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[hr][i][color=LightSteelBlue]Time: Evening[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Location: Banquet Hall[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Mentions / Interactions:[/color] [@Apex Sunburn] Sjandehk [@Tae] Kalliope [@princess] Charlotte / Calbert [@Helo] Callum [@ReusableSword] Roman [@Tpartywithzombi] Ariella[/i][/center]
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Cassius moved through the hall beside Kalliope, her hand in his, the earlier heat of their exchange still lingering on his skin. But his gaze was elsewhere now, drawn without permission.

It had started as just a glance, but soon became his entire focus…[i]Charlotte.[/i]

She sat at her table, wine glass untouched, fingers knotted tight in her lap. And beside her, too damn close, was Sjan-dehk. The man leaned in, speaking low, saying god knows what. Comforting her when he couldn’t. The man’s fingers touched her neck, just under the jaw, and Charlotte… she didn’t pull away. She let him, and even smiled at him.

Something shifted behind Cassius’s eyes. It wasn’t anger, not quite. But something not too far from it. Thicker, like tar in the lungs.

He didn’t say a word, but it didn’t matter because that’s when he heard them. 

[color=f26522]“You could say that something meant to be a gentle caress out of passion could have been a bit faster than one would like sometimes…”[/color]

The words slithered through the air like the most unwelcomed of bullshit. He froze mid-step, his jaw tightening before he even fully understood what was happening.

Every word Roman spoke after that only made it worse. The smugness. The smile in his voice. Like what he said wasn’t acid poured onto Violet’s skin.Then came Calbert, and the quiet dropped away.

[color=4C93C2]“You have just informed a room full of royals and dignitaries that my daughter… was struck by you… And—how did you phrase it? Ah yes, ‘gentle caress out of passion.’”[/color]

Cassius turned slightly, his body shifting to face the table without thinking. The sound of the fork being set down was too calm. Too deliberate. He could feel the heat behind it. His father’s voice rolled out like thunder at the beginning of a deadly storm.

Cassius didn’t move yet, but that’s when Violet spoke.

[color=firebrick]“I find myself less interested in choosing between the two of them…”[/color]

Her voice was quieter than Calbert's, but it rang louder in his chest. She wasn’t afraid, nor meek. She was absolutely steady in her words. 

Then came Kalliope’s voice to meet his ears. 

[color=#8D3B72]“You should go stand beside her.”[/color]

He blinked, gaze turning to her.

[color=#8D3B72]“She might not ask, but she needs you. And you… you need to be with your family. At least for this.”[/color]

He gave her hand a light squeeze, not just an acknowledgment that she was right, but also a quiet thanks for the comfort and the loyalty she had shown him. That would always mean something. Always. 

Then, as though the tension in his shoulders and the raging waters of his mind were never there…he made his way to stand next to his sister and the rest of the Damien family. Just in time for Violet’s words to escalate. 

[color=firebrick]“...I am Lady Violet Damien, and if anyone here has forgotten what that name means…” [/color] She leaned forward, just slightly, her voice lowering[color=firebrick] “…I invite you to continue.”[/color]

For that moment…For that night…For better or for worse, the Damiens stood as a united front. 

It wasn’t long after Violet finished her words that Callum stepped in to try his hand somewhere it didn’t belong. 

[color=5F9EA0]“Count Damien, amusing you should speak of houses burning while yours sits aflame. Who else here can say they’ve failed to secure their estate from common criminals? Ransacked one day. Pickpockets at your masquerade the next. Oh, and did I not just see your [i]bastard[/i] assault one of my father’s esteemed guests?[/color] 

A cold smirk crossed the lips of that very bastard as he listened to the rest. 

It was unfortunate, really. Cas had seen so much potential in the Prince, unlike in his pretentious dick of a brother. Guess even the rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

Cassius relished the moment to speak. 

[color=lightsteelblue]“What humors me, little prince, is this…”[/color] he said, his voice low, stripped of warmth, each word weighed like it had been forged in fire. [color=lightsteelblue]“I’m a bastard. Unwelcome here by many. A stain on the family line. A walking reminder of everything most fathers would try to bury. And a real pain in the ass at that.”[/color]

He took a step closer.

[color=lightsteelblue]“And even still…”[/color] He didn’t blink, didn’t breathe…Just stared. [color=lightsteelblue]“My father loves me more than our King has ever even pretended to love you.”[/color]

One heartbeat of silence followed, but no one dared break it until he continued.

[color=lightsteelblue]“That’s the difference between you and me, Callum. I was born a problem, and still, here I stand…as [i]his chosen son[/i]. And you? You’re just acting like a mouthpiece for a crown that’s too ashamed to be anywhere near your head.”[/color]

His smile grew as his words flowed like the richest of whiskeys. 

 [color=lightsteelblue]“And speaking of shame,”[/color]

Cas’s gaze burned even brighter as it met Roman’s eyes. 


[color=lightsteelblue]“You hit my sister.”[/color]

The words landed heavier than any before them.

[color=lightsteelblue]“Let me be clear, Ravenwood. Just in case my father’s words aren’t enough. You don’t touch Violet Damien in passion. You don’t touch her in rage. You don’t touch her when drunk, when sober, when dreaming, or when dying.”[/color]

Cassius let his hand reach up to gently squeeze the arm of his sister. Even if she didn't like him, she wasn't alone. Not anymore.

[color=lightsteelblue]“In fact, you big son of a bitch…You never touch her again.”[/color] 

His words might as well have been daggers aimed at the man beast’s heart. 

[color=lightsteelblue]“Because if you do…I swear to the cunts above you call gods, and to the very king sitting right here in front of us both, that you won’t even make it to your little trial.”[/color]

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