[color=#DEC5D6][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/m6hY3dZ.png[/img][/center]
[color=#8D3B72]Time:[/color] Evening
[color=#8D3B72]Location:[/color] Banquet Hall
[color=#8D3B72]Interactions/Mentions:[/color] [@Apex Sunburn] Iyen & Sjan-dehk
[color=#8D3B72]Aesthetic:[/color] [url=https://i.imgur.com/58FOu03.jpeg]Outfit[/url]


[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1064772112633569330/1100627858638000148/Banner.png[/img][/center]

Kalliope didn’t respond at first. Her gaze lingered on the room, tracking exits, movements, tension. But when Iyen let out that obnoxiously triumphant “Duwah!” and slammed her mug down with all the subtlety of a boulder, Kalliope’s mouth twitched despite herself.

She shot her a sideways glance.
[color=#8D3B72][i]“You’re a menace,”[/i][/color] she muttered, but this time the words came dry and almost fond. [color=#8D3B72][i]“I hope you’re proud.”[/i][/color]

Then came the rest—about Sjan-dehk, about acting, about idiots and misunderstandings—and Kalliope listened, silent but intent. When Iyen called her an amazing actress, she gave a short, humorless laugh.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“It’s part of the job,”[/i][/color] she said simply, fingers brushing the rim of her goblet. [color=#8D3B72][i]“Fool enough people, you might even start fooling yourself.”[/i][/color]

The pointed finger toward Sjan-dehk made her exhale softly, her gaze falling for a beat.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“I’ve known him not even a week,”[/i][/color] she said, almost to herself. [color=#8D3B72][i]“One week, and he’s already tangled in things he doesn’t deserve. And yeah… he probably thinks I pushed him away because I wanted to.”[/i][/color]

She finally looked back to Iyen, one brow lifting.
[color=#8D3B72][i]“A decade, huh?”[/i][/color] Her tone was dry. [color=#8D3B72][i]“I think you’re an optimist.”[/i][/color]

But this time, she didn’t roll her eyes. Not at Iyen. Not anymore.

The moment Sjan-dehk and her eyes met, it was like the rest of the room—its tension, its crumbling civility, the ghosts walking in silk—blurred into the background.

He came.

And gods, he said her name like it still meant something.

The sound of it was soft, but it hit her like a tremor beneath the skin. And then his hand…his hand, rough from ropes and salt air, warm and certain, settled on her bare shoulder.

Her breath caught.

It wasn’t dramatic. No sharp intake, no gasp. Just the quiet stilling of breath like a ripple freezing across still water. The warmth of his palm spread down her back, sent a bloom of heat straight into her chest and spiraled low in her belly. It wasn’t just the touch—it was the gentleness of it, the anchor in it, the quiet, unspoken promise that she wasn’t alone.

Her shoulder leaned into it before she could stop herself.

Just a little.

Just enough to betray how much she wanted to lean in fully.

Her heart fluttered…no, that was too sweet a word. It pounded. Slammed against her ribs like it wanted out. And for one stupid second, she let herself imagine the impossible, that she could reach up, place her hand over his, and everything would feel safe for just a moment longer.

But the moment passed.

He pulled away.

The absence left a cold print on her skin.

The sting of it surprised her.

It was ridiculous, really, how much she hated the loss of that hand. Like she’d been holding onto something warm in the middle of a storm, and now the wind was back.

Her lashes lowered slightly to hide the flicker of ache in her eyes.

She hadn’t even realized how much she’d wanted to feel that touch again until it was gone.

Iyen’s teasing jab jolted her back into the moment, and Kalliope let out a low breath, barely a laugh.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“No,”[/i][/color] she murmured, her voice softer than usual. [color=#8D3B72][i]“I didn’t mind.”[/i][/color]

Not even a little.

Her eyes lifted to meet his again, lashes low, mouth curving, not into a smirk, but something quieter. Gentler. And then, with just the faintest tilt to her head, she let that familiar edge slip back in.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“But if you’re going to touch me like that,”[/i][/color] she said, her voice dipping into something warm and wicked, [color=#8D3B72][i]“don’t take your hand away so fast next time. It’s rude to tease a girl like that.”[/i][/color]

She let that linger, like perfume in the air, then sobered.

The flirtation faded from her expression, and something more serious, something softer, took its place. Her fingers brushed the rim of her glass, then stilled.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“I owe you an apology,”[/i][/color] she said at last, quieter now. [color=#8D3B72][i]“For earlier. For how I acted.”[/i][/color]

She glanced briefly at Iyen, then back to him.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“I told her part of it already, but you deserve to hear it too. When you carried me in…I wasn’t ashamed of you. I didn’t want you to stop.”[/i][/color] Her gaze lowered a beat, shame flickering beneath her lashes. [color=#8D3B72][i]“But someone else from my past is here tonight. Someone dangerous. And when I saw them… all I could think about was getting you away from them before they saw you with me.”[/i][/color]

Her fingers flexed lightly on the tablecloth.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“I didn’t want you marked. Didn’t want you noticed. I panicked. And then I made it worse by pulling away and walking right into another mess.”[/i][/color]

Her voice was steadier now, but still low. Still laced with that unshakable thread of guilt.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“I know it might’ve looked like rejection. Or confusion. Or worse. But it wasn’t about you, Sjan-dehk. It was about trying to protect you in the only way I knew how.”[/i][/color]

A pause.

She scanned the room again and noted the emptying tables, the nobles in hushed conversation, the tension she could feel more than see.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“It could be nothing,”[/i][/color] she murmured, almost to herself. [color=#8D3B72][i]“Just noble drama. Scandals. Drunken politics.”[/i][/color]

Her eyes found his again, this time holding.

[color=#8D3B72][i]“But just in case it’s not... I’d rather you stay close.”[/i][/color] She offered a faint, crooked smile. [color=#8D3B72][i]“Besides. I feel like I need to make it up to you for being rude.”[/i][/color][/color]