[center][h1]Breakfast Banter[/h1][/center]
[center] collab between @madmonarchist & @dracarysbitch  [/center]
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While it was supposed to be a brunch, Erik didn’t make any inclination towards the food at all. If you could even call it that. All Erik saw was chocolate. And while Erik enjoyed deserts, it was far too early in the morning for a chocolate fountain. But besides the obvious clash of culinary palettes between himself and Princess Lea, Erik’s mind was also far too preoccupied to eat. As a result of this, he spent most of his time on the phone, almost obsessively checking his messages and refreshing the page of the gossip tabloid. Never before had he been so invested in his phone before.

So far, he had heard nothing about the tabloid from his relatives. His sister Juliet had said that she’d do her best to keep that tabloid away from their grandmother, but Erik could only wonder for how long. It was not that they’d take a gossip tabloid seriously anyway. If this was Veredun, such a situation would have never taken place at all. Despite all their talk of cultural diversity and intellectual freedom, the Veredunian media was closely monitored and heavily censored. And while there would be no scandalous news being reported, Erik knew for a fact that he’d also not be able to have a relationship with Yelena at all. They could never be seen in public, which is why Erik only ever met Yelena when he was overseas or in Rustavya. Erik could never even admit that he was in a relationship with her. Because of this, Juliet was quite literally the only one of his family members who even knew about their relationship. Because of these realities, Erik insisted on keeping close tabs of his phone, no matter how obsessive it seemed to others around him.

The main issue with the tabloid was the fact that they’d referred to Yelena as a close friend of Vera’s. This was both a good and a bad thing according to Erik. They hadn’t yet mentioned her nationality explicitly, but they had mentioned that Yelena was exceedingly close to Vera. Now this was problematic because Vera just happened to be the crown princess of Rustavya. If Yelena was just another Rustavyian girl, he was sure that his family would be less than pleased, but they really wouldn’t care as much. After all, why should anyone care about the personal life of “an inconspicuous pawn in Empress Catherine’s imperial chess board,” he thought to himself silently, suddenly recalling Anastasia’s words in his head. But the fact that she was close to Vera complicated things quite a bit. Empress Catherine had made it clear on several occasions that Veredun and Rustaya were [b][i]not[/i][/b] allies. So for Erik to be romantically involved with Yelena was nothing short of being romantically involved with Vera herself. Because of this, Erik knew for a fact that if any one of his relatives [with the exception of Juliet of course] were to see this tabloid, nothing would prevent them from going to Empress Catherine themselves. But since he hadn’t, Erik could only assume that they hadn’t seen it. And that meant that Juliet had succeeded in concealing the tabloid from them… for now anyway.

Briefly glancing up to run his fingers through his hair, Erik turned to the doors to make a note of who was entering. So far, the only familiar faces he’d seen were of Alejandro’s and Genevieve’s, apart from Talya of course. But when he saw a familiar blonde walking in a grey-clad maxi dress, he knew it was Vera. She radiated anger and irritation.

Inhaling sharply once more, Erik kept away his phone and readied himself. He had no idea if she was annoyed primarily at him or if she had generally just woken up with anger towards the world. Both were highly likely. In his past experience, Vera was not really a morning person. Of course, in his past experience, he’d also tease Vera extraordinarily for the same reason… but alas, this was not one of those situations. So far, all he’d gotten back in response to his text was [color=lightblue][i]“don’t annoy me so early in the morning.”[/i][/color] [i]What did that even mean?[/i] She didn’t mention the tabloid at all, which left him to wonder if she’d seen it or not. Erik had to know. And the uncertainty was killing him.

Reading himself mentally, he exhaled slowly and closed his eyes momentarily to steady his heart beat. When he felt calm enough, Erik opened his eyes again and made his way towards Vera. [i]I can do this, it’s just Vera. I can do this,[/i] he thought to himself reassuringly.

“Hey,” Erik greeted, flashing her a grin. [i]Act natural or else she’ll know,[/i] Erik chided himself mentally. People like Vera… they could smell fear.

“Urg, those pearly whites are reflecting the sun, put them away.” Vera groaned as she took a bite of her bagel, plain, barely toasted, she did not trust butter, despite the illogicality of it, she suspected it somehow had excessive chocolate inside it. 

“Alright then,” Erik responded calmly. A facade of calmness rather. Normally, he’d tease her about several things- her grouchiness in the morning, the fact that the sun’s rays couldn’t reflect off the surface of his teeth because that’s not how physics works, and he’d throw in a few other jokes, you know free-styling it. But not today, for once Erik’s mind was preoccupied with things other than his hair, alcohol and having a good time. From what he had observed so far, Vera she seemed upset. Now, Erik couldn’t make out what she was upset about- waking up, being drowned in chocolate, the decor, the rather jarring color scheme, the weather, or the tabloid. But at the moment, he was inclined to suspect all of them.

In that moment, Erik recalled his older sister, Evangeline’s voice ringing in his head: [i]always be prepared for the worst in any situation.[/i] Normally, Erik tended to take anything his older siblings said with a grain of salt. But it sounded like pretty good advice in the moment. According to that assessment, the ‘worst case scenario’ would of course be Erik’s death. Now, that was highly unlikely for 2 reasons, the first being that he was physically not in Veredun. Secondly, even if his grandmother were to see the tabloid, he highly doubted that things would escalate to his death. That seemed like an overreaction, even for her. Though, Erik was no authority on his grandmother. Therefore, even if she did order his death, Erik would not be surprised. Anyway, even if that were to happen, it would take a few hours at the least. Which meant that other things had to be considered in the meantime. The second outcome of all of this, the one that worried him far more, was Yelena hating him or breaking up with him. He’d texted Yelena the whole thing- he was far too afraid to actually call her last night. And it had been literal hours. So even with the time difference, he knew that she had [i]chosen[/i] not to respond. And that worried him even more. Briefly, he had considered that she might be otherwise occupied. He knew she had a life and things to do but this was serious! He’d even texted Anatole to find out if she was alright- again no response. The latter was not as suspicious though. But Yelena not responding to him was. He didn't like it. It was too tense for him- [i]oh wow, my heart was racing,[/i] he thought to himself as he subconsciously raised his right palm to his chest. He needed to calm down. But that was easier said than done.

In both cases, he’d be punished, he thought to himself. If Yelena ended up breaking up with him over this, he’d be alone. Well, not [i]alone[/i] really because he would be marrying Talya then. But that was not something he looked forward to at all. From the talk they had this morning, Erik got the impression that both of them saw each other as friends. Besides, he really didn’t want his grandmother to dictate his life, more than she already had. And it had been a while since Erik flirted- he was quite rusty in that department. So even if he were to move on and get another girlfriend, it would be a very long and tedious process. And from his grandmother’s perspective well… who even knew what she’d do?

[i]I was in the Veredunian military for years. I was trained for all situations,[/i] he reminded himself silently. Years and years of rigorous military training. He technically had been thoroughly prepared for all situations, but those mostly involved times of war and on the battlefield. This was not one of them. [i] I manage to survive 23 years with my family. I can do this.[/i] Erik thought to himself as he closed his eyes momentarily to collect his thoughts and compose himself. [i] Yes I can do this,[/i] he thought to himself reassuringly.

[i] Oh, Erik. [/i] Vera thought to herself, she almost pitied him in his current state. In a slightly different setting, all the panicked little expressions shifting through his face would be hilarious, but she was feeling bad for him now. Normally he'd make a dumb joke, certainly about that goddamned breakfast debacle he still hasn't let go of particularly when they're surrounded by breakfast foods. “Wow, you’re not being petulant for once. Has the sky fallen?” 

Erik barely heard Vera, consumed in his own thoughts. “It might have, but I can’t say that I would notice,” Erik mumbled in an uncharacteristically dry tone. Well, uncharacteristic towards Vera and almost everyone who wasn’t in one way or the other related or involved with his family. His relatives- his older siblings and cousins in particular, were more than familiar with this tone.
 
“In any case,” Erik continued, quickly changing the subject. “Did you see the gossip tabloid,” he asked. He wasn’t sure if Vera had or not. He didn’t think Vera was the kind of person who would take the news reported in gossip tabloid too seriously, but at the same time, it did involve Yelena. At least it did indirectly. “More importantly, did Yelena see it?” he asked. Now, he fully expected Yelena to see it. Unlike him, Yelena was a lot more… social. Now, it wasn’t that Erik [i]wasn’t[/i] social. He was- in fact, he was quite extroverted. But his presence online was minimal to say the least. Even if one searched thoroughly, they were unlikely to find anything about Erik online with the exception of minor details about his family and employment. And that was intentional. In Veredun, Erik knew for a fact that every breath of his was being carefully monitored and watched by someone at all times. He didn’t need to give them more information than what they already had. Erik appreciated his freedom greatly, even if it was a mere illusion at times. Yelena on the other hand, was quite active on social media- millions of followers on Instagram and other social media sites, a pretty successful modeling career- the usual from someone of her caliber. But to give Yelena credit, apart from the occasional post, she made sure Erik didn’t receive too much attention. It was odd that Erik would end up dating someone so open about their lives but it was far too late to speculate about that one.
 
“And was she upset about it?” he asked. But the question extended to Vera as well. Vaguely, Erik recalled Yelena and Vera were quite invested in that show that was referenced in the tabloid article- Game of Thrones was it? Erik hardly watched television at all. Growing up on a military base, that was not a luxury Ferdinand and Erik were allowed. That mentality continued well into his adult life. The only time he ever watched television at all was when he was either with Yelena or his sister Juliet. After all, getting reliable connection on the seas was quite difficult. Because of this, he really didn’t understand their obsession with the show or the book series, but he didn’t question it either.  After all, Erik knew how to read his audience.

Vera sighed. So much chit-chat so early in the morning, and a glaring lack of her favourite caffeinated drink. At the moment, he suddenly reminded her of Yelena. Although his bombardment of questions were verbal as opposed to texted and juxtaposed with various other thoughts and comments. “I feel mildly insulted you’d think I’d read a rag like that.” She was joking, mostly, she understood he meant this specific instance, but his serious demeanour was slightly freaking her out. An Erik that is not insufferably annoying is not Erik at all. “I did see it, and so has she. I wouldn’t say that she’s upset. At least, not at you, so take a breath. You’re acting like a hyperventilating robot.” 

Well… he couldn’t say that she was wrong. He did seem a bit more aloof than what she was accustomed to, but it was hardly robotic. But she had a point. He had to calm down, center himself again. Man, he should have run a little more this morning, he thought to himself. Physical exercise always seemed to calm him down after all.

“You can relax.” she said, trying to be reassuring, but it’s hard to be nice to someone you find incredibly annoying. Her tone was not as friendly as she wanted it to be. “Tabloids are hardly worth the attention, but of course, being who we are, it’s still been blocked. I haven’t heard of it being reported in Veredun, and doubt it will ever see the light of day there, and we’ve blocked the paper all together in Rustavya, I loathe slanderous publications.”

“My sister is entirely to credit for that,” Erik answered coolly. Though he wondered exactly how long that would last for. When it came to media and propaganda in general, Veredun was controlled by two figures- his uncle, Mattias and his cousin, Anastasia. Now, his uncle and Erik were on amicably cordial in general. Unless Erik explicitly did something offend Empress Catherine, Mattias would not be involved. But Anastasia… while the rest of the world saw Konrad as the favored candidate for the position of Empress Catherine’s heir apparent, Erik assessed that Anastasia was far more likely to win that position. There was a saying in Veredun, or at least among his own friends: [i]‘the silver lady is watching you’.[/i] Erik truly considered her to be one of the most dangerous people in Veredun- she was entirely to credit for the development of the Veredunian intelligence, especially the more notorious aspects of the institution. There was a reason as to why Empress Catherine had such absolute control over the Veredunian public sphere and that was entirely because of Mattias and Anastasia. Even their grandmother’s open affections towards Juliet didn’t help her much against Anastasia. And that of course meant that Erik was even more powerless against her- he’d spent his entire life trying to stay [i]under[/i] Anastasia’s radar and didn’t intend to change it now. “Though I wonder just how long that will last for,” Erik speculated. Erik had heard of Vera’s… admiration for his grandmother on more than one occasion, and he really didn’t need to be subject to Vera’s thoughts on his cousin. Ordinarily, Erik would be entirely inclined to agree with Vera, but this was not one of those situations.

“I also hate idiots who call it game of fucking complete bullshit thrones,” Vera muttered to herself, she almost didn’t hear Erik’s explanation since she was still angry about it. Was that the most important thing, at all, about this tabloid issue? No. But is it what caught her attention and rage the most? Absolutely yes. [i]Fucking D&D going around ruining everything. Valo jaelza zaldrīzes dohaeriros iksos daor.[/i] 

“But we do have a still little bit of a problem here,” she said, moving on from her nerd problems, well, as much as she could. “Well, you have a problem. The public may remain ignorant, but not the Crowns. My father isn’t exactly a fan of your Grandmother, and vice versa, with good reason on her part too.” She wanted to add that it’s because her father is a little bitch, but even if it’s Erik, best not to make foreigners privy to those feelings of hers. The existence of the article is not so much the issue, as knowledge of its contents is. Now, Vera completely and utterly admired Empress Catherine. She truly was [i]#lifegoals[/i] for her, as the kids or whatever say. Knowing both the Empress, and even herself, she wouldn’t put it past her to hurt Yelena, and most likely Erik, but he was of far less significance to Vera. It’s what Vera would do if she had Catherine and her father’s relationship. But she doesn’t, and it’s not her reign. There’s also the added bonus of Yelena’s lack of place in the government, which protects Yelena, but none of this protects Erik. “Our countries are similar, but not the same. Yelena doesn’t have a major political position, so she’s rather free to consort with whomever she pleases. They’re not going to be thrilled, but she certainly won’t lose her head, maybe just some money and get a few cold shoulders, and of course, that’s only until I take throne. You, on the other hand, seem far more likely to lose a limb or two.” 

Erik did his best to keep a straight face as he heard Vera speak. [i]As suspected,[/i] he thought to himself silently. “To put it lightly,” Erik commented dryly. The main defining difference between their states was the leaders according to Erik. Now, he didn’t really know much about Nikolas other than what he had grown up hearing about him from his grandmother- [i]’a neanderthal will always remain a neanderthal even if you dress him up in fine silks and put a crown on his head.’[/i] Now, Erik hardly knew if that was true or not. What he did know is that Veredun and Rustavya were not allies and as long as his grandmother and Nikolas were in power (perhaps even after them), they would never be either.

At her last comment, Erik flashed her a forced smile in agreement. “Not yet,” he answered calmly. Well, he hoped anyway. He didn’t think Empress Catherine kill him over this. Not until Veredun and Rustavya were engaged in war against one another. And even if she did, Erik knew he wouldn’t simply die. No, that would be far too benevolent of his grandmother. She’d make him suffer enormously first. And that was where his cousins came in. She would probably gift him to Anastasia or Konrad to be enslaved for the rest of his life, Erik thought to himself. A shudder running down his spine at the very thought of that. 

Vera nodded at Erik’s words in agreement and her eyes briefly flickered across the brunch buffet spread. “Well, I suppose you're a dead man walking for now,” she began, shrugging her shoulders lightly. What was done was done, there was no use in fretting about it now. All that mattered was how it was handled. “Besides,” she continued, her attention returning to him. “It’s not all bad. I think I actually did see some kind of food substance here,” she stated in an attempt to raise his spirits. “So, let’s go get some breakfast,” she suggested, rolling her eyes as she said those words. It was a bad inside joke really- a while back Erik had spent the night with Yelena and Vera had encountered him the next morning. This was back when she barely knew him and he had invited her for ‘breakfast,’ which she had misinterpreted to be some sort of sexual act. Since then, he’d never let it go. So, when she’d hinted at that, she’d fully expected Erik to reference that joke once again as he usually did. The fact that he didn’t showed her just how much this was weighing on his mind. Really, the boy was irritating in every possible way- angry, depressed, even when he panicked. God, he was so annoying, she thought to herself silently. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to sleep with you,” she added dryly in an attempt to distract him from his current troubles. 

But Erik only heard the last part and raised a questioning eyebrow in response. “What?” he asked, clearly confused. [i]Sleep with him? What was she talking about?[/i] 

“Breakfast,” Vera clarified flatly- this was not something she had ever thought she’d do. She’d desperately hoped he’d eventually let the joke go. After all, it was immature to keep laughing about such a trivial thing for so long. And now, she was the one bringing it up. Willingly that too. God, what had the world come to? 

“Yes?” Erik asked, hoping that she’d clarify the statement. 

But that just infuriated Vera further. “Oh, come on, don’t you remember?” she snapped. “It’s literally the only thing you tease me about,” she added, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she did. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, but that was a different story. 

And at that moment, Erik finally understood what she was referencing and nodded a little, flashing her a forced smile. “Oh right, yeah,” he answered.

“Chin up kiddo, the world hasn’t ended yet,” she said, pulling him along to find something of quality to eat. Though, buffets were not her thing. Nor a Vasaätten thing either, to quote her brother in one of his finer moments; [i]rule number 86, never eat or drink anything you have to place or pour yourself. Drizzle it on for me, I’m not your maid.[/i] “Do you think there’s sausage? I only saw revolting bacon earlier,” she added, trying to keep the conversation going and light. Like fucking Erik, she couldn’t believe she almost missed his jokes. “Can we make requests of the staff? There’s this very specific bagel with egg and sausage that they make at my favourite coffee shop, it’s to d-LIVE for.” She quickly corrected her. Die was probably not the best word to use around robo-Erik. 

As Erik walked beside her, he only raised a curious eyebrow at Vera’s last statement but said nothing about it. Instead, he chose to comment on her earlier ones regarding the content of the buffet spread. “From what I have observed, the Acrian charm seems to rest on doing things for yourself,” he commented dryly. Well, in certain cases such an attitude clearly had its advantages but not always. But he was curious about the requests though. “However, that’s not the worst idea,” he agreed. After all, his physical training demanded a very specific diet and so far, he’d seen nothing that he could eat. There was just far too much dessert for Erik’s palette. And the other breakfast foods did not seem too appealing to Erik either. He’d never once seen oatmeal served anywhere else except for in mess halls of military forces. It was rather odd to see the likes of oatmeal at such an event. Although it was informal, it still was being attended by royalty from across the world. Erik had expected something a little more… impressive, and from the conversation he was currently having with Vera, he was not alone in that thought. This spread almost reminded him of a buffet at a hotel as opposed to one at a palace.

While they looked something palatable at this time of day, Vera’s scanned the room and observed a head of dark hair wearing an outfit she could only describe as [i]grunge[/i], though she was fairly certain Yelena was out there correcting her about the exact specifics of the style. Recalling the ever-detailed files of the SVR, that girl was most likely Talya of Notia. She looked to be about as tall as Vera, though Vera was definitely taller with her shoes. There’s a reason she always has heels, regardless of the ice or exact type of footwear. “Is that her then,” Vera asked Erik with a discreet nod, and unnecessary mocking tone. “The scorned betrothed? She seems unbearably sweet.” 

Erik welcomed the change in topic and his eyes flickered across the room to Talya. “I wouldn’t say scorned,” Erik began, nodding a little in confirmation. “She is kind though,” he added. “Most women in her position wouldn’t readily agree to concealing my relationship with Yelena the way she did,” he explained. Although, if his grandmother were to find out, all of this would be for naught. Empress Catherine constantly reminded him that her generosity and affection towards his older sister Juliet was not bound by blood and did not extend to him.

“Plenty of noble women pretend their husband’s lovers don’t exist.” Vera scoffed. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about this little princess set off a few red flags. 

Vera had a point there, Erik thought to himself. “But the difference is that those women usually had something to gain- ulterior motivations if you will,”  he explained. Those women usually had social reputations and families to maintain. And at times, women often lacked the financial agency awarded to men depending on their locations and thus, were forced to remain with their husbands. In such situations, ignoring the mistress was the only coping mechanism available to them. He had made it clear that if he did intend to marry anyone, it would be Yelena and not Talya. And the only thing he could think of that Talya would potentially gain in this situation was the protection of her own reputation and that of Notia. However, Erik was even skeptical of that- eventually, he was going to end the engagement whether his grandmother liked it or not. At that point, this would all technically have been for naught. Therefore, Erik liked to think that Talya agreed to all this from the goodness of her heart, because she saw him as a friend. “Talya clearly doesn’t in this case.”

“Oh, so she’s a nice girl, is she?” Vera was skeptical about that. Fair enough, she couldn’t see the angle here, but unselfish people are rare, and she highly doubted a completely unselfish and entirely good person existed at all.  Sure, there’s Yelena and Nikita, but this isn’t Naruto. The power of friendship and love only goes so far. There’s something missing here, and she supposed she’d have to talk to this princess herself to find out what that something is, but whatever, that can wait for later. This is why party people like Vasily and Sergei come in handy, they can do all the social interacting and subtle secret prying she loathes to do! Also Yelena, but in this particular case, that’s probably not a good idea. 

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[hider=Vera’s Outfit]

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[hider=also her ring again, it’s really pretty okay?] 

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