[h2]A L E J A N D R O[/h2]
[hr]
As was his habit, Alejandro was up by eight or eight-thirty in the morning, though he would not be seen outside his chambers until at [i]least[/i] ten-thirty, of course-there was [i]much[/i] to be done in terms of getting ready for the day. 

He slipped into a pair of black skinny jeans, paired with what would have been an elegantly subdued sheer silk shirt (albeit one that hugged his lean torso a little [i]too[/i] tightly), except for the fact that there was a bubblegum-pink floral pattern hand-sewn on top of the sheer, almost-translucent fabric. A pair of sparkly silver studs that brought back memories of citrusy shampoo and a morning spent with a certain Pólemesian prince went on his ears, and a simple golden watch went around Alejandro's right wrist. Finally, he brushed out his long blonde hair and curled it ever so [i]slightly[/i], so that it fell in sleek waves a few inches past his shoulders. He opted for a pair of black heeled boots (embellished with pink topaz gemstones that complemented the flowers on his shirt in the most [i]delightful[/i] manner), and applied a light layer of foundation. There. That was just about as "dressy casual" as Alejandro ever got.  

At precisely nine-thirty, Vhalery de Mirabel strode into his rooms. He grinned cheekily at her. "My [i]darlingest[/i] Mirry!" he greeted, kissing her on the cheek. Vhalery said nothing and bore it, clearly used to the Castilyan prince's overwhelming [i]extraness. [/i]

There was a tray of fruit-raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, mango-all wonderfully arranged in a rainbow of deliciousness. Alejandro nibbled thoughtfully on a strawberry as he gazed up at Vhalery's impassive chocolate-brown eyes. Once they were well and truly alone, Vhalery began to speak. "How was the ball?"

"Oh, the ball was absolutely [i]divine[/i]," he replied. 

Vhalery gave him a hard look. "I see. I suppose you enjoyed [i]getting to know[/i] everyone?"

Alejandro studied his friend for a moment, before the realization hit him. "So you overheard my conversation with [i]Ronny[/i], then?" he asked, grinning cheekily. "I must say, he was not the most articulate of people. And flirting with him was like talking to a brick wall, mmm." Alejandro rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Better than Prince Edwin, I suppose. Now [i]he[/i] would have taken everything much too seriously, and then given unnecessarily verbose replies." He threw a playful wink towards Vhalery...

...who was not buying his act at all. She arched an eyebrow at him, knowing exactly [i]who[/i] and [i]what[/i] he had been thinking about while he was speaking to Andronikos. She said nothing, of course, but Alejandro [i]knew[/i]. And Vhalery knew that he knew.

He bit down, hard, on the inside of his cheek. [i]Damn Vhalery de Mirabel for looking so much like her brother,[/i] he thought, almost painfully.

The two of them gossiped for a bit, and although Alejandro did most of the talking, he valued Vhalery's insight almost just as he valued, well, his own. Vhalery had been many things in her life-soldier, spy, almost-bodyguard, friend, and sister, to name a few-and she offered a different perspective on things. Though Alejandro found that the two of them usually agreed on what mattered the most.

During a momentary lull in their conversation, Alejandro pulled out his phone and flicked through Twitter. "I have to say, my dear Mirry," he began thoughtfully, glancing up to meet her brown eyes, "I am quite impressed by the...[i]skill[/i], I suppose, of these Aciran journalists."

"How so?" Vhalery questioned, unimpressed.

Alejandro shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I cannot imagine that many of the writers were invited to the festivities. Certainly not anybody from the tabloids. And yet, here they are, printing stories like they were watching the entire time." A delicate pause. "Of course, reporters at home have nothing on our [i]network[/i], but this is Aciras, not Castilya."

Vhalery understood immediately. "I can look into it today," she answered smoothly. "I have an idea of where to start."

Alejandro beamed at her. "Splendid, my [i]darlingest[/i] Mirry, absolutely [i]splendid[/i]."

They gossiped for a bit longer. Vhalery and Alejandro finished the fruit. The clock read precisely 10:28 AM.

Alejandro stretched, luxuriously. "Well, I think that's enough for now, Mirry," he remarked mildly. "The day is only getting started." Vhalery nodded, gathered her things, and left. Alejandro stayed within his rooms, thinking, for another seventeen minutes before prancing out into the corridor at exactly 10:45 AM.

The parlor where brunch was taking place was evidently located on the first floor of the palace. When he arrived, he took a quick glance around the room, noting who was already there, as well as the decor. [i]I like the color scheme,[/i] he mused to himself as he walked inside.

He found Lea Lynton, Rhiannon Cadfael, and Ivelynne Burnley already present. "Good morning, good [i]morning[/i]," he said, flashing them a wide, cheerful grin. "I do hope that you all slept well." He breezed past them and helped himself to a cup of tea before sitting down in one of the vintage loveseats, at the edge of the small circle that the three princesses made. He took a sip of tea and discreetly positioned himself so that he would have an excellent view of the entire room.

[i](Interacting with [@shylarah] and [@Ezmeralda])[/i]