[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/T1j1GM3t/Headers-(820-x-1020-px).gif[/img]

[color=#758173][H1]Mina Blackwood[/H1][/color][/center]



[color=#758173]Time:[/color] Evening
[color=#758173]Location:[/color] Blackwood Rooms —> Starry Night Ball
[color=#758173]Attire:[/color] [url=https://i.postimg.cc/cLnjJxSC/file-00000000bef471f5ba6f42069bba5529.png]Dress & Hair[/url]
[color=#758173]Interaction:[/color]  [@HylianRose] Lucian [@princess] Marina [@Remram] Nolan [@Lava Alckon] Drake
[color=#758173]Mentions:[/color] [@Oso] Ambrose [@CitrusArms] Stratya

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

The air around Mina felt heavy. There was no smoke from a pyre this time, but the weight of her past pressed in on her, refusing to let go.

Ambrose’s voice was rough, missing the boyish warmth she remembered. When he called her Lady Blackwood, the formality stung. It felt like the last bit of summer between them was gone.

[color=9E664C]“The fault was mine for being in your way.”[/color]

Mina’s heart twisted. He was apologizing for existing in her space, while she was the one who had broken his world for a mercy he never wanted. She wanted to look at him, to tell him that his presence had always made her feel safe. But she couldn’t. If she saw the grief for his sister in his eyes, or the last traces of the love she had tried to smother, she would fall apart.

The Edwards brothers arrived, breaking into her thoughts like sunlight through a window. Mina noticed the younger one, Nolan, slightly stumbling over his words as he looked at Marina. The open admiration in his eyes was so simple, so honest, and nothing like the mess she carried. For a moment, she wished she could have something that easy—a beginning without blood or secrets.

Then the Captain of the Guard approached. Mina glanced at Stratya Durmand, who stood tall and steady, drawing Ambrose’s attention. When the Captain asked him to dance, Mina felt a sharp pang. It wasn’t jealousy—she had no claim to that—but a hollow ache, as if she no longer belonged.

[color=#758173][i]Good,[/i][/color] a cold voice in her head whispered. [color=#758173][i]Let him find a woman who isn't a shadow. Let him dance with someone who doesn't smell of resin and regret.[/i][/color]

[color=#6C72C6]"Ambrose, you are dismissed!"[/color] Marina’s voice cut through the tension like a bright silk ribbon.

Mina hardly had time to notice Ambrose leaving before Marina crashed into her, all red hair and lilac scent. The hug was fierce, nearly knocking the breath from her, but for the first time that day, Mina felt the cold inside her start to melt.

[color=#6C72C6]"I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!"[/color] Marina chirped, her lips pressing affectionate kisses to Mina’s cheeks.

Mina’s arms came up instinctively, hugging her best friend back with a desperation she hoped the Princess wouldn't notice. [color=#758173]"Marnie,"[/color] she murmured, her voice finally losing its brittle, formal edge. For a moment, she buried her face in Marina’s shoulder, hiding from the room, hiding from the ghosts. [color=#758173]"You’re going to ruin my hair, you absolute menace."[/color]

She pulled back just enough to see Marina’s face, her own eyes softening. After the horror of the morning and the worry over her uncle, Marina was the only light that didn’t hurt.

Even as she smiled at Marina, Mina’s eyes wandered. Without meaning to, she looked past Ambrose, past Lord Nolan, and found Lucian.

He was right there.

She had noticed his eyes on her gown, lingering on the golden roses she had sewn in as a quiet message. He had seen them. He understood. The small, amused smile on his lips sent a jolt through her, sharper than any magic she possessed.

Then Nolan asked Marina to dance, and Mina’s attention shifted back to them. She watched her friend, a small smile tugging at her lips. [color=#758173]"Go,"[/color] Mina said, her voice warm. [color=#758173]"We’ll have plenty of time to catch up later—maybe even a slumber party like before. I could use it."[/color]

She nudged Marina toward Nolan, watching her with a bittersweet ache that was almost joy.

When Marina had moved away with Nolan, Mina suddenly noticed how much space had opened up between her and Lucian. She took a slow breath and stepped toward him and Drake, her usual mask slipping away, leaving her exposed.

[color=#758173]"The golden roses were a late addition,"[/color] she said quietly, her voice almost lost in the music. She offered a small, graceful dip of her head to Drake before her eyes settled back on the Prince. [color=#758173]"I thought... perhaps the Rose of Varian should look the part tonight, even in a garden like this."[/color]

She tilted her head, a small, hopeful smile appearing before looking between Lucian and Drake. She couldn't ignore the heir to the Edwards line standing right there, a witness to the strange, vibrating tension.

[color=#758173]"You both look remarkably composed for men surrounded by so much chaos,"[/color] she remarked, her gaze lingering a second longer on Lucian’s auburn hair before including Drake in her focus. [color=#758173]"Lord Drake, Prince Lucian... are you truly as calm as you appear, or are we all just giving very convincing performances tonight?"[/color]