Location: Grand Ballroom
Attire: Starry Night Attire
Interactions @Lava Alckon Farim @Infinite Cosmos Munir @AuthenticTomb Aslam @Tae Rayna
Mentions:@princess Hafiz

---

It was a good thing that Hafiz had made that announcement as soon as he was out of arms reach of the prince; the Grand Vizier would have become profoundly knowledgeable of what his own back looked like. Of course, when the snake had been shown that his idle threats wouldn't scare him and when physical retaliation was not an option he would resort to such petty actions before retreating. The rage in Askel's eyes was evident though it had only given way when Hafiz had walked away, pure murderous rage.

That heat in his eyes was quenched by the sudden presence of another man, handsome and in pink with a kind, yet apologetic smile. Either this man was just as much of a snake as his father or he really was cut from a different cloth entirely. Askel had decided that it was most likely the latter, but if that was the case then the apple fell as far from the tree as possible.

Askel returned the smile and said, "Askel Camila, Prince of Varian and knight of the kingdom. I could only wish we'd have met better under better circumstances." He reached out and grabbed Farim's hand for a firm, yet cordial. This Shehzade gave him a good feeling about, someone that he felt like was going to be on his side in this conflict between Hafiz and himself. The man was warm not just to him as if he was trying to keep the relationship between Alidasht and Varian in order, but to his own cousins that stood by the prince.

"Don't apologize Shehzade Farim. You are not responsible for your father's behavior." Askel patted Farim's shoulder though from behind the Shehzade he could see someone approach them, someone with fire in her eyes. His beloved rushed to his side, bruised and with eyes fresh with tears from before. It all made his stomach twist in a knot with unyielding anger though she ease it. Ranya claimed his hand as a firm proclamation that he was hers and demanded her brothers' assessment who in varying degrees gave their support to the couple.

"I only had an idea though you are right, understanding is a very different thing. Now that I've got a good look at him, well, I have a better picture of what I am working with." He turned his head to look at Ranya and smiled adoringly. "But it'll be worth it. She's worth it."

Askel lifted her entwined hand and gently pressed a kiss upon it. He didn't care who saw or what rumors they would whisper. This was his own declaration. "Ranya al Kadir, Hafiz may have stolen our moment to reveal our relationship on our terms, but he hasn't stolen the night." His arm linked with hers and he turned to her family with a cheeky grin. "My apologies gentleman, but I am going to steal her away for a song or two."

Time: Evening
Location: Blackwood Rooms —> Starry Night Ball
Attire: Dress & Hair
Interaction: @HylianRose Lucian @princess Marina @Remram Nolan @Lava Alckon Drake
Mentions: @Oso Ambrose @CitrusArms Stratya



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.

“The fault was mine for being in your way.”

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.

Good, a cold voice in her head whispered. Let him find a woman who isn't a shadow. Let him dance with someone who doesn't smell of resin and regret.

"Ambrose, you are dismissed!" 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.

"I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!" 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. "Marnie," 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. "You’re going to ruin my hair, you absolute menace."

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. "Go," Mina said, her voice warm. "We’ll have plenty of time to catch up later—maybe even a slumber party like before. I could use it."

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.

"The golden roses were a late addition," 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. "I thought... perhaps the Rose of Varian should look the part tonight, even in a garden like this."

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.

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

Time: Evening
Location: Ballroom
Attire: Outfit
Interaction: @Potter Olivia @Oso Cassius
Mention: @FunnyGuy Lorenzo

---

“I seemed off because you walked in looking like that, love.”

Charlotte stared at those pretty eyes of his.

Ordinarily, she might have looked away by now, absolutely flustered. She might have busied herself with fiddling with her jewelry, or pretending to notice something very fascinating about the tablecloth.

But tonight, though she felt a certain rush, she didn't feel the need to run and hide.

Her arm rested against the back of the chair gracefully, though her fingers tightened around the rim all the same. That was the curious thing. The spell had done precisely what she had asked of it... It had stripped the fear right from her chest.

And yet her heart still fluttered.

It was more dangerous, perhaps, because it made her want to lean closer instead of step away. Her eyes stayed on Cassius with unguarded fondness. Without quite realizing it, she caught her lower lip between her teeth, then smiled like she had discovered a secret.

“Oh?” she asked innocently as she leaned in, setting her elbow upon the table and settling her face into her palm. Her lashes lowered slightly, but her smile remained. “Like what, Cassius ?”

"What the hell is going on with you?"

Charlotte paused.

Her head turned slowly toward Olivia, though her lips remained parted. For a moment, she looked exactly like a girl who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Um...”

It was not, she felt, her most elegant contribution to the conversation.

Her gaze flicked briefly to Cassius. He was watching her too now, waiting for the answer. But there was no delicate way to say that she had cast a spell on herself. Olivia had warned her more than once not to meddle with magic alone, and she had told Cassius she wouldn't do magic. Technically, she did say she would TRY not to.

Either way, she did not want to lie to them. Not to them.

Her shoulders slumped, and some of the mischief slipped from her expression as her brows lifted and she frowned. “Someone wrote something rather ridiculous about me in the paper,” she relented with a sigh. “Apparently, I tried to throw myself from the balcony at the last ball.”

She looked to Olivia then, and the faintest ironic curve returned to her mouth.“Couldn’t possibly imagine who would encourage such a charming little interpretation, could we?”

That smile did not last long. “Anyway,” Charlotte continued, drawing a trembling breath, “I spent the morning shredding that newspaper into tiny, tiny pieces," The memory of it brought a flicker of anger back to her face, sharp enough to make her nose scrunch in a show of disgust. “ ...because the very last thing I need is Lorenzo believing I mean to follow after his late wife.”

Normally, she would have left it at that, but she found herself pressing onward. “Not when Prince Wulfric already thinks Lorenzo may be suicidal, and not when he is apparently mixing his—” Charlotte lifted both hands and made little air quotation marks with her fingers, “—medicine—”

Her smile faltered as the room around her seemed to blur at the edges. “—with his alcohol.”

A nearby servant passed with a silver tray of blue cocktails, and Charlotte suddenly lifted one hand to motion him over, “Please, sir, bring those over here.”

The servant obeyed, though when he merely offered the tray for her to choose, Charlotte gave him a pleasant smile and requested that he leave the whole thing. “Thank you so much, you are terribly kind,” she told him warmly and patted his forearm with such open sincerity that the poor man flushed pink, bowed hastily, and hurried off.

She subsequently plucked one glass from the tray without even properly looking at him. The drink was sweet when she swallowed it, cool on her tongue with a pleasant taste of berries and sugar.

Then she lowered the glass and looked between them both with a smile that was many things at once: lovely, stubborn, and not entirely convincing. “All this to say,” she said, her voice light again, “I am quite fine, my lovelies.”

She lifted the glass toward them. “I would like to have fun tonight.”

The book had not warned her. It wasn't surprising that her other emotions were present; the spell was to simply remove fear. However, the emotions that did remain were more vivid and merciless than she had expected, filling the hollows that her anxiety had once lived in.

Time: Night
Location: Ballroom
Attire:imgur.com/TBp3fyc | Magic ring on pointer finger
Interactions: Kira @potter


Violet gestured her head, allowing the women to occupy the other empty seat at the table as she too sat down. Her fingers held her wine glass gently between her fingers as she tapped the glass lightly.

“Is there something wrong? You look a little upset, and I’m here for you if you need it. Between that and your beauty, I wanted to come check on you. After all, this should be a fun event, yes?”

A smile crept on Violet's lips as she looked over to the women. ”Nothing is wrong, I am just enjoying my glass of wine and the music. You’re quite forward with the compliments but thank you. Some people just enjoy events differently than others, I enjoy them with a drink in hand. “

Her eyes glanced down at the tray of sweets before taking a sip of her wine.

“Although... Balls can be a drag, too, right? they don't have to be though! I guess it depends on how extroverted you are. I feel a little out of sorts here. Maybe we can watch people together.” Kira grinned playfully, gesturing to the crowd. “Totally up to you though! I am fine either way.”

”You are more than welcome to sit here, I do not mind. Though I don’t believe I've seen you around before or even really heard your name. Wouldn’t a ball be more fun if you found a dance partner to enjoy the event with? she looked towards the crowd gesturing outwards ”Who out of this crowd draws your eye? she asked curiously.

Time: Evening
Location: Grand Ballroom
Interactions: @HylianRose Nora
Mentions:@princess Count Emil, @Potter Elena and @Remram Magnus

Looking between Lady Elena and the mystery man who had blocked off the Count's path to her and Lady Nora, Amira was lost in her confusion. She has no idea what was happening, and what had made so many people suddenly appear to protect Nora from the older man. Than of course, there was the floral bouquet in her arms which brought up even more questions.

Ending in it all being too easy for Nora to convince Amira to leave the situation with the promise of telling her about her mysterious secret admirer.

"You know who Magnus is?" She asked, eyes sparkling as she followed the other ladies lead with eager excitement.

"What is he like? Is he kind? Handsome? How do you know him? How do you think he knows of me? Woul - would you point him out to me?"

...Someone was watching her.

While she wasn't quite as perceptive in that regard as Stratya, growing up alongside the knight captain meant she had picked up a thing or two along the way. The ability to pick up others gazes being one of said skills, her eyes scanning the ballroom till she met Nikolai's gaze. Almost immediately, her iris's narrowed to slits as she tried to assess why this man was staring at her so intently, but couldn't quite from this distance. At their eyes meeting though, the man seemed to notice and winked at her. The action, accompanied by an annoying little smile, rubbed Freyja the wrong way.

Granted, it wouldn't take much to earn her annoyance right now considering her mood, but something about him seemed to especially annoy her so. He was doubtlessly an annoying and infuriating man. She couldn't quite put her finger on why she knew, she just...did. Some people just had a certain vibe to them, and this man had a vibe just...pissed her off. Enough in fact, that she made her way into the crowd, disappearing from his view briefly if he looked back that way, not that he probably did as he spoke to Fareed. It didn't take long for her to reappear, this time in front of him as she tapped her cane on the ground, just in case she had to get his attention.

Why did she have this cane again? Oh right, something about it suited the outfit? Bah, fashion was beyond her.

"Did your parents never teach you its rude to stare at people? Or is there something on my face? Please do explain yourself, I would love to hear it." She took a moment to assess the man now that she was closer. Judging by his physique, he was probably a knight of sorts. Not one from Caesonia though, and from what she knew of Alidasht he didn't match the appearance she would expect. That left Varian, unless her first assumption had been wrong, but she was pretty confident he didnt match the vibe from a Caesonian knight. For Nikolai's part, he towered over this woman currently glowering up at him by about a whole foot, yet she didn't seem fazed in the slightest. While she seemed annoyed with him, which she technically was, little did he know thats just how she normally looked at people.

Turning to his companion, she really had to crane her neck up to look at this man proper. Ah, now he was from Alidasht. They had a rather different appearance to the other kingdoms, and she didn't mean that in a bad way. She nodded at the man before speaking again.

"Though before you declare me rude in return, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Freyja." She paused for a moment, remembering that she believed the correct way to do this was a curtsy? How would she know, she didn't do this fancy parties or noble etiquette. It was mostly pointless hogwash to her, but suppose she had better play by their rules. So she would do one of the worst attempts at a curtsy either of these two gentlemen had probably ever seen before in their lives. It was dripping with sarcasm and reluctance, insultingly so. Not that she had intended it to be that way... "I don't suppose you've seen Strat-Captain Durmand around have you? I've been trying to locate her, but there's just...so many people, its rather overwhelming..."

She would give anything to not be here at all right now. She would even take studying over this, which while she didnt mind doing, you could only do so much before getting bored. But at least if she was with Stratya, she would feel safe here if nothing else. She knew she had been told she couldn't just keep clinging to Stratya's side like she had growing up, but she felt this was different. She felt like she was in a den of vipers, no doubt whispers amongst some just from the fact she had approached these two. Not that she knew either of their reputations; hell, she barely even knew what the king looked like. She didn't care to either, beside the point. She didn't trust anyone here, and she was figuring it was already a gamble asking these two gentlemen for assistance, but they seemed 'harmless' for the most part. Though she still held the urge to slap Nikolai, for reasons that she couldn't quite understand.

Time: Evening
Location: Danrose Castle
Interactions: @princess Charlotte @Oso Cassius
Mentions:

---

[color=lightgray]The more that Charlotte spoke, the more Olivia’s suspicions grew. As she spoke, Olivia examined her body language closer. This was clearly a spell–was it the fearless one? Lottie seemed to ignore the repercussions of her actions and was far more bolder than she had seen. Thai was a far cry from the girl with ribbons and soft and unrevealing dresses. Had she stolen one of her own books? Liv frowned, though she didn’t interrupt her friend.

The story she explained was downright outrageous–Olivia knew Lottie had not gone to throw herself off the balcony. Liv also knew that was her first time meeting Lottie from afar and knowing that Calbert had told her something horrible. As her mind replayed that night in her mind’s eye, Liv swallowed hard. That night had changed her life in a split second–she wondered if she hadn’t gone to the ball, where would she be now, starving and hiding in an alleyway? The smile that Lottie provided her was not met with her own. Her gaze could’ve killed had she seen Calbert, or burned holes into him.

Still, Olivia’s stomach churned, and bile rose in her throat. Not only did Calbert’s dad spew shit, there was even more shit regarding Lorenzo. She could not imagine having scandals and rumors written about her on a daily basis. Sympathy rose deep inside of her, and she took a deep breath. Regardless of her magic use, the news was horrible.

”Oh Charlie, I am so sorry.” Liv whispered and scooted her chair forward in order to pull her into a fierce hug she didn’t let go. Olivia owed Lottie her life and she was not going to forget it. Liv ensured warmth was forced into the hug. She let go once Lottie spotted a server and allowed them time to have their exchange. Liv bit her lip as she studied her more and turned to Cassius with a split second decision.

Olivia pulled her hair around her face to block anyone from reading her lips. She moved so close to him so that they were nearly touching for a brief second. Her skin crawled at their proximity. Not that he was disgusting, but this was Lottie's beau, and she felt painfully awkward because she barely knew him; however he had helped save her life.

”It’s a fearless spell,” she whispered to him. ”The after effects include overwhelming anxiety and fear, and sometimes cause panic attacks or hallucinations. Even the smallest of things can provoke fear–she’s going to need us.”

Olivia moved away, because being this close to him made her uncomfortable. The clock was ticking on the time left on the spell and the fall out would be rough. Olivia decided this was her time to guard her and protect her in the same way she had when she had needed shelter. She turned to her and smiled.

”We will have fun and enjoy our evening.” She pulled the food and wine over with a wide smile, including her own platters. ”I don’t know what the fuck this is but I’m going to try it.” She grinned at Lottie and Cassius with mischief in her eyes. ”We could play a drinking game, gossip, dance, chat about random bullshit, or maybe all the above? Any pranks we can pull on people?"