[color=lightgray][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6yZrd18.png[/img]

[@Remram] Nolan
[@Lava Alckon] Drake

[img]https://i.imgur.com/sPIxd99.png[/img][/center]

Gideon had remained where he stood while the brothers exchanged their remarks. Nolan’s teasing earned the faintest softening at the edge of his mouth. Soft and subtle as the smile was, it carried with it an air of pride towards his sons. As soon as there was an opening, he addressed his heir. 

[color=burlywood]“Drake,”[/color] he said simply, inclining his head in greeting as his eyes passed over the young man in a brief but unmistakably thorough inspection. He did not make a spectacle of the gesture, but the loving assessment was there all the same. 

[color=burlywood]“It is good to see you on your feet, son.”[/color] His gaze shifted back between the two of them for a moment longer, watching the easy exchange that had already begun. Whatever weight the day had placed upon him, the sight of them together eased some small part of it.

[color=burlywood]“Stay close to one another tonight,”[/color] he added quietly, his voice low enough that it would not travel beyond their small circle. [color=burlywood]“These gatherings have a habit of becoming less pleasant the longer they last. Especially lately. If you need me, I will not be far.”[/color]

Across the ballroom, a pause opened in a conversation near the center of the crowd.  Victoria Edwards stood among a cluster of nobles, her posture as poised and deliberate as ever. For the briefest moment she looked toward Gideon. It was not a wave, nor a gesture that anyone unfamiliar with her would recognize. She simply held his gaze a fraction longer than courtesy required, her eyes sharpening with quiet expectation. To anyone else it would have meant nothing, but to Gideon, it was an unmistakable beckoning of his presence… One he would do well to answer. 

His attention returned to the boys.

[color=burlywood]“I would stay a moment longer with you, my sons, but I fear this is not the time for your father to hover. Plus, it seems your mother requires me,”[/color] he said calmly, allowing a knowing chuckle to escape him. 

He rested a hand briefly on each of their shoulders, a gesture both reassuring and grounding in intention.

[color=burlywood]“Enjoy the evening, if you can manage it. I know recent days have been trying, but us Edwards have built a tradition of perseverance. And remember… I am so, very proud of you both.”[/color]

With that he stepped away, the dark sweep of his cloak shifting behind him as he moved through the ballroom crowd toward Victoria, leaving the brothers to their conversation beneath the music and chandelier light.

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