[h2]A L E J A N D R O A G U Í L A D E A G U S T Í N[/h2] [hr] [i]"Well, what's the verdict? Did I impress the mighty eyes of Prince Alejandro of Castilya?"[/i] Alejandro grinned widely at Erik. The two of them had become acquainted with each other, yes; having the Veredunian prince around at parties was great fun, even if his taste in alcoholic beverages was less than...[i]fashionable[/i]. "Oh, Erik [i]darling[/i], surely you know that you can make anything work, with a face like that," Alejandro's grin widened as he winked cheekily at the other prince. So [i]what[/i] if Erik was 1) probably straight, 2) rumored to have a girlfriend (according to a couple of his [i]birdies[/i], anyway), and 3) betrothed? A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone. In fact, if Erik was indeed as straight as Alejandro thought he was, then a bit of flirting was less than harmless. And Erik was [i]attractive[/i]. "[i]I[/i] myself would not have gone with something so deliberately...[i]simple[/i], no, but I must say, Erik, it works [i]delightfully[/i] well on you," continued Alejandro, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I am, of course, of the opinion that a little more jewelry can never hurt, but I see that you have your own kind of sparkly accessory." Alejandro nodded at the medals pinned to his jacket. "Very shiny. I approve." "The journey to Aciras was pleasant enough, I suppose," Alejandro said in response to Erik's question, casually inspecting his nails (which were painted with a light sheen of gold, to match his eye-shadow and suit). "Dreadfully boring, though. Would it be wrong of me to assume that you came by sea?" Alejandro gave him a questioning glance. "I, unfortunately, was in an airplane for a few hours. The trip itself was fine. But it is [i]terribly[/i] difficult to nap and keep one's hair in order at the same time, as I am sure you are aware of." Alejandro winked playfully, taking a sip of the bubbly gold liquid in his glass. A few more familiar faces had appeared-namely that of Prince Elias Kokinos, and his younger sister, Princess Dafni. He caught them entering the ballroom out of the corner of his eye, and he reached up, almost instinctively, to adjust the rubies dangling from his ears. He had worn those same rubies the first time that he and Elias had...the first time that they [i]spent time together[/i], if one understood his meaning. Alas, their short-lived fling was a thing of the past. Alejandro had broken it off because it simply would not have worked, one way or another, and he knew that the two of them had changed since the last time they had been together. Still, though-Alejandro could not help but to remember that single wondrous month of cool water and humid air and heady Pólemesian wine. Forcing himself to return to the present, Alejandro discreetly swept his eyes across the ballroom once more; Princess Venera had arrived, as had Prince Leonard and Princess Isabella. He was sure that he was missing a couple, but from his vantage point, he couldn't see any others. Alejandro re-directed his attention to Erik. "So, you are enjoying yourself thus far, I presume?" he asked, a slight smirk on his face as he gestured towards the empty champagne flute in Erik's hand. "I must say, Princess Lea knows how to throw a party. Though I am sure that you and I have both attended parties that were more, well...[i]loud[/i]." [i](Interacting with [@madmonarchist])[/i]