[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RsPNCur.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/TdjdX26.gif[/img][/center]
[color=lightgray][color=#6C72C6]Time:[/color] Evening
[color=#6C72C6]Location:[/color] The Ball
[color=#6C72C6]Interactions:[/color] [@Oso] Ambrose [@HylianRose] Lucian
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As they had approached the crown prince, Marina saw a flash of a blurry-faced woman clinging to his arm, her long dark hair pouring down the length of her arm. The image was so ordinary, so careless, and yet it still stole the air from Marina’s lungs. For a moment, her body reacted before her mind could correct it, a breathy exhale leaving her lips, her brows raising as she nearly did a double-take.

[color=#6C72C6][i]You're supposed to be there.[/i][/color]

Yet she wasn't. No one was beside Lucian right now.

And what hurt the most was that she hadn't even gotten to see her face. Lately, when her mind reached for it, all she received was a blur of pale skin. 

Where her eyes should be. A mouth without the curve of her smile. All she got was hair, [i]always hair[/i].

She forced herself back into a steady stride, but the next thing she noticed made her stomach drop a little. There was no spark of enthusiasm on Lucian’s face. He was trying to smile, yet he looked as though he were bracing for impact, and for all her token indignation, she felt a deep pang in her chest.  Had she gone too far with her insistence earlier in the week? Perhaps she had teased him too much. 

Nonetheless, when she came to stand before him, she smiled simply. [color=#7D7FDB]“Lucian,”[/color] Marina greeted lightly, and then immediately made it worse on purpose. [color=#7D7FDB]“You look thrilled to see me.”[/color] She smiled like she was teasing, but her eyes were searching his face hard enough that she could not fully hide her intentions. 

Then she leaned in, lowering her voice. [color=#7D7FDB]“Are you alright,”[/color] she asked softly in such a manner that it had nearly chipped at her mask. So she recovered quickly, lifting her chin again. [color=#7D7FDB]“Because you are doing that thing where you look like you might sprint into a wall to escape a conversation.”[/color] She wondered if he had hoped to scurry off to those crazy witch hunters. Hadn't the ball just started?

She stepped half a pace closer, as if to block his easiest retreat route without making it obvious, her warning plain in her eyes.  

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