[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ONd4lpK.png[/img][/center]
[color=00F8FE]Time: 11:00 am
Location: Ballroom
Interactions: Alden [@Terrance420], Ruby [@SausagePat], Zarai [@Rodiak]
Mentions: Wulfric [@SilverPaw], Layla [@Potter], Eden [@Princess][/color]

[color=9FA1A4]
[color=DDB775] “Ah look at my beautiful blonde-haired sons. Sons I’ve created.”[/color]

The comment barely registered a response; with every fiber of his being Callum rejected thinking of Edin as a father, and Edin had always mirrored the sentiment. There was no bond, no link between them, only mutual hatred and it remained a wound so old that it no longer carried a sting. It was only satisfying, to feel separated from the source of rot in his life. 

[color=00F8FE][i]I am no Danrose. I will be better.[/i][/color] He reminded himself. But a quieter, more persistent, voice whispered [color=00F8FE][i]how[/i][/color], and he had no real answer for it. Then it whispered [color=00F8FE][i]when[/i][/color], and without the how he had no answer for that either, and he felt his stomach twisting. And then it asked, [color=00F8FE][i]and for how long?[/i][/color] How long before he gave up fighting them, everyone had a breaking point, when would he find his? Callum tried to ignore it, he placed what remained of his coffee further away from him, and tried to think about anything else.

He pushed all his thoughts away, good and bad, closed his eyes, and focused only on breathing. He found himself a few more precious minutes where none of this existed.

[color=9e0b0f] “You are doing well here, just going to give you some well warning of advice. You need to do your best to impress that woman from the Alidasht. I hear she is just your type. You will be thoroughly impressed…” [/color]

[color=00F8FE]“Doubtful.”[/color] Callum muttered at Alden who had broken his focus and Cal barely bothered to glance in the advisor's direction. As if the once long-lost advisor knew enough about him to know his type. As if he’d ever trust the opinion or word of a man who was suddenly a part of Edin’s inner circle. No, Callum had seen enough of the Shehzadi at the ball last night; the whole better than everyone air about her, harsh piercing eyes, and the lack of warmth in her expressions that made him suspect her blood ran colder than the serpent that adorned her. If anything he guessed she was more Wulfric’s type than his. 

Callum was entirely pleased to see that the Shehzadi was drawn into Wulfric’s orbit. A completely different Shehzadi from the one his brother had danced with last night. Gods, just thinking about Wulfric being the center of a love triangle between two sisters of a foreign royal family was enough to draw out a smirk. Scandals like that could really tear royal houses apart. 

He glanced at the other two women before them. He gave a friendly smile at Zarai who he suspected, much like himself, was here only by her family's command. He didn’t recognize the other women, which was probably a good sign, as it meant she likely wasn’t a constant fixture at extravagant and pompous gatherings, and therefore someone potentially interesting. Either Zarai or the stranger seemed like fine options for conversation, so Callum gestured to the open chair in front of him and shrugged. 

[color=00F8FE]“Grab a seat,”[/color] he offered, [color=00F8FE]“or bring your own,”[/color] he glanced at Zarai, [color=00F8FE]“if you like.”[/color] Callum did his best to seem friendly and approachable, but he certainly wasn’t interested in forcing anyone to speak with him. [/color]