[h3][color=royalblue]Valentine of Luxième[/color][/h3]

Someone was talking to her.  A tall man, dressed in black and gold.  [i]Anastasiy of Glavnya,[/i] her brain supplied after a long moment.  It was busy freaking out that someone had approached -- was bearing witness to her inadequacy.  Valentine had to say something, some sort of reply.  She gathered her nerve and took a deep breath -- and was promptly interrupted by a second person.

[i]Arseniy,[/i] her brain supplied, this time much more quickly.  Then it unhelpfully added, [i]The man you have to marry.[/i]  Val blanched.  She wasn't ready to be married, wasn't ready to think about marriage.  [i]It's this or Anton,[/i] she reminded herself firmly, trying to find a thread of calm in what was rapidly approaching panic.

"I-I--"  The sentence got stuck in her throat.  Valentine took a deep, deliberate breath and tried again.  "I n-need to sit down."  It came out squeaky with tension, but at least she'd said it.   The three of them made their way over to a clear park bench.  It was reassuring, in a way, being flanked by two concerned individuals.  They served as a barrier between her and the tides of humanity attending the park.

Once seated, Val pushed out another sentence.  "Give me a minute, p-please?"  Taking another deep breath, Val focused on a grounding exercise.  Four things she could see -- well there was a ferris wheel, and the flags at the gate, and the two men next to her, and the cars in the lot.  Three things she could hear?  People talking, the music from hidden speakers, and screams from people on a roller coaster nearby.  Two things she could feel was easy.  The bench was firm beneath her, and the texture of her bag's strap was familiar.  One thing she could smell was a little harder, but she thought she could catch a whiff of popcorn and fried foods from inside the park.

Having gone through all that, Val felt a lot calmer, calm enough to make conversation.  It would still be an effort, but she owed the two Glavnyans an explanation.  "I'm sorry," she started, looking down at her lap.  Crowds are hard, sometimes."  With a bit more effort she looked at their faces, first Anastasiy, and then Arseniy.  "Thank you for keeping me company.  I'm Valentine."  She didn't need introductions from them, but the routine of it would be reassuring.