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Pari gave a little wave as her brother moved off and she couldn't help the small smirk that appeared on her lips as it seemed he had chosen to speak to none other than a Euhijan.  Mai, a very pretty young lady.  She approved and hoped the concourse would go well.  However, the way they had parted made the princess doubt very much that it did.  Knowing her brother, he could be rather coarse and she hoped he hadn't made them some enemies she would have to smoothe over.  Perhaps it had something to do with the gift?  It had been perhaps a little... cruel but she could see what they were aiming for if not poorly executed.  Perhaps Mai could see that Rahman was a good man, even if he was rough around the edges.

Her attention kept getting drawn back to the King.  He still held Lal in his arms and she glowed with pride at her well-chosen gift.  She had to admit some disappointment that the Queen Regent had seemed rather bored of such a spectacular and rare beast.  But that genuine smile that Theo had given her made her feel self-assured.  Not to mention he said he would personally take care of the cub.  She would be riding on that wave of self-satisfaction for the rest of the evening.  Even as new guests offered their gifts, he still held the son of her heart in his arms.  Even played with him.  It broke the hardened rock around her heart just a bit and gave her a feeling she couldn't quite place.

All too soon her pride was slashed when a gorgeous and tall blonde appeared.  Theo was obviously struck by her and the look on his face was one that she had seen on many of her own brothers.  She stiffened imperceptibly and sipped from her glass of wine.  The woman offered a jeweled necklace and Lal was finally given to servants.  The rock wall around her heart hardened and grew just a bit bigger with her disappointment.  She had been foolish to allow herself a moment to relax it, to think that he might actually be a good person who would love a creature that she cared for more than the stars and moon.

The gift of a jeweled necklace seemed a foolish thing to give to a rich man.  Like giving a blacksmith a horseshoe though he could make them in an hours time.  But, Pari came to realize that the true jewel was not within the necklace but the woman who offered it.  Perhaps it was her appearance that drew him, in which case small and dark Pari was no comparison.  She was gorgeous of course, she knew this.  But her hair, her skin, and her eyes were all dark.  And her stature more than diminutive.  The more she thought about it, perhaps her gift had been lacking.  Perhaps she should not have given up the little tiger prince in order to create an alliance.  What if Theo mistreated her darling?  What if the servants did?  A twinge of regret crept through her stomach - a rare occurrence for the usually self-assured Pari.  She would need to find out the relationship between the two.  No need to ask though, in her experience a court, especially at a party where alcohol was served, tended to be quite free with information without a person needing to ask.

She took her eyes from the pair and instead moved to her brother.  She wanted to bemoan the way he easily gave up Lal but now was not the time or place.  Instead, she placed a hand on his arm and said, [color=8493ca][b]"I will speak to our servants and ensure that those who will now be caring for my darling tiger prince will know what to do."[/b][/color]  She offered him a small smile before she swept away to a small door along the wall.  She probably was not allowed there, but this particular princess was not one to care.  In her own home she was allowed anywhere she pleased.  Besides, the safety and health of Lal were more important at that moment than propriety.

She let herself into that back room to find her servants were already dealing with the situation.  This pleased her immensely.  They had brought good men who could predict what it was their masters desired.  She spoke with the head servant and he laid any of her fears to rest that they would allow any mistreatment of the tiger cub.  She implored them to come and find her if Lal caused any mischief and the servant bowed.  Pari downed the rest of her glass and offered the empty one to an Astarian servant to find it a home.

With a sigh, the Ursamolian princess swept back into the main room and grabbed a new glass of wine from a passing servant.  She sipped it quietly as she began to think about the new strategies she should take to have any sort of chance at grabbing Theo's attention.  He did seem the foolish sort of man that her needs dictated but it was quite silly for a girl to put all of her eggs into one basket.  Pari moved about the room again until she came upon a member of this nation's own court.  There, perhaps an ally or at least a helping hand... mayhaps even a friend in this strange land.

She approached the man called Pike, who walked with the air of a gentled predator.  She thought about the lanky, muscular dogs her people used to herd cattle.  Though this man had much more hair.  Lightly, the small woman placed a hand on his arm to grab his attention before withdrawing it.  [color=7ea7d8][b]"My most sincere apologies, sir.  I know we have not been formally introduced but this seems the sort of party where that hardly matters.  Please, do forgive me if I am mistaken about that.  I must ask though, you are a member of this court, are you not?"[/b][/color]  She waited a moment for his response before a worried look crossed her features and she sipped lightly at the wine and looked down.  [color=7ea7d8][b]"I'm afraid I do not know much of this country's social dance or the culture.  My heart is heavy in thinking that I should make any sort of misstep.  Would you be so kind as to teach me some of these steps so that I may better present myself to your excellent people?"[/b][/color]  She looked back up at him and offered one of her charming and kind smiles.  It was not a lie that she was not familiar with Astarian customs and she was sincerely hoping this man, or any person, might teach her some of the things deemed important.


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Interacting with: [@The Wyrm] briefly and [@cerozer0]
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