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 Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:37 pm
((Wahhh, sorries. Finals time draws near and of course teachers seem to love to give more assignments right before sad ))
No one had rushed up to her until he was clearly at the bottom of the stairs. Even so, the whole time, she had been looking for Alto. Where is he? He promised he'd be here! For a split second, her face almost contorted to show that she was peeved that she couldn't pick him out among the whole crowd.
...The same frustration and all the masks in the crowd was making her start to feel dizzy too. She sighed as she stepped toward the left, hopefully toward where Alto was. A man had tried to approach her from the right, and she already didn't like the way he looked.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:39 am
Thoughts of Aiden led, naturally, to thoughts of Rainey, who knew (at least, somewhat) her situation. I need to talk to her, she thought, concern flashing for one brief moment across her face-- it was, fortunately, hidden by the mask she still wore. I hope she hasn't said anything to anyone. The Rainey she knew was more than capable of discretion, but in such a situation, who knew what might happen? The girl would already be terribly confused; surely that alone might loosen her tongue, unintentional though it may be.
She scanned the crowd, hoping to see her childhood friend among the various servants scattered about the room, but to no avail. Perhaps I ought to go look for her.
Her thoughts were cut short when Garrote spoke again. "You certainly are," she agreed. "I am Lady Evangeline Grace. Does that mean you're going to stop rambling, or does it make no difference?" Her tone was light enough to be teasing, although she was the tiniest bit serious-- she wanted nothing more than to sneak off to wherever the servants were and talk to Rainey, both to assure herself of her friend's secrecy and simply to talk to her friend again, but she wasn't sure how to do so without attracting attention.
She returned Garrote's pleasant smile. Her eyes wandered back to Alto and the princess. "Do you have anyone, then, if you're not in the running for her?" It was funny, the way they were speaking of the girl as a thing to be won. If it had been Eva, she would have given all these men a good thrashing for looking at her the way they were looking at the princess; but then, few men ever actually looked at her that way, perhaps because she was capable of dishing out such trouble. Did the girl's charm lie in her helplessness? Disgusting, but effective, she supposed. Although, in her opinion, any man who wanted a girl that weak had to be something of a wuss himself, didn't he? Better not to say that aloud. I don't think Sir Garotte would quite understand.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:27 am
Alto remained the ever perfect escort. As much as his insides were twisted in knots in anticipation and his sinuses were going crazy (there couldn't be THAT many people talking about him could there?!), the need to sneeze almost more annoying than Sir Garotte.
Almost.
Thankfully the princess distracted him well enough to turn his thoughts away from his current hell. He felt the Princess' weight on him and he swore she would fall at some point. Furrowing a brow the man tried placed a firm hand upon her arm that was encircled in his own. She didn't seem too well, that or she didn't like the way the next contestant looked that was approaching them.
His spirits fell a little at the thought that she would dismiss the suitor with out so much as a glance. That meant he was still required to remain at her side. Lowering his head slightly he spoke quietly to the princess as he guided her out to the middle of the floor to bait other hopefuls. "Princess, are you okay? You don't seem well..." But he did not get too far when he felt a hand upon his shoulder, when he looked behind, he found another masked suitor who smiled amicably and tipped his head courteously. An easy signal that he would like to have a turn to court the princess. Alto wished to make certain that the princess was truly fine, because suitor or not, he was still her friend first and foremost. However, in saying that, he knew how temperamental Claire could be when she was peeved. Even the smallest thing he did would set her off. For all he knew she could have been pouting because he was not already waiting for her at the bottom.
In any case, it was best to let her be and allow the gentleman to have his turn, other wise he'd boost his pet status through the roof. Hesitating for a moment longer, Alto squeezed the princess' arm slightly and whispered that he'd be close.
Stepping back he gestured to the young man to take his place. The princess wasn't talking to him any how. He slid back to disappear into the crowds still feeling two minded about leaving Claire.
Suddenly being released of his duties he felt a sudden rush of freedom and wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to make certain Claire was fine, but he also would like to go after Sir Garrote. Then again, knowing the man, he probably already contaminated Lady Grace's mind with unsavory lies about him.
The man tightened a fist annoyed. Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.
The dark haired noble sighed as he knew that if it was anything like before, the girl would already be taken in by his greasy, smooth talking ways. Nothing Alto would say would penetrate the lies and he'd end up the butt of the jokes. It was honestly too much to think about. However....
Lady Grace was rather different than the usual ladies he'd had the pleasure of meeting. Her eyes were clear and she displayed a certain intelligence that perhaps could not be taken over by such superficial lies.
Perhaps...
Alto looked about uncertain. He'd have to find her first and he'd done a bit of maneuvering around the large crowd and he couldn't quite find her now....
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:33 pm
Rainey rolled her eyes again, this time in earnest - that was the problem with Penelope; she always wanted more. She loved the drama of the castle's inhabitants, no matter what their rank, and always knew who was courting who, who was wearing what, who was fighting with who, and anything else along thoes lines that happened to pique her interest. However, occasionally she let her imagination get the better of her, and she couldn't see that something actually wasn't that interesting. Rainey sighed. "Penel-" She was interrupted as a chorus of laughter errupted throughout the overflowing kitchen. Trying to get somewhere Penelope would actually be able to hear her, Rainey grabbed her friend by the wrist and managed to squeeze her way through the crowd to a nearby hallway. She turned to Penelope. "Look," she said. "I-"
Hm.
Rainey had suddenly caught another glimpse of one of the ball's attendents, obviously lost. She stared for a moment, remembering Alto, Eva, the poor blonde man (she hadn't caught his name, had she?), the general splendor and excitment of the ball. "Penelope?" she asked, a smile coming to her lips. "Do you want to do something really, really stupid?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:12 pm
Claire felt her heart jump when she realized that she had found Alto. There you are, hmph! "Of course I'm fine," she muttered in response to Alto's concern. But ever so short was that fleeting conversation as Alto was interrupted by a suitor.
Claire greeted the newcomer as he bowed and kissed her hand in greeting. The man's style intrigued Claire, and he, of course, had complimented her on her fair face. The man and she made small talk about the palace and what they liked to do. After the while, the man offered to fetch Claire a drink.
While Claire waited, other men came up to her and entertained her company. Her head seemed clearer, so she probably had adjusted to the glamour.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:47 pm
"Ouch. She does have a bit of a sharp tongue, doesn't she..." was Rolando's initial thoughts to her comment. But on the outside he was all smiles.
"No difference at all, Lady Evangeline," he said, taking care to pronounce her name exactly as she said, slight accent and all. His hand swooped down and gracefully grabbed hers, bringing it up for a kiss.
As he looked up for her reaction, he noticed Alto, now separated from the Princess. He appeared to be looking for something- or as Sir Garrote guessed- someone.
It would be a delightful evening indeed.
"Come my Lady, I do believe your escort has finished courting Her Highness," he said loftily, and louder than he normally would. Alto may hear him, or at least notice the people staring at him because he was loud. He offered his arm to Eva, to escort her to Alto.
---
Penelope stuffed her face as Rainey formed a response. "Probably some lame excuse about how I'm too nosy or something." she thought. But the kitchen was loud, as servants joked and laughed away from the prying eyes of the guests.
Therefore it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise when Rainey dragged her away from her meal. But it was. No matter how long they'd hung out together (several years now, Penelope was sure), some things still took her by surprise. Penelope did manage to grab a roll as they moved to a much quieter hallway. She arched her eyebrow at Rainey, indicated for the girl to continue (which would have looked cool if she hadn't taken a large bite out of the roll right when she did it).
"Look, I-" Rainey paused, looking out the ballroom.
"Uh oh."
"Penelope? Do you want to do something really, really stupid?"
"Oh gods. It always comes to this, doesn't it." Penelope covered her face with her palm and sighed. "Fine. I love doing stupid things that might get us fired. What do you have in mind this time?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:46 pm
Evangeline shifted uncomfortably as Sir Garrote brought her hand to his lips. I could never get used to that, she thought, feeling a momentary flash of relief upon remembering that she wouldn't have to.
She glanced around, if only to distract herself from the strange situation that she was currently in. (Was she supposed to kiss his hand too? She didn't think so, but she wasn't sure. Was she supposed to thank him? Smile at him? This was all so weird.) Her eyes caught a flash of movement among a million such flashes of movement; this one, however, came with a sight that was more than welcome. Alto.
Evangeline brightened visibly. Apparently Sir Garotte had noticed as well, and she took his arm eagerly-- not out of any eagerness to be in contact with him, but Alto was the closest thing to a friend that she'd found yet, and the prospect of running into him again made things seem a lot brighter. "I believe you are right," she said, smiling-- the fact that he had, in fact, been courting the princess didn't even filter into her mind.
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:27 am
The courting ritual was in full swing causing Alto to lose his bearings amongst the waves of suitors eager to woo the princess. It was all just as well as Claire would probably not remember Alto not fulfilling his duties as her escort with all the worlds attention on her. But the commotion made it hard for the young Runeius noble to find Lady Grace and Sir Garrote. He was shoved, slighted and cut off as he attempted to navigate the human maze. After awhile he simply gave up as it was much too difficult to manage with no idea where the two could be. As hard as it was, the young heir realized that the best option would be to stand back and wait. Away from the moving mass and in the clear, Alto scanned the crowds carefully.
The flashes of color and glittering of gems proved a fierce distraction, but thankfully he soon caught sight of the pair making their way to him. It appears that they had found him first. Or rather, Lady Evangeline Grace had sought him out.
Alto could not hold back the smile as the thought that perhaps the Lady Grace had wanted to meet with him again entered his thoughts.
And from the small smile on her face (it was dazzling and rather hard to miss) boosted those hopeful thoughts. Sir Garotte had apparently not been able to turn her against him. This told Alto that the Lady was a formidable and rather intelligent individual.
That, Alto found was quite attractive in a woman.
He raised a hand waving them over, and met them as they stepped out of the moving mass.
"Lady Evangeline Grace, are you alright? I hope you can forgive me for parting company with you so suddenly earlier." He had actually planned on something more interesting to say, but for some reason, an apology had instantly replaced what ever it was he wanted to say. "I had to attend to the Princess, for it was her personal request that I be her escort for this event..." The smile on his face faded slightly as he looked to Sir Garotte. " I see you've found an acquaintance of mine. I'm quite....glad." But his tone implied otherwise. Alto locked gazes with Sir Garotte and he gave him a curt nod almost dismissing and maybe even annoyed. "Sir Garotte. Good evening to you. I see you've already met Lady Evangeline Grace. I thank you for keeping her company. Told her anything interesting that I ought to be aware of now?" It was quite plain to see, this was something that occured far too often for the young Alto's liking.
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:22 pm
Now armed with a goblet of wine and saved from the dancing that would begin, Claire sipped the wine and chatted with the suitors around her. Obviously, they wanted to dance with her when the music started. Whoever had first dibbs would naturally have better standing than the rest of the suitors.
The topic moved on to the food on the tables, and Claire munched on some of the delicacies. The man in front of her was very charming and she had almost taken a liking to him. The man was really a young boy about her age. As Claire daydreamed about the face in front of her, she took another bite of the small quiche looking circle. Then, she realized that the boy was calling her name. "Hmm?" Her gaze focused on the boy, but there were several images of him. Claire blinked as she shook her head.
...a moment later, she collapsed on the floor dead to the astonishment of the people around her. However, no one knew she was dead yet.
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:57 pm
"That's all right," Evangeline replied, still smiling. She very much liked Alto; this was a fact that could not be concealed, and she saw no reason to try. In a world where everyone's main concern seemed to be their own vanities, he was the closest she'd found to what she was used to. Granted, he was a good deal more polite, and he was also a good deal less dirty-- she had a feeling he didn't have to scrounge the streets for his next meal, either, but that wasn't the point.
"I hope the Princess is well?" she asked, remembering that he was supposedly a close friend-- unless that had been a lie, although it seemed to fit. "She is certainly lovely." She glanced over to the crowd where the Princess stood surrounded by various suitors, then turned back to Alto and opened her mouth to say something else--
--and looked back, alarm filling her face. "She just-- is she--" She stopped, eyes wide; she'd never seen anyone faint before, though she assumed that's all this was. She had no idea what one was supposed to do in a situation like this. "Shouldn't someone... help her?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:07 pm
The smile upon Lady Grace's face was absolutely breath taking. And when it registered that this was a smile for him, Alto felt himself stare. Simply to take it all in. He had once read a book, describing an event where the character felt as happy as a thousand summers, felt like he could run and never touch the ground. Alto had never quite understood the meaning until now. All the trouble he'd gone through tonight, the flying vases, Sir Garrote and even Claire...well, it all seemed worth it just to stand with Lady Grace and be given that small personal smile.
Yet no matter how perfect this one moment was, Alto knew he was still staring. It was the mental kick he needed to realize it and STOP. Slightly embarrassed due to his gawking, the young noble looked away trying to hide that subtle blush. He was not blushing, was NOT blushing. His eyes were averted to prevent them from lingering far too long than what was deemed polite.
"Y, yes..She certainly is a rose." He replied not quite convincingly, when Lady Grace referred to her as lovely. If she only knew the half of it. Alto didn't say. "...But as they say, even roses have their thorns. The one to marry the princess will certainly have his work cut out for him." But their pleasant banter was cut tragically short when Alto noticed the dramatic change upon Lady Grace's face. Following her gaze, Alto soon found what she was staring at.
Princess Claire. Or rather a large group gathered around her. Panicked murmurs rose and no clear view of the princess shot dread straight into Alto's heart. Instantly he saw flashes of memory that happened only a few minutes ago. Wait, was it only minutes? He remebered her unsteady sway, how she practically leaned upon him for support...
'She was awfully pale too.'
Alto saw her face and cursed himself.
"C, Claire?" He hadn't meant to address her so personally, but fear was rising in his chest, his mind unable to focus except upon Claire. The Claire he saw yesterday, the Claire of 10 years ago. Claire... "CLAIRE!!!!!!!" He shouted as he rushed forward plowing through the masses with almost no trouble. And in a small clearing, he found her body crumpled and unmoving upon the floor. He was instantly at her side upon his hands and knees. "Claire! Claire!" Alto called her name, he gathered her in his arms, propping her head against his chest as he held her tightly trying to shake her awake. "Claire, what's wrong! What happened?! Claire wake up!" He said frantically. But she gave him no response. Was she even breathing? Fearful of the worst, Alto almost could not get himself to do it, but he had to know, had to make sure. Carefully he lowered her head back so he could bring his ear close to her mouth.
He felt not a breath. Did not hear a single thing. His hand was upon her chest and even then he could not feel a pulse, her heart was silent.
And all those precious memories of their child hood the good and the bad, shattered like a mirror. Alto pulled back slowly, but his dark red eyes were wide and empty.
His quite defeat all the confirmation the mass needed before they broke out into wild hysterics. Alto sat in the middle of the storm. Silent, and unmoving. He refused to budge, refused to release the princess's body until the royal guards came to restrain him.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 7:42 am
((Claire finally died! XP If/when the guards move her away, there will be a small puddle of blood on the floor. The inside of her dress will be stained with a little bit of blood. ...now if a doctor was present...))
What was this? A fallen princess? Perhaps, the evening wouldn't be so boring after all. Armand smirked.
The king had asked everyone to stay calm, though it was obvious that he was trying his hardest to maintain the calm facade. No one was to leave until mystery had been solved of what had happened to Claire. Some guards had moved to the entrances and exits of the room.
While Claire had been descending the stairs, Armand had watched and "accidentally" stepped on a few toes here and there just to disrupt the silent rapture. However now, Armand almost wished he could switch back to his noble get up, but the guards were in the way. Being dressed as a servant could make it easier for him to move around though.
The red head tried to edge in for a closer look at Claire. The dead princess was pale and peaceful. Nothing seemed terribly wrong except for the fact that she was dead!
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 7:05 am
The blonde haired Gal had really wanted to speak with the princess, but the meek librarian had not the guts to push through the crowds of noblemen and women to see her royal highness. There were many suitors trying to curry favor with the lady, and he most certainly was not a suitor.
Alas, Gal's thoughts on how to approach Claire were cut short when the princess fell and the nobleman named Alto rushed to the princess's side. Something was wrong... as if Claire's motionless body said enough. Alto's pleas emphasized the gravity of the situation further.
"What happened?" Gal muttered. A scholar he was, but no medic was he. He wasn't quite fond of dead bodies either, but if Claire had just died, then it would be easier for him to approach a more recent dead body than one that had been dead for awhile... or one that had been completely cut up.
Gal furiously wrote in his notepad and walked toward Claire and Alto. The room had been silent, but now was full of muttering and panic. Guards had come by and blocked the entrances. Gal pushed forward through the crowd, which was amazingly docile in letting him through. The guards were probably going to take Claire away before he could get a closer look at her body.
Gal finally foud his way through the crowd only to meet face to face an Alto restrained by the royal guards. "Umm, hi?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 11:08 am
She's dead?
This fact alone was not enough to shock Evangeline; she'd seen dead bodies before, most of them far more gruesome than the aesthetically perfect girl lying on the floor. She could have been sleeping, she looked so peaceful-- no, what shocked Evangeline was the deep, unsettling, inexplicable feeling that this was all so wrong. The girl appeared to be asleep, not dead. She was still in her beautiful gown, crumpled though it may be, and things like this weren't supposed to happen to princesses.
She had followed Alto when he had run to Claire's side, though she stood several steps back, not wanting to crowd. She was, compared to the other ladies, handling the whole thing remarkably well; in her surprise and concern, she didn't even think to look around at the other women hiding their faces and swooning, and so she didn't think to follow suit. She watched as he cradled the girl lovingly to his own body, but the morose feelings of jealousy and inadequacy she'd had before were gone. She'd known the two o them were close, and besides, the girl was dead. It would have been horrible to begrudge him the right to grieve for his friend. "Alto..." She reached out as if to put a hand on his shoulder, then thought better of it. She knew what grief could do to people, though she hadn't known Alto long enough to guess exactly what it would do to him.
She glanced around, looking for Sir Garotte, afraid that she'd lost him among the moving, panicking crowds. True, she wasn't quite as fond of him as she was of Alto, but the fact was still that she knew him, and that was something she couldn't claim of most of the people here. The King's orders were scaring her, and badly-- would there be some kind of investigation? Her blood ran cold at the thought. Impersonating a noble would have been grounds for execution, although they would probably be more likely to settle for throwing her in prison forever-- but she knew how people worked, how eager they could be to find a scapegoat, and if they decided she'd murdered the princess...
There would be no escaping death.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:52 pm
Having been forcefully removed by the very guards he grew up around, threw Alto into a rage as he struggled. "Release me! I have to help Claire! Don't you see? She's in trouble!" But no matter how hard he struggled, he found himself being pulled farther and father away from Claire's prone body. And then he couldn't see her any more. His vision was obscured by the many on lookers and had not the guard firmly ordered the young noble to calm down, Alto probably would have lost himself.
Allen and Grenseal were one of the few guards that Alto had gotten to know rather well while he grew up with Claire. Thought they were men with duties to the royal family, Alto often remembered them best for bending the rules and causing a bit of mischief to ease their boredom. Both were friends since they were Alto's age and had sought employment at the castle.
"Alto if you don't calm down, you'll force us to throw you in a holding cell in the castle's dungeon." The dark haired guard to his right said tightly. "Do not make us do that." His long time partner nodded to Alto's left.
"Listen to Allen." the fair haired Grenseal urged just as quietly. "If you want to help the princess now, help us find her killer."
The word struck Alto like an steel tipped arrow and those blood red eyes widen. "K...Killer?" The words trembled upon his lips. The thought never occurred. But then it seemed to be the only explanation. Claire was in good health, well taken care of. How could a young lady not even in the prime of her life fall dead?
Both guards nodded in unison as though on the same wave length.
"Aye sir." Allen said carefully releasing the young noble. He felt Alto stiffen, and cease his struggling. Confident that he would not act out, both guards slackened their hold.
Their judgment was true as Alto was too shocked to say or do anything. They guided the young man to a bench by the side of the wall. Away from the commotion. The crowd was getting rowdy again, and they needed to keep the situation under control.
Understanding what kind of hell the Runieus heir was going through right now, the guards left him on his own. Alto was not even aware the pair had left him, eyes staring vacantly at the floor. It was just too much. TOO MUCH.
'Why would anyone murder the Princess?' The motive wasn't obvious and nothing seemed to make sense. The princess had her faults, but she certainly did not deserve to die. Alto just couldn't figure it out. Who wanted the princess to die? Nothing could be gained killing her BEFORE the wedding. And how did she die? It wasn't as if someone walked up to her and stabbed her in the back.
When trying to figure these questions for himself began to hurt his head, his mind automatically switched to earlier times. Princess Claire had been a bit of a bully to him, but she had her good times too. Princess or not, Claire had been a very good and close friend to Alto.
'And here I was, thinking she was a burden in her last moments in life. All I could think of was myself and spending time with Lady Grace. I knew she wasn't well....If I had said something sooner...Stopped her. Maybe...' The young man placed his face in his hands as he leaned over. Though he was not the one who killed her, he felt he may as well have.
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