders at that. “Dang…” She muttered quietly to herself. She was so busy staring at Damian at awe that she hadn’t notice that he was done moving the trunk. She blinked in surprise, and closed the door hurriedly after being told. She walked over to Damian and crouched down next to him. Her curious eyes on the trunk as he opened it. “Won’t he be mad if you look through his things?” Nyx muttered quietly as Damian opened the trunk and started look through through the things. She wasn’t least surprised at the weapons, twin axes, came into view. Why would he need those here? She questioned to herself.

Nyx looked up as Damian spoke, catching his eyes before moving them to the sweater he picked up with ease. She put her hands out so Damian could put it on top of her palms. As soon as he did, her palms dropped down to the floor. What the hell? She winced as she felt her palm ache and sting. “Ha?” Nyx glared at the sweater. Sighing, Nyx used all her strength to painfully bring the weighted sweater the closet. Putting the sweater down, the girl opened the cupboard, leaning down she took a deep breath before picking up the sweater again and dropping it in the closet. It landed with a thud. How many more of these “weighted” clothes would she have to pick? Grumbling quietly, she made her way back to the trunk. Checking the clothing before picking it up. The next few were light, and she managed to put them away with ease. When she picked up the dress, she stared at it with awe before folding it carefully and putting it away. “Ne, Sir Damian. How many siblings do you have?”

==============

Arata sighed inwardly. He shouldn’t have done that. It was obvious he hurt her feelings. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled quietly his head hung in embarrassment. When he heard Lucrecia’s next words his head rose up, his face lit up with relief. “Oh. Thank you.” His smile no sooner turned into a grin. He stood up facing her back. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything. But the next thing I say is purely for you. If you need anything, or company during the ball. Don’t hesitate to call me.” He bowed his head a little before taking his leave. “Oh, and thanks again for agreeing.” He waved his hand in a goodbye gesture before leaving the room.

=============

Lysander stood there, feeling a little nervous, and awkward as Renny looked over him. He had tuned out everything else in the shop. He barely knew what was going on. “Ah.” The word popped out of his mouth as Renny spontaneously spoke loudly. At him? No, not at him. At the woman standing behind him.

“Right. Measurements.” Lysander nodded his head towards Renny, tilting his head as the man circled him. “Eh?” Undress? Him? No way. He blushed lightly at the thought and then sighed in relief when Renny completed his sentence. He looked away in embarrassment. Lysander stayed quiet during the time Renny took his measurements, his eyes hovering over the items in the shop. Interesting.

“Thanks you.” Lysander nodded his head towards Renny. He waiting quietly not talking to anyone before him, his eyes first staring at the ground but then moving around the room again. His ears tuned into the conversations of the people around. Soon Renny came out with a pile of clothes for him. Finished already? He gazed in awe at the dressmaker and put his hands out so Renny could settle the pile of clothes in his palm. “Thanks again…” He mumbled. With the stack of clothes under his arm, Lysander took his scarf and pulled it around his neck. He had nothing to do but he didn’t want to bother anyone by staying at the shop.



❞



〖 D i d y o u l i s t e n ? 〗

[NaomiHikari]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀【Whεrε♂Årε♀Wε?】▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
What τhe Hεll ιs Goiηg Oη?

___

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Henry's crystal eyes searched the shop for a moment after he had handed off the cake to Renny and his head tilted curiosly at the near bare walls and floors. The shop was normally so colorful and well, full, homey almost. But looking around now...it felt empty without the antique rugs, paintings, colorful and plush throws and cushions, and various knick knacks you could find within the room. He never noticed the wooden floor before or the paneling of the walls until now. He was shaken from his nervous observations by Annie as she spoke and he listened intently, nodding and smiling gently. "Yeah..." he agreed, somewhat relieved with Annie's decision and that she was not mad. He truly tried his best now to get in trouble.

DeAndre had quietly observed his interest piquing as he listened to the situation. He sneered a bit at the thought that he had somehow walked in to a drama fest and silently prayed nothing would get too out of hand. As things quieted down,he allowed himself to zone out and found himself listening to a song his sister had insisted on singing over and over on the way to the castle. Great... it was stuck in his head. ******** magnificent!

"So, who might you be?"

Hm...was someone talking to him? Opening a hazel eye, he saw that the attention was on him and arched a dark brow. Before he could speal, his baby sister bounced in to the limelight and pointed her thumb at herself proudly as she introduced herself and him. "My name'sh Tatiana Bu...ooo?" she faltered, holding up a hand and slowly sounding out each syllable. "Tan...nah...zee...bah?" she mumbled,pouting a bit as her brows knitted together in concentration before glancing at her brother for confirmation. DeAndre nodded, silently cooing over his precious baby sister in his mind as he resisted the urge to cuddle her. A grin broke out on her cherub face as she nodded, turning back to the others, "Butannaziba!" she finally managed to get out after a few more tries before pointing at her brother, "And Mistwa Gwumpy Pants ova` dere is mah big bwuda, DeAndwe," she finished, giggling as said 'Mr. Gwumpy Pants' stepped up and ruffled her braids.

"Call me,Turk," he added, clamping a hand over his baby sister's mouth before she could supply them with his other nickname. One only he allowed her to say.

Renny greeted the two briefly as he regarded Lysander, calling him before he could leave. "I'll have your order done and ready to pick up by this evening, if luck is on my side and a certain female refrains from distracting me," he explained, adding on the last bit jokingly. "Now, I have chores to finish and work. All of you may stay, but my presence is needed elsewhere. Tata dearies and I hope to see you all looking absolutely fabulous at the ball tonight!" he finished and turned on his heel, briefly ruffling Henry's hair and whispering a thank you. He disappeared in to his private quarters and set about finishing his previous tasks.

"He has a lil' too much sugar in his bowl," DeAndre mumbled as he stared after Renny before turning to the others. His fingers idly played with his baby sister's braids,barely noting Henry dismissing himself and making his leave. Something about finding a Vitani... didn't that mean Demon of War? He's looking for a demon? "Hey, wait for me a moment, kay?" he requested and the white haired boy thought for a moment before nodding, going outside to lean against the wall.


.o0Oo.oO0o.


Damian smiled as he saw the maid lurch and shook his head, feeling sympathy for the girl as she lifted the sweater again. It probably weighed half her weight, judging from how tiny she was compared to him. It seemed to take all her strength to lift one and he couldn't help chuckling as she glared at the garment as if it was the bane of her life, which currently it probably was. Glancing at the paperwork he wished would disappear and then back at the trunk and the maid, he sighed and decided to go with the lesser evil, plus his concience wouldn't allow him to have Nyx do all the work. Especially with the weighted clothing... Actions decided, Damian picked the axes and glanced around the room for a place for them. There were no displays he could place the weapons in, but he settled for a shelf in the sitting room of the suite on the far wall, out of reach of the curious.

Approaching the trunk to grab a handful of the garments, he paused as he saw Nyx gazing at the dress in what he guessed was awe. He glanced at the garment and arched a brow, wondering why it caused such a reaction. It was a simple gown as far as he could see, but then again, he was not one for fashion. His attention was drawn from the dress and back to Nyx as she spoke and he smiled, finishing the last few steps to the trunk. Fisting a handful of the sweaters and draping them over one arm, he mocked thought for a few moments before speaking. "Only the twins," he murmured after a few minutes, handing her a few of the lighter garments before making his way in to the connected room to put his armful away.

"Unless I have anymore siblings that I am unaware of," he joked dryly as he folded and put away the garments. "And how about you? Any kin?" he replied curiously as he went back to the trunk to retrieve another load.


.o0Oo.oO0o.


Shenzi felt his grin forming to a smirk as Valerii pouted, only increasing the adorable factor as he had pointed out earlier. He chuckled and watched as the teen mirrored him, executing the salute perfectly this time. He nodded, arching a brow as she teased him and called him such a title. His smile faltered a bit before stretching in to a wide grin as he poked her cheek, "Yes, much better, Adorable~" he teased in return, tapping her on the nose once before withdrawing and chuckling. His arm folded back under his head as he snuggled in to the sheets contentedly for a few moments. Baby blue eyes shifted to glance at Valerii as she spoke and he nodded in understanding, "Well, the salute is only for those in the Armada and is executed only while on duty or in the capital. It's also performed during ceremonies and special events, but all formalities are dropped during the Carnival Season," he mumbled, rambling a bit as he thought of his favorite time of year in his home land. "Anyway...the salute is a sign of respect,not necessarily a greeting," he finished as he caught himself.

Silence reigned for a few minutes and he wondered how his sister was faring in their game of hide and seek. He knew he wouldn't be able to lay here for much longer or she would eventually find him, and what fun would that be? Sure, the two could then extend in to a wonderful game of cat and mouse, but he'd at least like to give er a challenge. So, where could he possibly mingle about after he leaves her. Opening a bue hue, he glanced at Valerii and smiled, thinking of how his little guide could help him. "Why am I here?" he repeated as he sat up, laughing lightly as he turned to the girl, "Why I came for the ********' ball!" he answered, grinning widely. "Tonight will make the treaty official and public,and my wonderful presence is needed," he stated proudly. "But I'm also here because this is my first damn chance to get out of Assanya and see what's beyond those ********' walls and mountains that surround us. Soooo.... I'm gonna be around for a while," he rambled on before finally falling silent and chuckling at the drowsy haze in the girl's eyes.

His eyes followed her as she got up from the bed and made her way to the door, suspicion written on her features. His head tilted a bit to the side as she peeked out the door andit only continued to tilt as she faced him, a rather evil grin stretching her lips. Truly, he was impressed that she coud pull off such a grin, which got her points in his book. He mirrored her smile with one of his on, straightening up as he slid off the bed and made hisway over to her. "A little peeping tom?" he mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully beforeholding his hands out at his side and weighing his options. "Catch a naughty little kitty or find the new king?" he murmured, both were equally appealing and pouting a bit, he cursed. "s**t, both sound like fun!" he whinedad chuckled, slinging a arm around Valerii's shoulders and sighing, "You choose, I'm up for anything. But you're now my partner in a little game me and my sister are playing, so don't be surpised if we have to retreat at any moment," he murmured, flashing playful smile.


.o0Oo.oO0o.


Venetia felt her lips tug in to a small amused curl of the lips as she watched the scene before her. Truly, it should have been an upsetting sight that her sister was not taking things too well, but she saw nothing that could not be healed with time. All though, King Vincent would still have a peice of Lucrecia's heart and those emotional wounds are much harder to fix. Sighing, she arched a brow as her sister agreed, but she would go on her own. Shugging, Venetia saw it as better than nothing andobviously Arata thought so too as the man beamed. It was just too precious and holding a hand over her lips to stifle giggles as the encounter came to a close. She waved to him as he left and then turned her twin who was busy with a new task.

"Well, he was sweet," Venetia commented asshe tookaseat on the edge of the bed and watched her sister work. Laying her dress down, she smiled gently, "I'm glad you decided to go. Would of been lonely without my yang," she murmured and then let her eyes drop the dresses and other items, her head tilting as she wondered what her sister was up to.


.o0Oo.oO0o.


Damien's silver eyes widened a bit as he listened to Rei and his brow seemed to be trying to rise off his features as she continued with her short tale. His brow dropped and his expression changed, empathetic as she expressed herself. To be finding all this out now was quite a surprise, but he quickly recovered only to stop breathing as she finished her speech. Get him in the castle? It was a noble cause,but a daunting one and their new king was already quite overwhelmed, so asking him would not be wise. But inviting a being in to the castle without permission was a big no no, or at least it was with paranoid Vincent around. He only released breathed again as he felt his lungs screaming and sighing, he stared at Rei for a few moments. His options were quite unfair and sighing once again, he nodded, "We'll see what can be done. But with Chez being overworked as it is, we'd be treading on unstable ground if we were to go to him today," he spoke slowly, mulling the words over in his own mind before speaking again.

"We can get him in quite soon," he mumbled and wondered why he was even offering this. Silently, he blamed it on love and this lovely creature in front of him, "The ball is tonight and as far as I am aware, civilians are allowed to attend. After the ball, he could stay the night and tomorrow, you could request that he take permanent residence in the castle." As he explained, he chuckled and leaned foreward, pulling Rei in to his lap and resting his chin on top of her head. "And if that doesn't work,we can always smuggle him in," he joked, although very aware it could be an option. After a few moments, he sighed and brought a finger to herchin, tipping her head back to place a kiss on her temple. Silenly he awaited her decision.

╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[CVKE]

〖 S h h ,　 H　e 　T a l k s 〗

❝“You need to see Chez?” Valerii questioned. Why would he need to see Chez…Oh wait…He is a prince so they might need to talk about Royal affairs. “Never mind.” She sighed and peeked out the door again. The boy was long gone by now. How would they catch him? “We can do both.” The girl replied to the Prince. “We can run around like crazy looking for the sneaky boy and make our way towards Chez’s office. We can easily get through the officials since you look like Vitani.” She grinned and giggled to herself quietly. What Shenzi said next caught her attention. She perked up an eye brow curiously. “Really? What kind of game?” Valerii asked her eyes sparkling with interest.

“We really have no time…” Valerii frowned as she looked out the window then at the clock stationed on the wall across from the bed. With time moving fast and the ball approaching they only roughly had 4 to 5 hours top to have fun. “Shall we go?” She asked Shenzi and then walked out of the room. Valerii walked down the hall silently, her arms behind her back, her eyes gazing at every painting that they passed or through the glass windows. A sigh escaped her lips as they came to the exit of the building. “Next building has Chez’s office in it. We’ll get there in no time.” She grinned at Shenzi and then walked out into the sunlight. The harsh rays of light made her squint for a bit but after her eyes adjusted to the light she gazed around. It was certainly colder today; she needed to get her winter clothes out of the trunk soon.

“This is one of the newer built building. That-“ Valerii pointed at the more elegant building in front of them. “That is where Chez lives now. The favorites also live there as well Vincent’s slave.” She explained the layout of the building to Shenzi, telling him about which floors belonged to who, which floors were private, etc. As they talked the girl motioned at the blonde prince to follow him. The girl skipped her way to the other building happily. She was excited about the game that they were playing. “You should quickly talk to Chez about what you want so we can continue to look for the boy.”

===============

Nyx only glanced at Damien thankfully as he picked up the weighted sweaters in one scoop. What kind of training did these people have? She stared at his face as he stood in front of her quietly contemplating whether to answer her question? “Ah.” She nodded her head. So the queen had a twin brother. That made sense now. She folded the clothes that Damian had handed her, and then looked at man with a confused look as he spoke again.

“Ah, I’m an only child…a hated one at that.” Nyx answered the Assanyans question, her voice growing quieter towards the end. Her family didn’t hesitate to send her during the raid, yes it could have brought them a bad reputation because of the way she was dressed at the time…but they couldn’t have sacrificed a little to keep their only child? How selfish of them to keep the reputation of the family but not their only child. Nyx bit her lip angrily as the thoughts passed through her head. She was now a maid, even if she escaped somehow where would she go? She had no home now that her parent’s deserted her. Deserted…A pained expression crossed the girl’s face, Nyx bowed her head down letting her bangs fall in front of her face as a curtain.

===============

Arata made his way up the stairs to the floor where chez’s office was. As he came into view of the office he frowned. Was it him or were there more officials standing beside his door. “S’cuse me.” He squeezed through the men and into the room. “Ch- King Chez-“ He caught himself as he saw some of the older and more stricter officials that gave him the look. “Do you want me to bring you some refreshments?” He asked.

“King Chez may we something?” A man old enough to be Arata great great grandfather spoke.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Chez mumbled his eyes moving swiftly through the document in front of him.

“Now that you are King you must be careful about who you befriend and who you accompany.” The old man started. “You already know the danger your friends are in, wouldn’t it be easier to not accompany them at all?”

Chez set down the document and pen he was holding. Anger clearly showing in his eyes. “Are you telling me to just leave the people whom I call friends?” Standing up from the chair he was sitting in, he made his way over to the official who backed away with a look of fear. Everyone knew not to offend the King. “From now on you may not tell me what to do with my private life, you may not tell me whom I can befriend or accompany. Those are my choices and mine alone. I do what I please as I am King. I can protect my friends better than you can protect this kingdom.” He growled dangerously. “This goes for all of you.” With that he moved back to his chair, settling down and giving the document in front of him all of his attention.

Arata could only smile to himself as Chez said that. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” He spoke again.

“I do actually.” Chez looked up at his childhood friend.

“What exactly would that be?” Arata questioned.

“Them…” Chez pointed at the officials. “-To leave.”

Arata grinned and turned to the officials. “Well you heard the King. You may ALL leave. We all know that Chez doesn’t have to sign all of the documents today. Most of them aren’t even that important. So please, stop making everything so difficult for him.”

As the officials left with a grumbles and glares, Chez smirked at Arata. “You don’t have to be so polite to them.”




❞



〖 D i d y o u l i s t e n ? 〗

[junodog]

Kyle Bernham

Kyle held his breath as he listened to the newcomers introducing themselves. A couple of kids... well, at least he and Henry had someone else to hang out with. Assuming they got along and all that, which considering recent circumstances...

Kyle heard his mother thank Renny briefly before the man left to keep working, then he heard Henry say something about finding Vitani, and finally, he felt safe enough to stand up and look around. "Thanks," he muttered quietly to his mother, who snorted and shoved him so hard that he lost his balance and fell with a squeak on the couch. Tyki laughed, then helped Kyle up and remarked, "You're really something, you know that?"

Kyle sighed. "So what now?" he asked, just before he realized that he hadn't checked to see if the new kids had left the room yet. He looked over and saw that there was a little girl still there, but the boy had already gone off with Henry, apparently, because she was alone. "Um... hi. I'm Kyle," he said awkwardly to her.

"Well, you're going to try on your outfit for tonight, and then we're going to get your hair done at some point, but other than that it's all up to you," Annie replied, bringing his attention back to her. "You okay?"

"I, uh... I'm fine," he said quietly, then remembered what he'd seen earlier. "Um... is it normal to hallucinate when you're not sick or anything?"

"With you, I think hallucinating is almost inevitable," Annie replied dryly. "What did you see?"

"Um... it was Vitani, only way too tall to be Vitani," Kyle said. "It was weird."

"Could have been someone who looked similar," Tyki suggested.

Kyle glared at him. He hated it when people made him feel stupid like that. How had that possibility not occurred to him? "So, um... anyway, I guess I should try on the thing now, huh?"

The look on Annie's face was one of sheer glee as she nodded. "You are the best son ever, you know that?"

Kyle rolled his eyes as he went over to look at the new outfit Renny had made. He opened the lid of the box and smiled as he saw what was inside. Sure, it was a dress, but... well, he'd expected it, plus it was amazing. Besides, not many people were familiar with Ginean dance garb, so for all they knew it was traditional for males to wear skirts while dancing.

"This is awesome," he breathed as he pulled it out. "I need to go thank Renny."

"Later. He's busy. Thank him when he has the time to appreciate your words," Annie said.

"So what, like, during the ball, then?" Kyle asked.

"Sure," Annie said.

"Right... guess I'll try it on now," Kyle said, and he disappeared behind the changing curtains for a brief moment before reappearing in the blue plaited dancing dress. It was covered in Ginean patterns and even had the family emblem on the chest, which Kyle could not stop from staring at as he stepped in front of his mother to show her.

"Oh my God, you are the most adorable little crossdresser I have ever seen," Tyki squee'd. "Well, actually you're tied in first with Damien, but you're not being forced into it so that makes it more enjoyable."

"What do you mean, I'm not being forced into it?" Kyle asked. "Have you learned nothing from my mother these past couple weeks? If I say no to her she guilt-trips me so hard I lose all ability to function."

"You don't know anything about Damien, do you, Kyle?" Tyki asked in return.

"Um... not really," Kyle said. "But... oh. I remember now..."

"Yeah. Being guilt-tripped by your mom is a little different than what he had to go through," Tyki said.

"I do not guilt-trip my son!" Annie proclaimed indignantly.

"Yes, you do," both Tyki and Kyle replied at once. Kyle laughed and hugged his mother lightly. "Don't worry, I still love you," he said before looking over at Bizen. "So, have you ever seen traditional Ginean dancing?"

"Wait, wait, you have to make sure you can dance in it," Annie interrupted. Kyle rolled his eyes and said, "Fine," before doing the first few steps of his dance, ending with a twirl and looking at his mother expectantly.

"You'll have to wear something besides boxers underneath, you know," Annie remarked. "They're all bunched up under your tights right now and it looks ridiculous when you kick your legs up."

Kyle laughed. "Okay, I'll change underwear before the ball," he said. "Man, girls are lucky they don't have to deal with junk down there. I hate having to tuck my-"

"You do realize there's a little girl in the room, don't you?" Tyki pointed out.

"Oh, shoot," Kyle said, looking over at Tatiana with embarrassment. "Sorry. Still, though, this is gonna be annoying..."

"Do you want me to help you?" Tyki asked.

"Hell, no. Creep," Kyle growled at him.

"Okay, Kyle. We still need to style your hair, so go drop your clothes off and get a different pair of underwear before you forget - oh, and grab your panic meds, too. I don't want you freaking out before the show without anything to calm you down."

"Okay, okay," Kyle said. He smiled at Tatiana and said, "Nice meeting you," then turned and headed to the door. Just before he left, he turned and said, "Happy birthday, by the way," to Bizen, then he left and ran through the halls toward his room, feeling considerably happier than he had before he'd arrived.

Once he was gone, Annie glanced at Tyki and remarked, "My son just decided to run across a highly populated castle in a dress. I think Chez might have broken him with that dress stunt last week."

"Maybe. I didn't know it was your birthday," Tyki said, turning to Bizen. "Happy birthday."

"Yeah, happy birthday," Annie agreed. "Hope you have a lot of fun tonight. You deserve it."

--------

It was only when Kyle had gotten about halfway back to his room that he remembered what he was wearing. He stopped and looked down, then debated for a moment whether to change, but there were no bathrooms that he knew of in the area so he figured it would be easier just to high-tail it up to his room and hope nobody noticed who he was. He broke out into a brisk jog, marveling at how little effort it took, which was a sure sign that his body was recovering from the events of the past couple of weeks.

He soon came to the hallway that would lead him to the stairs, but stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he rounded the corner. There they were again. The girl and the Vitani look-alike. Kyle blinked and tried to remain calm. They probably hadn't seen him, he was probably fine... he regained his posture, then continued to walk as calmly and casually as he possibly could in a dancing dress with his underwear wedged up all uncomfortably between his legs like a diaper. Which wasn't very successful, because that person was definitely a spitting image of the Assanyan queen and it was freaking him out. He kept his head down and hoped that he would go unnoticed...

[NaomiHikari]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀【Whεrε♂Årε♀Wε?】▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
What τhe Hεll ιs Goiηg Oη?

___

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Shenzi chuckled a bit, it was not that he needed to see Chez, just simply he wanted to confirm some suspicions and possibly say hi to an old friend. If this Chez truly was Van from so long ago, he’d have some fun with him. Before he could speak, Valerii had excused her question, obviously figuring something out in that interesting mind of hers. Hopefully, she didn’t think of him on the standards of a snooty old prince, since his status in Assanya was nowhere near that. Well, in a way, it was, but his true title and position was equal to his sister. He and sister never wished to take over at such an early age, but emergencies call for drastic measures. Neither wanted to claim a title publicly, preferring to stay behind the scenes, sadly at least one needed to be public. Vitani volunteered, taking the oath in front of her people and becoming the figurehead. Each of them specialized in a certain area and collaborated to run the kingdom, plus he had a special position as well. He was quite proud of his accomplishment of gaining it.

His train of thought was derailed as Valerii spoke, pulling back to the present and tuning him on what the teen was saying. He gave a thumbs-up, “Sounds good to me,” he agreed and chuckled as she mentioned his twin. “My, my, this is going to be an interesting stay,” he mused, glancing down the hall before letting his eyes fall back on his companion. His Cheshire smile seemed to stretch further if possible as he watched her interest pique at the mention of the game. “It’s rather simple game of hide and seek,” he began his explanation, hands making a dismissive gesture. “Of course, that’s a ******** lie! Nothing in my homeland is has no damn sense, everything is god damned training!” he gave her shoulders a squeeze as he continued, “And this game is no ******** different. The demon is it, my sister, and the demon must capture and ‘devour’ all the humans, us.” His voice calmed a bit as he released her shoulders and laughed, “So… you may disappear,” he finished, voice dropping an octave lower. Waiting a few seconds, he burst in to laughter again, “Don’t worry, no fighting is involved. Just when you see Vitani, run like hell and try to outsmart her,” he advised.

Shenzi’s blond head tilted as the girl began to fret, speaking of time, which he had been paying no mind. So, he had a good four hours to play with his sister and Valerii, plus hunting down a naughty tom. Perfect. “Lead the way,” he urged, hooking his thumbs in his pants pockets as he walked beside her. His blue eyes skimming over the halls, humming lightly as he kept an eye out for his dear sister. Nodding to Valerii, he stepped outside and looked to the building she had mentioned before tucking his hands into his sleeves to keep them warm. He arched a brow at the mention of “Favorites”, but didn’t question it just yet. His eyes trailed southward as the girl skipped ahead of him, appreciating the view he was receiving before lifting his eyes once again to concentrate on her swaying hair. “I’ll try to make it as brief as possible, but I can’t promise ya nothing,” he called, picking up pace and catching up with the raven haired teen.

Once inside, he let his hands slip free of his long sleeves and followed his guide. This building was more modern than the rest, but still held the classic castle feel that went with such a large estate. Entering a stairwell, he glanced up the winding stairs and grinned, taking note which floor she had mentioned Chez’s office to be located. He gave a long whistle as he tried to see the man’s floor from the bottom of the stairs, but alas, no such luck, which only predicted that, would be a long climb. No biggie though and letting a out a low whistle, he turned to follow Valerii up the steps. Not long in to their walk, he could hear someone else’s footsteps and pausing to make sure his ears weren’t tricking him, he glanced behind him to find a very interesting sight. A brunette boy in a… blue dress? His brows furrowed for a moment as he took a hard look at the boy, his grin dropping for a moment in a perplexed stupor. Once he broke his trance, Shenzi’s grin came back full blown, snickering at the sight before him. Reaching a hand over and tapping Valerii on the shoulder, he drew her attention to the boy. “Seems,our prey came to us,” he informed playfully and turned fully to face the boy.

[[ Sorry, been distracted. I'll post the other replies in the next post ]]

╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[CVKE]

〖 S h h ,　 H　e 　T a l k s 〗

❝The two were now walking up the stair well that led to Chez’s office. Which at this time would be filled with officials. Just thinking of those old dirty bastards made Valerii frown. She wondered if her brother was still with Chez. A low giggle escaped from her mouth. When it came to Chez, Arata was always so…puppy like. Always following Chez around, eager to help him with everything. Val remembered how he used to nag chez a lot in their younger years. One of the more amusing memories were of him panicking when she had told him that she might have had a crush on Chez. Oh, that had been a fun week. He had never let the two of them be alone, and tried at all times to keep her away from Chez.

To her it wasn’t a secret that Arata was majorly in love with Chez. She didn’t know if Chez realized this or not. Maybe he did but didn’t want to reject Arata so he kept it to himself? After all, how could a man like Chez Valkery not realize such a obvious love? A sigh escaped Val’s lips. A tap on her shoulder took her attention and she tilted her head back to see Shenzi with a grin. Her eyes landed on the brown haired boy….in a blue dress? Valerii couldn’t help but let a few giggles escape her lips. “Rather cute up close, I must say.” Valerii smirked as she tried to keep her voice steady which was rather hard at the moment.

Valerii looked down at the boy with amusement sparkling in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to laugh-“Another giggle escaped and this time she did her best to cover the giggle with a fake cough. “It just came out…” Her voice slowly turning quiet towards the end of her sentence. Another cough giggle escaped her mouth. The brown haired boy in front of her was just too adorable and innocent looking in the dress, not to mention it looked hella weird on him as well. Dresses weren't for guys, but there were a few people in the castle who she knew could pull the look off. The boy in front of him didn't.



❞



〖 D i d y o u l i s t e n ? 〗

[The PrinceofHeart]

You can't leave the place you are...

Lucrecia glanced away as Arata just continued to try to be sweet in her eyes. She knew that really he was only trying to be kind, despite the fact she knew Chez was pulling his strings. Everything had to go perfectly for the new King, so he gained the people's favor; a rowdy and disobedient servant or "assistant" would not sit very well with the Kingdom.
At his promise to be willing to offer company, Lucrecia just nodded and stepped over towards the window. "Mmhm." She wasn't sure if she would want a lot of company for this sort of event, besides her sister. She listened quietly until the soft click of the door back into place crossed her ears.
Lucrecia tossed the dress she was holding back onto the bed and turned her eyes over towards her twin. She could tell that she was trying to make things lighter, a little easier on her, and she appreciated it. Lu pulled on a small smile and nodded. "I know I wouldn't want to be without my Yin again," she said quietly. Sitting down on the bed next to Venetia, she gently hugged her and rested her head on her shoulder. "Have you been feeling better? You've seemed ill these past few days..."

...Until you decide where you'd rather be.

[junodog]

Kyle Bernham

Kyle looked up. Had that person said something about prey...? He frowned. He was nobody's prey. Well... he'd been Vincent's prey for a while there, but that hadn't resulted in much. He didn't think he'd even seen Vincent since that stupid, awful day seven years ago.

But the girl... she was laughing. Kyle's eyes narrowed as she looked at her. Normally, he would have been embarrassed, but today was different. He was already on the verge of having a major panic attack because of his performance anxiety, and the last thing he needed was to feel ridiculed by some girl who didn't even know who he was. And yet, here she was, laughing at him, just because he was wearing a dress - a dress that Renny had put a hell of a lot of time and effort into making for him. That, more than anything, just pissed him off.

"You know, it really is telling when someone reveals their ignorance of the customs of other lands within the first twenty words of a conversation," he said, smoothly masking his irritation with the dignity and grace of a young Ginean Lord. "I hardly think it necessary to ask, since your reaction speaks volumes, but have you not seen a Ginean dancer in your life? This is the dress of traditional Ginean dance, and this emblem is that of the Bernham Estate, and I think you'll find it in your best interests not to retain that attitude at the ball this evening. It wouldn't do for you to offend someone you've only just met."

And with that, he turned to the Vitani look-alike and said, "I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Kyle Bernham, Lord of the Bernham Estate and advocate for the people of the former country of Ginea. I don't suppose you're related to Queen Vitani, by any chance?" he asked. Maybe if he pretended he'd never seen the two and commented about hallucinating, they wouldn't realize that he was the one who'd passed by that room earlier...