[indent][indent][indent] [table] [row] [sup][h3][b][color=2e2c2c] ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ [right]▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅[/right][/color] [/b][/h3][/sup] [/row][row] [cell][color=2e2c2c]______________________________________[/color] [right] [img]https://i.imgur.com/vz3gTHR.png[/img] [/right] [/cell][cell] [color=2e2c2c]__________________________________________________[/color] [color=2e2c2c]__________________________________________________[/color] [sup][h2][center] [color=black][sub]L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N[/sub][/color] [color=93a477][sub]L A D Y Z A R A I L E S D E M A N[/sub][/color][center][sub][sub][url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/bc/75/6b/bc756bf9f2f5b7f82808a1d02d786bc7.jpg][i][sub]♖ o u t f i t ♖[/sub][/i][/url] [/sub][/sub] [/center] [/center] [/h2][/sup] [center][color=silver][sub]S O R I A N P A R K , 6 : 0 0 P M[/sub][/color][/center] [center][color=gray][sub][sub]I N T E R A C T I O N S : [@Mole][@Conscripts][@Potter] [/sub][/sub][/color][/center] [center][color=gray][sub][sub]M E N T I O N S : [@princess] [/sub][/sub][/color][/center] [/cell] [/row] [/table] [/indent][/indent][/indent] [indent][indent][indent][indent][indent] [img]https://i.imgur.com/eHHlypM.png[/img] [/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent] [indent][indent][color=gray] After the hardy feast with Anastasia, Wystan, and Sir Barrios, they parted ways in what Zarai thought was a peculiar way. Anastasia had seemed rushed and somewhat nervous when saying her goodbyes. Now, as her mind settled back down and the edges of the worlds began to materialize back to reality, she realized how uneasy she felt about it. Her hands toyed with the lace of her dress, fingers working to trace the repetitive patterns there to soothe herself. Anastasia still had the other guards with her, and Caesonian knights would not let anything happen to their princess. Right? She’d send her a letter later, ensuring the princess had returned safely to the palace. [color=aa86ca]“My lady,”[/color] Sir Barrios said as he approached the bench, she was sitting in. He had two cones of flavored shaved ice, one lemon and the other vanilla. He handed her the vanilla one before taking the empty seat next to her. He was glad that she had finally settled down and wasn’t keen on running around anymore. Gods know what Duchess Lesdeman would have done if she saw Lady Zarai out of her wheelchair and about the streets. Zarai had requested Sir Barrios to take her to the beach for the afternoon, opting out of seeing the sword competition. As much as she would have liked to watch it, she was starting to become groggy from her high, and being around so many people and loud noises, she knew she’d been overwhelmed. Zarai would rather spare Sir Barrios that. [color=93a477]“Thank you.”[/color] She took the cone, mindlessly eating the shaved ice as she stared at the sea. They sat there for what felt like hours in silence, something Zarai was grateful for. They watched from their bench, kids running around until they found a spot near them. One of the kids began to draw a circle while the other two opened a brown sack. She could hear the clicking from inside, marbles. She’d played with marbles before when they were all the rage in Varian. She still had her pretty collection back home stored somewhere in the attic. [i]Roll. Roll. Clink. [/i] Footsteps approached them, and Sir Barrios quickly stood and turned to see a stranger holding a pink envelope. The messenger greeted the knight, handing him the envelope before departing. Zarai continued to look at the children, now in full swing in their game. [color=aa86ca]“It says it’s from Princess Sadie.”[/color] Sir Barrios offered the letter to her, and when she didn’t move to take it, he opened it for her instead. The knight hummed with curiosity, eyes darting to Zarai when her shoulders twitched. [color=aa86ca]“Very interesting, but I do not think–”[/color] Zarai sighed and glared back at Sir Barrios, palm extended to him for the letter. He tried and failed to hide the smug smile as he handed her the paper. Like one of those new fancy electricity bulbs, her mood lit up seconds after reading the letter. [color=93a477]“Oh!”[/color] She stood up abruptly, wincing as she did so. [color=93a477]“We should go!”[/color] Zarai thought it might be fun to see the rest of the Varians enjoying each other's company. Sir Barrios stared at her as if she had just pulled a magic trick on him. He nodded slowly and helped her into the wheelchair. [center][color=93a477]__________________________[/color][/center] Sir Barrios had to carry Zarai up the small hill to where the gathering would take place. She had initially tried to climb by herself, but with every step, the pain in her torso grew worse until she had to ask the knight for help. She tried not to look at him as they both made their way uphill, too afraid to see the expression on his face. Zarai would have to be blind to not see how he looked at her. Everyone in Puerto Vira who had heard the rumors looked at her the same way. Dirty. Degenerate. Disappointment. A waste. Unworthy to become the future Duchess of the grand southern city of Puerto Vira. What a bunch of bullshit. Zarai blamed her crash for being so susceptible to others’ opinions. When they finally arrived at the location, Sir Barrios set her down near Princess Sadie and Prince Felix. She’d hoped to be further away, but the knight had deemed it necessary to greet the royals first. Great. [color=93a477]“Your Royal Highness, Prince Felix. Princess Sadie.”[/color] She did her best to curtsy both of them without wincing or shaking. [color=93a477]“Thank you for extending the invitation; it is a lovely reception with an amazing view.”[/color] She smiled, turning to John to extend the greeting before excusing herself to sit away from the growing group. [/color][/indent][/indent]