[center][color=#C84808][h1]Askel Camila[/h1][/color][/center]
Location: Grand Ballroom 
Attire: [url=https://imgur.com/pIXFlLx]Starry Night Attire[/url]
Interactions:[@Potter][@AuthenticTomb]
Mentions:[@princess][@Oso][@HylianRose]
[hr]

Was this woman trying to get him killed? No, had he been that obvious? Sure the woman he described sounded like Ranya, very much so in fact. Still, if Kira knew Ranya by name then she should have been well aware of just how ferociously protective her brothers were and just how dastardly her uncle, the Grand Vizier, was. Or maybe she did and she enjoyed watching him squirm. And the worst part? As soon as she mentioned Ranya, his eyes followed Kira's gesture and fell upon Ranya and lingered just too long to call it a casual glance.

[color=#C84808]"So she is, so she is."[/color] said Askel with a smile. It would have not done him any good to deny the fact that he was enchanted by Ranya right in front of her brother, rather he could only imagine the misunderstanding that would arise. Lying was something he found quite distasteful; the only reason he had kept his mouth shut for as long as he did was because he understood the weight that his beloved carried though now he understood it better than he could have imagined. 

Thankfully, Askel was not the only subject of Lady Kira's teasings. He smirked at Aslam and an earthy chuckle rumbled from his throat.

[color=#C84808]"He'd be in good company. I've already spotted quite a few eyeing my sister up with licentious eyes,"[/color] stated Askel in jest, partly. While Aslam had a certain level of freedom beyond that of Ranya, he was not free from hypocrisy. He held no objections to the Shehzade's potential affections towards Marina though he certainly would if Aslam disagreed with the knight-prince's relationship with Ranya. Even Aslam, fiercely protective as he is of his dear sister, could not deny the hypocrisy when he was in fact one of Marina's potential suitors.

Askel's gaze focused on her and Lucian with Ambrose ever in their shadows. It was such a familiar sight and yet everything about it was wrong. Sophia should've been by his brother's side, arm linked with his and her bright laughter cutting through the noise. No, they wouldn't even be here; they would have been at home with their child and Askel would have breathlessly told them about his journeys, the friends that he made, and introduce them to the love of his life. 

But she wasn't there, only the ghost of what once was and what could have been remained. 

[color=#C84808][i]Sophia would have loved Ranya.[/i][/color] 

His gloved hand fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist, hidden beneath his dark sleeves. Bits of clay that he molded and carved to make the friendship bracelets that Marina insisted that they must have, each piece representing each of them. Between his fingers he could feel the one he made for himself, a blade.

However, a distraction presented itself to him; Lady Kira looked... off, despite how relaxed she appeared to be. He knew it himself, that feeling of being on edge. [color=#C84808]"Lady Kira, you look... uncomfortable. Are you quite alright?"[/color] Inquired the prince.