[center][color=#C84808][h1]Askel Camila[/h1][/color][/center]
Location: Grand Ballroom 
Attire: [url=https://imgur.com/pIXFlLx]Starry Night Attire[/url]
Interactions [@Potter] Kira [@AuthenticTomb] Aslam [@princess] Hafiz
Mentions:[@samreaper] Kazu [@Potter] Olivia [@Tae] Ranya
[hr]

Did she just pet him? She just petted him like he was some overly concerned child worrying about something nonsensical. It had caught him completely off guard and was frankly not sure how to react. Judging by the grin on her face it was most definitely not out of some lack of social awareness, it was very much targeted for she had not patted Aslam's head when expressed the same concern for her well-being. She then disappeared into the crowd once she had her fill of them before he could even make a remark. 

He was most definitely going to ruffle that fluffy head of hers if he ever saw her again. There would be retribution! 

That would have to come later though. Instead, he chose to focus on Aslam.

A part of him was relieved that there was an understanding between them that could remain unspoken. Askel liked to believe that perhaps the Shehzade knew, but out of a respect for his and Ranya's privacy and maybe even because he approved of the prince, he would never ask to confirm his suspicions, for now at least. One day, Askel would tell him plain honesty along with Munir and the other brother he had yet to meet. After all, they would be his brothers one day too so seeing his future brother steep in bitterness.

Askel laid a gloved hand on the Shehzade's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. [color=#C84808]"If there's something weighing on your mind just know my door and a bottle of Varian spirits is always open for you."[/color] He flashed a smile and removed his hand. Before Aslam could even respond a loud performance began. 

A lively dance from a smiling man with sunflowers in his ornate top hat that thawed through the grief of this morning. For once, Askel could agree with King Edin on that front. The man did what all the luxuries in this room could not; he brought joy. Askel had silently bobbed his head along to the rhythm of Mr. Kazoo's steps with a slight smile.

However, there was something that bothered the prince. The name, Mr. Kazoo, sounded so familiar and it was very recent in his memory. 

Kazoo... Kazoo... Kazumin? 

Olivia had mentioned a companion by that name during one of their training sessions. So this was the man. There was a spark of intrigue when observing him; so many nobles would strive to have a tenth of the charisma and likability that Mr. Kazoo had and he made it so effortless. Very few would be secure enough in themselves to do what Kazumin just did, a different kind of bravery that was needed in the world of nobles. 

Askel said with an amused chuckle, [color=#C84808]"Now there is a man that would be worth knowing. Say, why don't we... go over... and..."[/color] The playful grin of the knight-prince curved downwards into a neutral expression as he watched a figure draped in blue and gold approached them, the same man that entered beside Ranya, the Grand Vizier with a smile most pleasant and a bow that feigned respect. Askel knew better though than to trust it. 

With a charming tone and sociable cadence, there was that not so thinly probing or more likely a threat. Of course, the Grand Vizier was going to suspect Ranya and him one way or the other tonight. It was inevitable; the man had locked her away in her gilded cage and guarded her like she was a sacred treasure, and then there was Askel eyeing his treasure with such yearning and received it back in full. It must've infuriated him so, to see her break character, to see her [i]want[/i] something beyond what he would allow, and the fear that must have felt to see it possibly taken away from her. 

Askel knew that she must have been watching this across the room anxiously to see what he would do, to see if he would keep his vow to her. A smile returned to his face as he faced his adversary. 

[color=#C84808]"I've been told that I tend to have that effect on people, Grand Vizier. Even on you it seems since you are standing before me,"[/color] joked Askel with a polite, unbothered smile. He stood with the trained discipline and confidence of a soldier, not that of a sheltered prince. There was a certain quality of strength about him, an even keel temperament of someone who had faced countless trials and tribulations and not just survived, but thrived. 

He stepped forward towards Hafiz within the boundaries to still be considered polite, but enough that it could be read as a challenge as he approached the Grand Vizier's boundary. 

[color=#C84808]"If it is a conversation that you desire then I am more than happy to oblige. I am sure that conversing with you will be an [i]enlightening[/i] experience. One does not so often have the undivided attention of the Grand Vizier, the most powerful man in Alidasht second to the Sultan himself."[/color] It was said so innocently and it was factually correct, Hafiz was the second most powerful man in all of Alidasht, but Askel knew that it was a fact that must've eaten the man alive. 

This was a man that sought power hungrily and selfishly, that much was certain if his own niece was afraid of him. Men like Hafiz were never satisfied mainly due to their fragile egos that propelled them forward no matter the cost, so Askel could not help, but to gently remind him where he stood: next to the throne, but never on it.