[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ONd4lpK.png[/img][/center]
[color=00F8FE]Time: 10:40 am
Location: Callum’s Room
Interactions: Riona and Morrigan [@JJ Doe][/color]

[color=9FA1A4]
It was easier for Callum to think about and understand what he didn't want and what he hated than it was to know what he did want for himself. So that was where he started. He took a deep breath in as he thought about the surname Danrose and all that it had come to mean for him. 

A parasitic lineage that had ruled for too long, only ever taking and never giving back anything more than scraps. He would not allow himself to be part of that, the family name was far too tainted ever be anything he wanted for himself. 

Then he breathed out, a deep exhale, as he imagined that name, and all the poison that went with it, leaving him. And who exactly was Callum without titles or his surname? He knew what he didn’t want to be; a coward or a parasite and certainly never a monster. It was harder to nail down exactly what he did want to be. He focused in on his breathing, on the words he’d carved into his wall, and what he had to change about himself first. 

The first thing that came to mind was cowardly. He couldn’t worry about provoking the wrath of parents he had decided weren’t even worth calling family. Useless also came to mind, he needed to do more than irritate Edin, he needed to crawl his way beneath the surface and tear down everything that mattered to the rotted monarch; his legacy, his image, and his power. Then there was his weakness, another thing to rid himself of, Callum could not relent, he couldn’t stop focusing on this until he made real progress. Sorian and her people would have to come before anything else in his life. 

It had to be all Callum, no Danrose. He had to find ways to make the rest of the world see just how vile the Danrose legacy was, bring every dark secret they kept hidden into the harsh light; expose everything that was rotten in his family tree. He’d have to hope it could be enough, that he could find enough people to care and then turn outrage into action. And he couldn’t do it alone, he’d have to find the right allies, and at least there he had an idea of where to start. 

His thoughts were interrupted as the doors of his room opened. A brief moment of dread as he first assumed it was guards sent to escort him to the prince’s court which gave way to relief as he saw Riona. 

[color=DAF6C7]“I have brought the brunch you requested, Your Royal Highness.”[/color]

[color=00F8FE]“Brunch? Wonderful, thanks.”[/color] He answered, polite but detached. Relief had vanished at the use of the title; she was clearly not alone. [color=00F8FE][i]Gods please don’t let it mother,[/i][/color] Cal thought. [color=00F8FE][i]No, Alibeth. Not mother,[/i][/color] he reminded himself. Even though it was not Alibeth he was no more pleased to see Lady Morrigan pop out from behind Riona. If there were one word he’d use to describe Morrigan, cloying, would be it. Everything about her was crafted in excess and it left an unpleasant taste in the air around her. 

[color=white]“Good morning, Alaric. How are we feeling? Better?”[/color] She asked. 

[color=00F8FE]“Better? No, unconscious was certainly better.”[/color] Callum muttered, unsure if she didn’t hear him or chose to ignore his comment. Either way, she began ranting about the wall. His wall. In his room. Vandalism? Ridiculous. This was his room. 

Riona’s reaction was different, a brief spark of a smile, a real one not the forced ones the palace staff always wore, and most importantly one that approved of the wall. Strange, he had expected to only hear how stupid of a move it was from anyone who saw it. That was all he’d come to expect from those around him, to only ever hear how poor his actions and choices were. Even from the people who offered the most support, he still found encouragement or approval a surprise. 

[color=00F8FE]“Art project, still in progress.”[/color] He whispered, and there was a sense of pride in his work. He kept most of his attention on Morrigan; confused as to why she was here, what she was doing, and why was she so fixated on his room. [color=00F8FE][i]Re-decorate? Absolutely not.[/i][/color]

[color=00F8FE]“No I like it the way it is. Why-”[/color] She just kept talking, and touching things which kept him distracted even as he heard Riona add something about his liver needing a break. [color=00F8FE]“Then I’d have a lazy liver, who wants that?”[/color] He joked as she gently removed his hand from the bottle without any hint of a fight from him. He wished she didn’t worry about him, there were better uses of her time. Like worrying about herself. 

His attention snapped back to Morrigan who had continued to poke and prod her way around his room. He didn’t like it, someone just breaching his space like this. But she didn’t stop at just that, now she was rummaging through the fireplace as she continued to point out everything she didn’t like in his room. 

[color=00F8FE][i]Now, what is she doing?[/i][/color] There was no way she knew. Maybe, [i]maybe[/i] she could smell that he’d burnt something in here, but he wasn’t going to get paranoid. The evidence was gone, all burnt to ash, nothing to worry about. But what if she asked what he’d burnt? [color=00F8FE][i]I tried my hand at writing poetry and it turned out so embarrassingly awful I had to burn it immediately.[/i][/color] That sounded believable. He’d go with that. 

She didn’t ask. Morrigan continued poking about at his things, now leaving traces of soot on everything she touched. It wasn’t so much that he hated people touching his stuff, he hated the invasion, by someone he didn’t trust, into someplace that was meant to be his sanctuary.  

[color=00F8FE]“Can I help you find something?”[/color] He asked, but again his words were either not heard or ignored outright. She had clearly either entirely lost her mind or was actively looking for something. [color=00F8FE][i]How could she know? Had Edin or Alibeth sent her here for this? Surely if either of them had any suspicion they wouldn’t send Morrigan to obviously rifle around in front of me? Would they? Was it some bizarre mind game?[/i][/color] This was brewing a far worse headache than any attempts to recall last night had. 

Riona mentioned Darryn and his attention turned back to her. She’d asked when, he was guessing she meant the execution but Morrigan had shifted her attention from spreading soot around to harping on the color scheme of the room. 

[color=00F8FE]“It’s not,”[/color] He glanced at Riona, hoping she knew what he meant, then back towards Morrigan, [color=00F8FE]“too dark, the curtain are just closed.” [i]If she wants brighter colors she should snoop around Ana’s room.[/i][/color] He thought. Morrigan, who seemed utterly entranced by the sound of her own voice, was certainly making a show of being distracted but he wasn’t letting his guard down. No one in this family could be trusted. Except maybe Ana. And Auguste. But that was it for now. Wulfric was still too much of an unknown to try and trust him. 

Riona announced that they could leave and, finally, Morrigan stopped touching everything in his room. It was a small relief, to know he’d soon be rid of the intrusive and uninvited Lady, but he still had no clue why she was here bringing him brunch with Riona. Or why she was snooping around but these weren’t things he could answer now, so he had no choice but to worry about it later. 

[color=white]“There’re plenty of ladies who find brooding men irresistible. Go get them, stud.”[/color] She pinched his face, then kissed his forehead, internally he cringed. Callum faked a smile and nodded just glad she was finally leaving. Then Morrigan turned to Riona. [color=white]“Don’t be so cruel. There are people in this world who can’t function without liquid courage.”[/color] [color=00F8FE][i]Can’t function? That was just rude.[/i][/color] He didn’t bother to hide that he took offense to that comment. 

[color=00F8FE]“No, she’s right, can’t expect to impress the ladies of the court if I can’t even stand up,”[/color] Callum spoke as they both left. Morrigan needed a new hobby. And he needed to remember to lock his own door. 

Callum looked at the offering of food he had neither asked for nor that he had any desire to eat. He should eat, he wasn’t sure he actually name the last time he’d eaten anything of substance, but everything about the day so far had killed any trace of an appetite far more swiftly than Alibeth had tried to have a stable hand killed. 

Callum took one last drink from the bottle before putting it back in its spot on his desk. Then he made his way to the entrance hall and his gait held a drunken sway. He locked the door to his room behind him and placed the key in a pocket close to his chest.[/color]