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[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220927/23fb834f443fddf069b302a80ffae13a.png[/img]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220927/713c9ea7f90a3bccf2680492bc93671a.png[/img]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220928/bcf4c8fb894d886cf1f86d12d903935e.png[/img]

[color=1E90FF][b]Time[/b]:[/color] Evening
[color=1E90FF][b]Location[/b]:[/color] Banquet Hall
[color=1E90FF][b]Interactions[/b]:[/color] Charlotte [@princess]
[color=1E90FF][b]Mentions[/b]:[/color] Kalliope [@Tae]; Cassius [@Oso]
[color=1E90FF][b]Appearance:[/b][/color] [url=https://i.postimg.cc/Fzw1wZ8n/alkalinestingray-Portrait-of-a-South-east-Asian-Chinese-sailor-52c337e9-3211-44db-8828-5fdc1044bd39.png]Sjan-dehk[/url]
[color=1E90FF][b]Attire[/b]:[/color] [url=https://i.postimg.cc/0QCZ6rQj/alkalinestingray-Watercolour-painting-of-an-outfit-for-a-male-s-312f5cf8-c1fd-4b90-8f64-d292f9b1da7f.png]Sjan-dehk[/url]
[color=1E90FF][b]Equipment:[/b][/color] 
[hider]
Sjan-dehk:
[color=1E90FF]Sword and pistol hanging down his right thigh[/color]
[/hider]
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It was a mistake to look.

Sjan-dehk knew that. He didn’t even have any reason to look; not a good one, at least. But when Charlotte shifted her gaze, he—despite his better judgement—followed suit, and found his eyes wandering over to a corner of the banquet hall that, up until now, he’d been trying to ignore.

There, Kalliope stood, stunning as ever in that green dress that wrapped so beautifully, so perfectly around her body, and with scarlet tresses flowing over her shoulders like the evening tide. A smile graced her lips, a smirk that was tantalising, teasing, and promising all at once, and so, very enchanting. It complemented her eyes perfectly—bright, verdant eyes that glimmered with a playful, charming brand of mischief. Such a look about her face would’ve certainly brought a smile to Sjan-dehk’s, and warmth to his heart, had it been meant for his eyes.

A shame, then, that it wasn’t.

Rather, it was meant for Cassius’. The man leaned over her, a hand braced against a pillar, and the space between their bodies so close that Sjan-dehk could scarcely think of what it suggested apart from intimacy and affection. A pang clawed at his heart, and it ached as it thumped in his chest, as if his ribs had shrunk around it. Strange discomfort settled uneasily in his gut. He swallowed hard, forcing down a lump that had grown in his throat without him knowing. 

He didn’t like any of this. He didn’t like how close Kalliope was with Cassius; he didn’t like the air that was around them, and least of all, he didn’t like how he was acting like such a fool. A total idiot, even. For what reason did he feel all these things? He simply couldn’t understand it.

[color=1E90FF]“So confusing,”[/color] he muttered without realising it. Then, he remembered that Charlotte had asked him a few questions. A flush came over his cheeks. He shut his eyes for a moment and coughed into a fist, hoping to mask his earlier disquietude. At the same time, he tried his best to clear his mind.

Truly, he was being an idiot. 

[color=1E90FF]“I-I mean, your city, your…Country, it is new to me, still. So it is confusing.”[/color] He stood ill-at-ease before her, unsure of what to do with his limbs. After a moment of fidgeting, he simply folded his hands on the small of his back, his posture straight and upright, as if he were giving a report to Lady Adiyan. [color=1E90FF]“But it is nice, from what I see already. Interesting. Different from Viserjanta. In looks and in ways.”[/color] Speaking relaxed him by a touch, and he smiled at her. [color=1E90FF]“Still plenty to learn, plenty to discover, but that is the fun part, yes? As for the things I do, I sailed around your waters. The places, they…”[/color]

He trailed off, deciding halfway through his words that bringing up his skirmishes on the sea, his battles on land against pirates, and the things he’d seen along the coast, would be a terrible idea. Clearing his throat, he continued simply, [color=1E90FF]“They look like nice places. I will sail more and see more, most likely. To explore and maybe see if I find anything interesting.”[/color]

A frown rippled across Sjan-dehk’s face as he pulled up memories of the other things that he’d done. Such as wandering Sorian’s streets, strolling on the beach, tramping through the slums at night, or sneaking into a crooked nobleman’s estate. All with Kalliope. And right now, just thinking of her was like jabbing his heart with a sour, stinging blade. He shook his head slightly.

[color=1E90FF]“And I met people,”[/color] he said with a shrug. [color=1E90FF]“And looked around your city. So, I have not done much, yet.”[/color]

A brief pause. Then, he nodded to the glass in Charlotte’s hand. [color=1E90FF]“You should not have wine. Water, that is what you need.”[/color] Without waiting for a response, he looked around for an empty glass, finding one sitting in front of the empty seat beside Charlotte. He plucked it off the table and reached for a jug of water. 

Out of habit, he looked up to check on Iyen. The Sudhrayarn was still sitting where she was, with her back facing him, and her face facing Count Blackwood. As he prepared to fill the glass, however, he also caught sight of Kalliope and Cassius again. She still looked radiant and lovely as ever, her smile still managing to capture Sjan-dehk’s attention from across the room. His shoulders sagged, and a quiet, resigned sigh left his lips, however, when he saw Cassius offer her his hand. 

He chewed on his lip for a while, then looked away. Perhaps this was for the best. The two of them looked happy together. It wasn’t as if Sjan-dehk even knew what he wanted, as far as Kalliope was concerned. A whirlwind romance on foreign shores, to be spoken of fondly in years to come? Maybe something more?

What did it matter? 

A Jafin like him was like the shifting waves of the open seas, and Kalliope, a flower of the land. To be with her would be to deny his nature. And to be with him, would be to deny her the chance to grow and flourish.

[color=1E90FF][i]“All upon the waves and beneath the sky have their places,”[/i][/color] Sjan-dehk muttered beneath his breath as he filled the glass. 

And his place wasn’t with her.

[color=1E90FF][i]“Such is the Way.”[/i][/color] He’d said those words many times before, but never so bitterly. 

He returned to Charlotte, along the way dragging the empty chair beside her closer with his foot. [color=1E90FF]“Put your glass down, please,”[/color] he said as he sat down. Then, he leaned forward, concern painted across his visage, and touched his fingers against Charlotte’s neck, just beneath her jaw. [color=1E90FF]“No heat. No fever.”[/color] He swiped the back of his palm against her forehead, at the same time brushing loose strands of dark hair away from her eyes. [color=1E90FF]“No fever,”[/color] he repeated with a smile. [color=1E90FF]“So you are not sick. Only drunk.”[/color]

It took a moment for him to realise what he’d just done, and when he did, a crimson flush washed over his cheeks. [color=1E90FF]“S-Sorry!”[/color] He blurted out, immediately leaning back. [color=1E90FF]“I, ah, I do that for my sister, when she is not feeling well. To check…Body heat. And you, ah, you remind me of her. A little.”[/color] He cleared his throat, then extended the glass of water to her. [color=1E90FF]“A-Anyway, here. Water. You should drink more. Wash the wine away from you, yes? Then, you will be fine.”[/color]