She was in the downstairs kitchens, with one hand holding the last of her poppyseed bread and deep red eyes staring at some of the pots and pans that hung dry on the rack. The kitchen staff by that point were gone for the night, having already done the prep work for the next morning’s course of meals and cleaned Farrah did remember dinner, but only past dinner time and when her stomach made its demands in the middle of something she was focused on. She knew better, honest! At the rate she was going she knew she was going to be late to her own funeral. It was just a little harder adjusting to being back home where there were more constraints. It was only temporary; she was still a princess and was back on a week’s leave, so she had to do… whatever tasks she needed to do. And she did, and she did her best to not let her face reveal how bored she was listening to the political side of it all. She reached her hand up to touch the bent handle to one of the large copper pots. Under her fingers, it shifted back into its original shape and became as smooth as it was when it first got there. With her other hand she finished off her bread and used her wrist to flake off the yellow crumb that didn’t make it into her mouth. She did a similar move to the other handle then the body of the pot altogether. ’Good as new.’
She heard the sound of a door closing and quickly ducked behind the large wooden prep table. Her eyes peeked over the top to find the server’s door moving to and from in the doorway. There wasn’t anyone else in there with her, it was dark but not that dark. If it been one of the cooks, they would have gently nagged for her to go upstairs where she belonged. That was debatable but she wasn’t one to argue when she had already satiated her hunger. Farrah pushed the door open and looked both ways to see who might have slipped through the kitchen. No one so far, but there were footsteps. Light ones, definitely not the sound of boots or fancy dress shoes. She went in the direction she heard them going and stepped as quietly as she could in her own leather boots. The distinct noise of one of the outer doors rang and she quickened her pace before they got away. It was likely no one but with as often as she frequented the kitchen at this time of night she hardly saw a soul.
And there she was, a petite woman with shiny blonde hair making work of a tree that grew up against a tall stone wall. Farrah tilted her head to one side and put a hand on her hip as she watched her trying to scale it. It wasn’t an impossible feat; she could see the best winding branches to put steady footing on and there wasn’t much else to it once you pulled yourself up to the top. It looked like a bit of fun to Farrah. But why scale a wall when there were perfectly acceptable gates? She looked from side to side in the part of the grounds they were standing in and it was so far, so good in terms of guards or staff. She was no snitch either, and after thinking about it, she didn’t have much else planned for the evening except being leisurely and avoiding sleep. She threw the back of her hand to her mouth to hide a yawn, then approached the young maiden seeking escape. ”Where you going?” She grinned wide and playfully as she took hold of a lower branch.
It was late, and she should have been in bed, but the young Duchess was told of a little gathering that was happening outside of the royal grounds. Obviously, her father would rather tie her to a pole and lock her away forever than let her go and associate herself with the common folk, so the only choice she had was to sneak out.
The sounds of servants walking down the hallway caused Lily to freeze in place, she pressed herself against the wall around the corner from them and held her breath. ’Do not get caught, do not get caught…’ repeated in her thoughts. She was so close to the kitchen where she knew there was a servants exit. No guards typically stood there; it would make for an easy escape. When the sounds of footsteps disappeared down the hall, Lily peaked around the corner, looked both ways, then continued to hurriedly, but quietly tiptoe down the hall.
Lily inhaled deeply and slowly pushed the doors to the kitchen open, the creaking of the wood forced her to pause. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation of someone hearing her, but nothing came about it. After about a second Lily slipped into the dark room and swiftly made her way to the doors that led outside. In the distance she could see the silhouettes of two guards standing by the opening of the gate. She sighed, ’s**t’ Of course she would have to try and scale the fence.
She scanned the courtyard for an opening then dashed over to a tree near the large stone fence. Lily observed the ancient oak tree, it was twisted in a way that created almost a perfect bridge over the barrier; this would be her way out. If she hadn’t been exhausted from a long day she could have shape-shifted and climbed over it with ease, but unfortunately, she had yet to perfect her abilities and once fatigued, it was hard for her to keep focus long enough to actually do anything.
Each arm of the tree created a handle for her, “This isn’t too bad.” She whispered to herself as she stretched her arm to another branch slightly higher up. Then, the sudden sound of an individuals voice startled Lily, causing her foot to slip. Instinctively she was able to catch herself from falling by grabbing a branch close enough to her. With frustrated growl she pulled herself up onto it and balanced herself so she could sit. Her eyes snapped below her, “Nowhere.” Lily was terrible at lying, she always had been, and her voice immediately outed her. She sighed then closed her eyes momentarily, so she could catch her breath. Part of her was annoyed- but that was her hot temper, which she quickly pushed down. No point in getting mad at the stranger, plus—Lily reopened her eyes and observed the girls features, a small smile replacing her subtle frown—she was really pretty.
“Can’t a girl relax on a tree in the middle of the night?” Lily tried switching the attention away from her, “Anyway… where are you going?”
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ intrigued ◆◆ ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Mars, Royal Castle ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Lily ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ NA ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ this getup with pants and boots
talking -- thinking
The girl, whoever it was that was trying to scale the building, was a good climber and she wondered if this was something she always did. Though they both looked similar in age, it reminded her of how as a kid she liked to scale trees. It was funny how the reasons to do it usually changed when they got older.
She started to shift in Lily’s direction when she saw how her words caused a sudden change in her position on the tree. Before Farrah was able to offer some kind of assistance, the young blonde took hold of another branch that stabilized her once more. The low noise that bellowed from her confirmed that now the girl was probably mad at her now. She grimaced and pulled a closed hand up and under her chin. ”Sorry about that.” The Martian princess pulled herself back toward the side of the tree she was on with her other hand, the one that was on the branch earlier.
Farrah looked up at Lily sitting on a branch and then she started to make her own way up there, careful to secure her hold on the twisting branches and to find a firm footing as she went. The way the other girl answered her initial question had one of her eyebrows quirking upward with how snipped it sounded. She wanted to ask why she was up the wall if she was going nowhere but paused before she upset her again. Once she was high enough on a nearby branch of her own, she threw one leg up and over it, sitting on the arm of the tree in the riding position.
Now that she was up and closer, she could get a better look at who she was set on following. She was shorter by her observation, with bluish-green eyes and a darling shade of pink to her cheeks. She obviously wasn’t a part of the staff there; they would have no need to scale a wall like they were doing, so she could only assume it was some out of town nobility staying there as a guest. Whoever she was, Farrah shared a wide grin of her own.
She pulled part of her bottom lip between her teeth to hold back a laugh at how Lily talked about spending the night in their current tree. It was kinda cute the way Lily said it so matter of factly, as if she were to believe that was the intention all along. ”You can if you want to.” While it sounded like a good idea, Farrah knew there were better trees around to sleep in but she wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to. With one arm wrapped around another nearby branch, she reached out to her tree mate with the other and an open hand. ”I’m Farrah by the way. What’s your name?”
There was a shrug of her shoulders at Lily’s question. “I don’t know, I was gonna follow you to nowhere.” She teased. Wherever no where was, there had to be something important enough there to go through all of this trouble. ”I got nothing this fun to do so I thought I’d tag along.”
Lily tracked the girls’ movements as she too started to climb the tree. They probably looked like a pair of children playing to an outsider. Lily slowly raised an eyebrow, watching each hand as she skillfully pulled herself closer to her, then sat on the branch similarly to herself. Her laugh forced one out of Lily as well, it really was a ridiculous excuse as to why she was up there. Who in their right mind sleeps in trees? “I'm Lily.” She reached her hand out, delicately taking it in her own. The name sounded familiar, perhaps she was a noble. Lily was certain she had never met her before though, she would have remembered her. One hundred percent. She had one of those faces that was impossible to forget.
She hesitated for a moment, decided if she should tell her about the party. It could be fun to let loose with a new friend, plus it couldn’t be so bad to have someone there that she knew. “You’d follow me to nowhere, huh?” She giggled quietly, with a playfulness in her eyes, “That’s rather brave, being I am someone you just met,” A mischievous grin pulled at the corner of her lip—she was known around the Palace as being someone who got into trouble rather frequently. Her father told the help that they needed to always keep an eye on her. But unfortunately for them she was sneaky and charismatic. Most of the time she was able to bribe or charm her way out of trouble. It worked so far at least.
“There’s a bonfire not too far from here in the woods,” She lifted her arm and pointed toward a column of smoke barley visible in the distance. “A few of the stableboys were talking about it, and I was intrigued.” She chewed on the inside of her lip, it wasn’t the first time she had gone to one of these little get-togethers, and in the past when she had gone she managed to also steal a kiss here and there from some of the guys. It was fun, drinking and pretending like she didn’t have any responsibilities for a few hours. It wasn’t like her mother cared what she did.
“You’re more than welcome to continue to follow me…” Lily stood and carefully managed to get over the rest of the wall, using the tree for support, she then turned her gaze up to her new friend when she made it to the ground, “…I'm flattered by the way. You know, that you'd follow me anywhere.” She teased, then turned on her heal. Lily was a flirt, in fact rumors about her having an interest in both boys and girls had circulated around the grounds more than once. They were true, obviously. But Lily liked to keep the mystery alive so she never addressed them, plus her father wouldn’t be pleased knowing it were true.
Lily glanced around once more for guards, then headed toward the woods, following the smoke and orange light contrasting against the dark sky. When she arrived, there were already several people standing around and socializing. She sighed, it made sense of course, she was an hour or so late. The groups consisted of common born students who lived in the town, stableboys, servants’ children and other people who were close in age to herself. She raised her hand and waved at one of the guys who told her about this little fire. He swiftly approached her and handed her a drink, then thanked her for coming. She nodded and smiled—it was a perfect night for a large fire, there was a cool crisp in the air but not too cold, and definitely not hot. Just enough that the blazes kept her warm, but didn’t make her sweat. As the boy walked back to his group, Lily turned her head to look behind her, hoping Farrah decided to come along.
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ intrigued ◆◆ ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Mars, Castle Wall > Forest Bonfire ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Lily ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ NA ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ this getup with pants and boots
talking -- thinking
Her new friend Lily had a soft feel to her skin, and only hoped her own hand felt passable. She had been lucky that her hands, let alone the rest of her body, didn't suffer the same as others in the forges or out in the field. ”Is that with one L or two?”
Farrah grinned to the giggle that came with Lily’s question, and it froze in place while her eyebrows lifted contemplatively to being called brave. She had a point. They had literally just met minutes ago and to her recollection, she hadn’t met Lily prior to now. There was also that other minor detail that slipped her mind lately: she was a princess. Even if she was running around glowing metals and soldiers like common folk, the title was still there. Rah thought about mentioning it and decided to hold off instead. There was no point in fixing something that didn’t feel broken. Farrah looked back to Lily in her eyes and held down a giggle. ”Should I be worried then?” She had a good gut feeling about Lily. The only thing she felt she’d be in danger of was having a good time.
Farrah looked out to where Lily pointed, red eyes catching sight of the thin, billowing stretch of smoke in the sky. She had picked up on the event from the stable boys. Not the kind of men she was supposed to be around, being a female royal still early into womanhood and all. She didn’t actively go looking for interactions with them, but didn’t stop them either. Rah was intrigued as well.
She crossed over one side of the wall and worked her way down the other side of it, dropping to the ground once she was only a couple of feet away. Nowhere was a place where bonfires and fun with stable boys and other common folk was, and Lily was inviting her to keep following. Farrah felt a light, tingling sensation across her cheeks, just after her eyes widened a touch. Did Lily just flirt with her…? She couldn’t tell. It wasn’t exactly a common occurrence to be flirted with, at least not to her. She flashed the blonde an open smile. ”That’s brave of you too. To be okay with me following you, I-I mean.” If she was flattered, then Rah was doing something right somewhere. She hoped.
Farrah stood by the wall and watched as Lily walked toward the orange glow of the woods. She had a choice now: turn back around and go back into the palace, or follow this new acquaintance into the woods. Both options were of interest to her, one considerably more than another, but she was hesitant despite being so sure before. She turned to look back up at the wall. The feeling of potential remorse filled her as she thought about going back, like she was going to miss out on the fun, not to mention making a new friend out of this Lily girl. So she turned on her heels and made a run for it.
The bonfire was at first glance just as she imagined. A large fire roaring, music filling the air, and swarms of people hanging out and having fun. Farrah walked further in and turned in place here and there to gaze more on the things that caught her eye. ’How often do these bonfires happen?’ It wasn’t her first one, but it was moments like this that had her wondering how much she missed while she tinkered in her work spaces in all hours of the night. She turned again to see a friendly, familiar face from the forges who greeted her and gave her a cup, which she took after a second with a thanks and a nod. Another second passed before she took a drink of the sweet and spiced concoction. It was… good! Farrah scanned the area for Lily while poorly keeping an ear on her colleague who asked her something she didn’t fully catch. She had to be around there, unless this was the wrong bonfire.
When she caught sight of Lily, Farrah gave her colleague a pat on the arm with a grin then left to walk over to her. There were people she recognized, but there was a sense of relief to see the face that was new. ”Nice nowhere you led me to, Lily.” She grinned with a crinkle of her nose.
She took a sip from her cup and remembered something she wanted to ask Lily about. ”What has you at the palace?” She wasn’t any staff she recognized, then again she hadn’t been home in a few months. All of the meetings and politics going on led the Martian Princess to believe she was someone of court. It didn’t matter in the grander scheme of things. Unless it were something dangerous, she had no plans to ditch anytime soon.
OOC: Farrah didn’t know she had her healing ability until much later.
Several minutes flew by and Lily was convinced Farrah decided that perhaps this was not the night she was going to follow a stranger out into the woods. It did disappoint her a little, but the more she thought about it, the argument for not coming along seemed like the most logical choice. She turned her head away from the tree line and instead faced the bonfire, where there were a few stumps placed around for sitting.
The fire felt warm against her skin; it brought a comfort that she struggled with finding at the palace. There was a rumor floating around as of recent that Lily had unfortunately heard about, stating that her mother wasn’t really her mother. Of course she refused to believe it, she didn’t even bring it up to her father yet because she knew it was all bullshit. She didn’t think she looked that different than her parents. Lily tilted her head back, downing the drink almost instantly. Enough of those negative thoughts, tonight was supposed to be fun. Her hand raised up in the air, and like clockwork someone brought her another drink. This one was wine, commonfolk wine, bitter and dry, but drink it enough times and one would get used to it quickly.
A few people came back within the few minutes she had been sitting at the fire, holding quick conversations with her before moving on to the next group. It was nice to be around friends but she did find herself missing the new one she had just met.
“Nice nowhere you led me to, Lily.”
Lily snapped her eyes from the fire up toward the dark-haired girl grinning down at her, eyes a deep red that she found herself staring at—a bit too long, ’She came!’ Suddenly she was standing and before she could stop herself, her arms were around her new friend. Maybe that was the alcohol’s fault? “You came!” She finally said out loud, letting Farrah go almost as quickly as she pulled her into her arms 5 seconds earlier. “I’m—” An unfamiliar heat spread over her face leading into a soft blush, embarrassed by her reaction, “—So glad you came, I thought you had turned back.”
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Lily took another sip, swallowing her nerves one gulp at a time. The flickering light from the large flame made the other teen glow and honestly, it was making it hard for Lily to focus on the words coming out of Farrah’s mouth—
’s**t, what did she say?’
Lily squinted, digging in her head, pausing momentarily so she was certain she would be answering the question, “Right the palace!” A smile pulled at her lips, good, she figured it out, thank the Gods, “I live there, lowering her voice she continued, “…my father is the Duke.” She thought it was obvious she lived there but maybe her new friend thought she was a servant or maid. Lily glanced down at her clothes, she wasn’t necessarily wearing clothing that could count as royalty. The whole point was to fade into the crowd of commoners, take the night off for once.
In one quick movement, Lily had pulled a stump closer to her own, then sat down gazing up at Farrah, “Want to join me by the fire, my lady?” She put on a playful posh accent and raised her hand motioning to take the other girls hand in hers as to help her sit next to her, “May I ask what brings you to the palace?” Her smile slipped into a coy grin, “I’m surprised I haven’t noticed you before.” Lily turned to look back at the fire, watching the flames dance about, pulling her into sort of a trance. It was calming, dissolving into the heat, allowing her anxiety to burn into smoke.
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ intrigued, light ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Mars, Forest Bonfire ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Lily ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ NA ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ this getup with pants and boots
talking -- thinking
Farrah couldn’t ignore how pretty Lily looked when the warm light from the bonfire hit her face. It was like it suited her and she wondered if the blonde would look as similar in the dimness of a forge. The atmosphere tended to put a highlight on people, usually for the better. That, or she just liked the appeal. She blinked with surprise at the sudden hug she was brought into. Not at all objectionable. Rah enjoyed hugs and giving them but knew not everyone felt the same about them. Xenia wasn’t a hugger, and Richie let her with only a little fuss. She threw one arm back around her and kept the other holding her cup away. Lily sounded happy to see her, and she couldn’t help but to smile about that. ”I didn’t want to miss out.” There was only so much time she was going to have before returning to the field and her weapons team. Her shoulders lifted with a quiet giggle as came back to the moment. She knew the feeling of losing yourself in thoughts well enough.
Hearing Lily say she lived at the palace told she was off on her guesses. She continued to be full of little surprises. Rah’s lips parted as she took in the new bit of information. ”So you’re not just visiting…” Her time back at home had been so infrequent since her dad and his counsel found out about her metal skills. This was exciting information. Lily was from her court and lived there too. Of course, there were plenty of people there that were interesting enough to talk to but not as interesting as the teen she was standing and having a drink with. ”I live there too. Well, not a lot anymore."
”Why thank you, my lady! Your assistance is most appreciated.” She couldn’t restrain the giggle at Lily’s charming act and took her hand to take the seat that was prepared for her. Good thing too, she wasn’t anywhere near intoxication but she could feel the warm flow of tingles in her limbs. Farrah took her hand without a second thought and held on while being guided to the stump. Had she decided to stay home, she thought, she would have missed out on the bonfire and getting to hang out with a new friend.
“May I ask what brings you to the palace?”
She took a sip of her drink before holding it over her leg. Like her, Lily didn’t know who she was, not that she could help it or that Rah found it to be a bad thing. Farrah glanced around at the nearby people before leaning in and speaking, keeping her voice down. ”I got to come back for a week to rest and take care of some of my duties.” She leaned her head to one side and the corners of her lips turned down with mild annoyance. ”Mostly watching old men argue, and then mingling with people in court.” It was what she was told, but she could see that her father had ulterior motives for pulling her back. The dresses with delicate fabrics and intricate beading she was met with in the mornings, not to mention the coincidence of there being men who could be considered suitable crawling all over the place said it all. She was confident that the interest fizzled out when the exchanges fizzled to awkward silence if she didn’t walk away first, and this was fine with her. Not what her dad expected, and it was likely he was displeased with how it made him look, having a daughter not trying to charm her way to a wedding ring. ”I’ve been in and out for training around the Kingdom the past few years. Before getting here I was at the border.”
”I haven’t noticed you either. I will now.” She gave Lily a grin and took another drink. ”Do you always sneak out at night? I won’t say anything if you do.”
Lily’s gaze dropped, unintentionally, traitorously, to Farrah’s lips as they parted mid-sentence. Soft. Distractingly soft. “Wait—” Her voice caught as her eyes flicked back to Farrah’s, now wide with sudden realization. “You live here too?” She blinked, trying to make sense of the words. ’No way, that can’t be right’. Farrah wasn’t just some random girl at the bonfire, not some distant cousin she’d never met. Unless... no. Not going to go there..
Then it hit her.
’Oh.’
A warmth, unmistakable and wholly unrelated to the fire pit, crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks. She swallowed. Lily smiled, the faintest tug at her lips, betrayed how dumbstruck she felt as the memories returned. ‘You’ve met her before.’Once or twice when they were children. Lily could barely remember the words exchanged, but she remembered her.
And now, here she was. The princess. At a bonfire. With her.
“P-Princess…” she whispered, barely finding her voice. “I’m so sorry, please accept my apology—it’s been so long.” Lily lowered her voice to keep the surrounding ears at bay. She reached out and took Farrah’s hands gently, bowing her head. Her eyes fixed on the ground, embarrassment anchoring her in place. Her father was going to be livid. Not just for speaking to royalty without the proper address, but for flirting with her. And bringing her here of all places. this wasn’t some guarded ballroom. It was open, vulnerable.
She couldn’t move.
She said she’s been at the border? Was it in battle? Lily slowly looked up, her hands releasing Farrah’s. Her brows furrowed. That explains why she hadn't seen her recently, but still. Before she could say anything, Farrah’s next words knocked the air from her lungs.
“I haven’t noticed you either. I will now.”
Her stomach flipped, ’Gods help me.’ Lily’s gaze slipped again, back to Farrah’s lips as she took a sip, watching the small, playful smile curve there. Her confidence, fragile to begin with, dissolved like sugar in water. This was no ordinary girl. No kind stranger around a bonfire. This was the Princess. “I—” The word clung to her throat like honey. She looked into Farrah’s eyes, then away. She inhaled slowly, quietly, trying to steady the chaos inside her, “—I, um, don’t?” A lie. A really bad lie too.
She winced, internally cursing herself, “No. That’s not true,” she admitted with a quick shake of her head. “I do. Far too much.” Her eyes dropped to her nearly empty cup. She gave it a slow swirl, watching the liquid slosh. Lily knew better than this. She’s the princess. She’s not supposed to be here. With a gentle bit of her lip, she hesitated, then met Farrah’s eyes again, her cheeks still flushed. A thousand thoughts pulled her in different directions; duty, fear, the nagging voice of responsibility in her head. She should make her to leave and take her back to the safety of the palace. This couldn’t keep going. But then again—Farrah didn’t seem to mind.
On top of that, the alcohol wasn’t helping her judgment. Not one bit.
Something shifted in her. Her shoulders loosened, her words laced with mischief, “You know I could get in trouble for bringing you out here, right?” she said, her tone light, teasing. She leaned in a little, emboldened by Farrah’s presence, and maybe the drink. “It is my duty to take you home, Your Highness.” Lily smirked, tilted her cup back, and drained the rest. A sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes for a moment, arms crossing, a small frown tugging at her mouth. “Unless…” She cracked one eye open. “Unless you can convince me it’s worth it.”
’Stop.’ Her brain screamed the word, but her mouth didn’t listen. She shouldn’t be flirting with her of all people, this was dangerous. Stupid. Reckless. But it was too damn easy. Farrah said she wouldn’t tell anyone about her sneaking out. That had to count for something… right? But how much could Lily really trust her? They had just met—again—barely an hour ago. She was the one person she couldn’t afford to misjudge.
Still, Lily watched her, reading every flicker of expression, curiosity tangled with anticipation. How would she respond? Without realizing it, Lily had started picking at the edge of the log beneath her. Her nervous energy betrayed the act she was trying so hard to keep together. She might have been putting on a good show—smooth, confident, flirtatious, and none of it was fake.
But being near Farrah made her nervous in a way she hadn’t expected. Because truly, one wrong move wasn’t just a mistake. It was everything that could go wrong. She would be locked away forever, barred from seeing the outside world. Worse if the King and Queen found out. They could even exile her. Again, she pushed those thoughts down, taking another deep breath. It was going to be okay. Right?
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ intrigued, light ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Mars, Forest Bonfire ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Lily ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ NA ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ this getup with pants and boots
talking -- thinking
Farrah gave a cheerful nod of her head when Lily repeated her. They both lived at the palace, even if her return was going to last only a few more days. She looked back to her companion and watched as realization dawned on her. Oh no. She knew that look. Rah’s lips pursed and she held onto her cup with one hand over her lap. The reactions she received from those in the field unfamiliar to her usually remained acceptable because of her title. That wasn’t to say she didn’t worry about what could come of this. Everyone around them looked to be having a grand time, and she didn’t want to be the one that crashed the bonfire.
”P-Princess… I’m so sorry, please accept my apology–it’s been so long.”
She let out a sigh of relief. Lily was kind enough to breathe her discovery only into the air between them. Farrah blinked and watched as her hand was taken with the bow. She noticed how smooth her hand felt where it touched her own and she felt a light flush over her face. Was the feeling that noticeable before or was it from the drink in her cup? Rah smiled sheepishly. ”You don’t have to apologize. I didn’t say anything so you couldn’t have known, and thank you for not being loud about it.”
Farrah thought back to childhood. She did remember a girl with blonde hair but she couldn’t recall much else at the time. For the longest time she wore her hair long -- down to her hips -- but cut it off when it started to feel like a hindrance in the forges.
’Was it something I said?’ Her head tilted as she watched Lily piece an answer to her question together all while acting flustered. Rah looked back into her eyes and gave a small smile before the blonde looked somewhere else. At first she denied going out only to correct what she said to the opposite. She had not taken the chance to go wander outside of the palace herself, and it had been long enough that she wondered if anything changed with the places she used to frequent. A light giggle escaped her and she took a drink from her own cup before speaking more. ”It’s a lot more than me. You must be good at getting past guards huh?” Now that she thought about it, this was probably the first time in a while where she was without so much as a guard standing outside of a door or something.
’Shoot. I made this awkward. Hopefully I can fix it...’ Rah looked over to the bonfire and watched as the flames reached up to the sky. Yeah, she was glad she decided to follow Lily out there.
The way Lily presented her question had Farrah turning her head back with hesitation. No, she didn’t know that. It didn’t cross her mind that she could get in trouble but believed she was likely right about that. It would not have been the first time she got a scolding for breaking away from set perimeters or wandering off without an escort. Her eyes widened slightly. ’No one knows I’m missing…’ No one checked her room the night before, at least when she was awake. She winced while becoming hopeful no one has checked in on her room. Red eyes darted from side to side at who was behind Lily’s head, looking to see if anyone was paying attention to them. Her gaze fell back on the girl in front of her and she followed suit, matching her lean. She caught a smirk just before Lily kicked her drink back and she couldn’t help but to stare. There was something about how it looked on Lily and how it was made toward her that got her chest to flutter. That, or it was the alcohol.
She put her finger to her chin and tapped it as she considered what she was asking. Even though Lily brought their predicament to light, she didn’t want to go and pouted her lips at the thought of it. If they were caught, she’d tell anyone that needed to know she went to the bonfire on her own. ”It’s been worth it to me, but since you did bring me here I can return the favor somehow. Do you have something in mind?” Rah hoped her answer was good enough. She didn’t know what to offer or what Lily would find worth her while but she was willing to find out and go from there. Rah rested her chin over the top of her hand while she kept her eyes on Lily, smiling happily her way.
There was a subtle shift in the princess’s posture, the faint pull at her lips, the way her hand tightened around the cup in her lap. Something was clicking into place behind those sharp crimson eyes. Lily’s stomach dipped. Did she make her uncomfortable? That was the last thing she wanted. There was a reason she'd breathed her apology like a secret into the space between them, lips barely moving as she spoke. It was formal… controlled. Almost laughably polite, considering they were two girls in the middle of a rowdy bonfire, drinks in hand and flames licking the night sky behind them. But it wasn’t just habit; there was a flicker of fear there, too. Fear of punishment from her father. But it couldn’t be that bad if he found out, right? Maybe?
On the other hand, this was Farrah, no, Princess Farrah, and Lily snuck her out of the palace walls. This was also a girl who, clearly, didn’t remember her, well, not really. A distant shape in a blurred memory, perhaps. Lily had forced herself to bow her head and take her hand like they were strangers at court and not two threads from a similar frayed past. She watched Farrah blink in surprise, then smile gently.
“You don’t have to apologize. I didn’t say anything so you couldn’t have known, and thank you for not being loud about it.”
A sigh of relief escaped her lips before she could stop it. She returned Farrah’s smile, but her eyes fell to where their hands had touched. The faintest heat that lingered from contact. Farrah’s cheeks were flushed, and Lily told herself it was probably the drink or the fire. But something in her chest dared to hope otherwise. “Loud isn’t my style,” Lily murmured, regarding the exposure of the royal, “Unless I want to be heard.” She leaned in slightly, letting the corner of her mouth tug upward, flirtatious and barely restrained. “Tonight, I figured I’d keep the drama low and the trouble quiet.” She caught the flicker of a laugh in Farrah’s eyes, light and cautious, and it forced heat to pool in Lilys cheeks once more.
”It’s a lot more than me. You must be good at getting past guards huh?”
Lily smirked, her gaze lingering on the other teen for a moment before landing at the fire, “Let’s just say I’ve had practice. Perks of being underestimated. I smile the right way, drop the right title, and suddenly doors open. Or guards look the other way.” She moved a bit closer, letting her voice drop. “I can show you, if you want. Not just tonight.” It hung in the air between them, not quite an invitation, not quite a dare, something Farrah could choose to chase or ignore.
She saw it land, just a little, when the weight of what they were doing hit Farrah. The freedom, the risk. The realization that no one knew she was gone. That her absence would matter if she was found out. The thought seemed to settle on her shoulders, and Lily, without even thinking, softened. “Hey,” Her voice went quieter, but it lost none of its warmth. “I was only kidding, no one will find out I promise. I’m really good at this.” It was true that she believed no one would find out, but the possibility was there, nonetheless.
Farrah turned those red eyes on her again, the firelight catching in them like coals, and said the one thing Lily wasn’t prepared for. It’s been worth it to her. Lily blinked, her heartbeat jumped, just a little, and then she laughed quietly, “Oh, Princess,” Her voice slipped into something just shy of teasing. “That’s a dangerous thing to admit.” She held up her empty cup like she might toast to the moment and let it dangle between her fingers, swirling nothing. Her gaze stayed on Farrah, steady and curious, like she was trying to figure out how serious she’d meant that. And whether Lily was allowed to take it seriously too.
“I could ask for a thousand things,” Lily said after a breath, her words playful now, “Another night like this. Or…” Her smile grew into a grin, “…A dance with you at the next bonfire. Ah! Maybe a secret no one else gets to hear.” Lily put her cup on the ground, then leaned back slightly on her hands. Her eyes flicked to Farrah’s and stayed there, warm and open. “I won’t ask for anything now, but if I do… I hope you’ll say yes.” Then she glanced toward the fire again, letting the moment loosen.
After a beat, Lily nudged Farrah with her knee, “Alright. If we’re both going to keep pretending we’re not a little tipsy and extremely curious about each other… let’s play something.” Her eyes floated back to the princess, “Maybe truth or dare. Or… Would You Rather?”
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