[sup][center][img]https://i.ibb.co/hFv4fRSF/Nora-Pawonska.png[/img][/center]
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[b][color=Palevioletred]Time[/color][/b]: 6PM
[b][color=Palevioletred]Location[/color][/b]: Grand Ballroom
[b][color=Palevioletred]Attire[/color][/b]: [url=https://i.ibb.co/p6ScwRHp/Chat-GPT-Image-Jan-14-2026-10-30-21-PM.png]Dress[/url]
[b][color=Palevioletred]Interactions[/color][/b]: N/A
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[indent][indent]Nora stood at the threshold of the ballroom, just having been announced, and allowed the warmth and noise of the ballroom wash over her. Music swelled while the courtiers clustered like bright little birds. She could feel their eyes on her, sharp and watchful. The marble beneath her shoes was cold, grounding. It reminded her. [i]Be ordinary.[/i]

Nox, normally always at her side, was nowhere to be seen. His absence was a quiet ache, a missing weight she carried with her with each step. She could still feel him, outside in the bushes and shrubbery. Close enough to still be effective, but out of sight. His presence tonight, after what transpired that morning, was a risk she could not afford to take. Not with the King’s watchful gaze slicing over the crowd like a sword.

[i]Normal. I’m just a normal girl.[/i]

She moved as she had practiced with her maid, Margot. Margot had been the one to suggest that she leave Nox outside. She’d been the one to hear the whispers, the hushed tones of the kingdom after the ashes of the Queen had cooled. She was the one who had cautioned Nora to be extra vigilant tonight. Her steps were muffled by the fabric of her long red dress, a piece her family had chosen well before she arrived. Its weight was more than just physical. It carried the expectations that she should find a good husband. A weight on her shoulders she’d been unable to forget about. 

Her movements were measured, quiet, and unassuming. She nodded here and there, smiling politely where appropriate, and made her way towards an area that suited her. She aimed to be a woman that others would glance at and forget. 

She took her place among the court, her heart steady for the moment, and her magic held deep and quiet where it could not be sensed or seen. Every few seconds, she would check for Nox again, and he would answer, calling back to let her know he was there and ready. 

Tonight was not for flames or defiance. For Nora, it was barely for romance and courting. It was about survival. Fear lived under her skin, like embers burning in low underbrush. 
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