[color=gray] [center][b][color=limegreen][h1]Kazumin Nagasa[/h1][/color][/b] [img]https://i.ibb.co/YX1sZZL/download.png[/img] [/center] [color=limegreen]Time: [/color] Evening [color=limegreen]Location: [/color] Castle Ballroom- Starry night ball [color=limegreen]Interactions:[/color] [@reusabblesword] Roman [@authentictomb] Sylvia [@potter] Persephone/Olivia [color=limegreen]Mentions:[/color] [@princess] King Edin, Charlotte, [@oso] Cassius [center][hider=Mr. Kazoo, the skip meister][img] https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/960358978708209714/1497777712474095716/image.png?ex=69f164b2&is=69f01332&hm=7a039860d619f369ccaba0f3342e8e5cb651ccec5d1643d4d2010d248379b2a4&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=666&height=1332 [/img] (image credited by princess/na) [/hider][/center] [hr] .[color=salmon]“ARE YOU MAD?! Do you think I would ever entertain my daughter ever being with you? [/color] The cowlicked blonde had been adrift in savoring the cupcake when the familiar voice of Duke Lorenzo had called out. His shouting words, the mention of Charlotte being with King Edin, caused him to cough and gag on the last bite; the mere idea of such insinuation nauseated him to his core. He was forced to cover his mouth with his off hand while his other hand patted at his chest, attempting to dislodge his throat, but Lorenzo’s voice carried on with a fiery bluntness. [color=salmon]“A man who had his wife killed for all to see?! FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO SEE! “[/color] The man’s directness in the face of the king pushed Kazu into a small, panicked coughing fit, having him turn away, unable to catch the rest of what the man said, but he heard enough to know that this could potentially lead to some very bad fallout. His heart skipped erratically with worry and rage at the thought of Edin so much as looking at her, and if he had enraged him, then he feared how Percy would react. Such worries had only caused the coughing to worsen as his eyes scrambled for something to drink. In his desperate search, he caught notice of a passing servant and all but flailed his hand, waving to catch their attention. A frantic wave that gave the servant a startled pause as they looked to the choking blonde man with an uncertain waryness. With a cautious step, they approached, offering the serving tray of drinks. A relieved huff of his nose at the approaching servant, and he offered a silent thanks as his right hand shot out, grabbing the nearest glass and took a big gulp without checking what it was he had grabbed due to his desperate haste. A shocked, gagged snort followed, having hoped for water, but felt the burning taste of liquor rush down his clogged throat. His eyes watered with confused disbelief.”[color=limegreen] Ugh, what is this…[/color]” He wheezed out, looking at the glass of sharp blue liquid, brows furrowing.” [color=limegreen]Of all the..a cocktail? Ya see a man choking and bring him- Gah! Doesn’t matter.[/color]” Kazu spoke through wheezes and gulps for air, deciding it didn’t matter since it got the job done. In trying to catch his breath, Kazu returned his attention towards the king to spot Charlotte running towards Lorenzo, and his eyes widened.” [color=limegreen]Oh shit?![/color]” The blonde exclaimed harshly under his breath in abject befuddlement and concern, and the surrounding crowd made it difficult to get a good view of what was fully going on. Only a glimpse of his friend’s back had been enough to get him determined to move as he then quickly guzzled down the rest of the cocktail, feeling that he was gonna need the fire in his step as he placed the empty glass back on the tray.” [color=limegreen]Ahem, might be just what I needed after all, my thanks![/color]” He uttered to the servant with an appreciative pat on the shoulder. With his other hand reaching and pulling the napkin from his shirt collar, he turned back to Roman and Sylvia, wiping his face with a practiced gentleness.” [color=limegreen]And I must apologize to you two, my wondrous new friends. For it seems some dear friends of mine may have encountered some potential trouble, so I must depart. Woe as it pains me to cut our snacking chat short, know I much look forward to our plans..er….[/color]” His gaze sneaking back to the king's situation, where he could now see Cass was following not far behind Charlotte, causing him to let out a nervous gasp, which he tried to cover with an awkward chortle.” [color=limegreen]Feel free to seek me out soon, and we’ll figure out the details later, aye?[/color]!” He had spoken hurriedly, pressing the tips of his forefingers together, realizing how poorly he handled his composure, fearing them thinking him a spazzing weirdo. But his time was short, and little time to explain as the situation with Lorenzo was worsening with each second and could explode at any moment. His face paled at the thought of how much worse that could be were Olive to reach the king, a thought that terrified and made him tremble; flashes of this morning stung his watered eyes. He furiously blinked the dark images away as he gave a small lift of the hat and a nervous smile. Then the next Kazu had spun and practically sprinted off into the crowd, making his way towards the king’s throne. After making his way into the crowd, however, Kazu recalled where he was and suppressed the urge to run or shove his way through, as he had no wish to be rude or cause any further trouble accidentally bumping into anyone, and certainly not such sensitive folks as these nobles were known to be. With a reluctant muffled growl, he had slowed to a walk, but moved with a burning haste to his every step. Using his nimbleness, Kazu managed to weave, slide, and spin around any passerby he came upon, narrowly avoiding bumping or brushing any with an offered.” [color=limegreen]Pardon me.[/color]” Or an.”[color=limegreen] Excuse me![/color]” With breathy huffs as he went. At intervals where he could allow it, his attention would turn to the king and Lorenzo, who he saw being hugged by Char and Cass, who was now only a few steps behind. The sight brought a sharp, concerned inhale, scrabbling to make sense of what was going on, then shoved the thoughts aside as they would only slow him down. Returning his focus to those around him, finding the effort to avoid stepping on feet or bumping shoulders tiring, but still the cowlicked blonde manuevered with an almost dancing gait, his long arms and legs seemingly wiggling widely, but there was aim and control to their path despite the franticness to his posture. As he went, a woman wearing a glittering white dress had noticed his approach and jumped back with a gasp, spilling her own wine over herself. The surprised woman had Kazu come to a skidding stop with shame coloring his nervous eyes, and was about to search for a napkin as an apology, when his eyes peered around past the woman fretting and bemoaning about her ruined dress. Her words fell on deaf ears, for his gaze had caught the familiar sight of strawberry blonde. His widened with a mixture of relief and fear at having found her…stamping her way towards the king. His heart skipped erratically, feeling the dread in his chest worsen as he could sense the burning rage emanating from his best friend. He started to envision the burning bakery and shoved his eyes closed with a trembling sniff.” [color=limegreen]Please..no…not again…[/color]” He whispered to himself, a furious fervor spurred him on as he gave the wine-soaked woman a quick apologizing bow, then kicked off his heels to rush through the last stretch of the crowd, yet the woman, infuriated at the pitiful offering of apology made to grab at his arm demanding proper compensation, but with a skillful spin of his heels, he had spun his body, twisting his way around the woman narrowly slipping by the hand that aimed to deny him his way forward. Spinning to a stop past the woman with a steadying hold of his hat to prevent it from flying off, then glanced back over his shoulder to give the stunned woman an apologetic tilt of the hat before regretting the mess his haste had caused her. With the way nearly clear now, Kazu rushed into a near sprint to make his way through, where a small group of four nearly blocked the way. A gap opened, which he wasted no time moving for, his last hurdle just a few steps away; an unexpected turn of one of the individuals just as he reached them. With no time to stop this time and cursing his reckless rush, Kazu had little choice but to jump his way through or find himself tripping and stumbling into them. Holding his breath and a slight twirl of the body, he barely slipped through and landed on his left foot after two near-stumbling hops and came to a skidded halt with a faint thump of the hat tumbling down, his body outstretched nearly horizontally with his arms waving about trying to regain his balance. For a moment, his body stood in place while ahead he could see the sideways figure of Olivia, only a few steps ahead of them, and further past her, the ominous form of King Edin, seen looming tall and foreboding with rage over the hugged Lorenzo, Cass standing at her back. He gulped at the strange and uncertain situation before him; a flurry of feelings and thoughts threatened to envelop him. Yet, as he looked at Olive’s slender back, her vibrant green leafy dress fluttered like a giant, beautiful tree caught within a furious storm. With an understanding nod, Kazu bent and reached to gingerly scoop up the hat, then casually slid to a standing pose; a dusting check of the hat ensuring the sunflowers were safe before softly placing it atop his head. A fixing tug of the hem of his shirt, a pull of the collar, all done nonchalantly as if all of what just transpired never happened. A final fixing pull of his sleeves, Kazu began walking, each step carried a weighted purpose, his gait slow and purposeful, his gaze trembling in struggling emotions. Quietly, Kazu walked forward, ignoring the judging eyes, past the burning visage of Alibeth, a reminder that held him steadfast on what he intended to do. 5 steps away He could not help but admire and adore the way she stood against any threat without fear, ready to jump to her friend's aid, no matter the opponent. 4 steps away He felt and shared in her rage and disgust at the King, who stood falsely proud and in sham glory. How he wanted nothing more than to cheer her on; to see King Edin knocked from his throne, humbled 3 steps away Fear gripped his heart with the realization of a missing queen’s presence, her chair gone. Saddened eyes, mournful of the way his beloved friend learned the cruel truth unprepared. 2 steps away She walked with a fire barely contained, a fury that threatens to overwhelm and burn all away, a wickedness that aimed to make her fall, to turn her wondrous gift into the monster her parents and the world heartlessly saw her as. 1 step away He stood, towering behind Olivia, reminded again of her small size, and yet she always stood so tall and unrelentingly herself. Refusing to take shit or stand any harm to those close to her..and yet be so gentle and kind; to others she was a dangerous fire, too hot-headed for her own good, to him she was a bright flame that soothed and comforted and only burned those deserving it. And her fire, here, felt deserved but…but this was not back at home or the streets. Here, before the king, her ire could only spell doom for magic…for her. He peered down at her hair, like fields of strawberries, both thankful and frustrated that he couldn’t see her face in this moment; afraid of how he might react were he to look into her eyes. A distraction he desired but could not afford, not now. Right now, just being here and close had to be enough. Calming her down, stopping the dark rage, was all that mattered at this moment. His gloved hands lifted hesitantly, unsure if it was right or ok to do so, here before everyone. A tinge of embarrassment touched his freckled cheeks as his hands gently moved until they felt gloved fingers grip her arms, and, with a delicate grip, he slowly lifted Olivia until her feet were just off the floor. He held her with a soft, caring, protective caress as memories of a lullaby tune filled his mind; one he thought to ignore, to forget, for they were painful, sad memories, but the song had held in his heart, had made enduring the darkness of the world bearable, one that he wished to share with her. Then, resting his chin in her silky soft hair, feeling the warmth and sweet scent, and with it felt the world, his fears, his hesitations all melt away around him, with only the touch of Olive in his arms. And softly, Kazu began to hum the lullaby for her, the words forgotten, a singing voice foreign and yet familiar, beautiful as a nightingale and comforting as a mother’s love. Losing himself in the lost memory, a [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRvJHcOyFuw] dream shared [/url] -On a cloudless night, the sky bloomed with a galaxy of stars. A lone maiden glided her way through the dark forest with a babe held close in a protective embrace of her arms, the moon glowing lusterous blue at her back, guiding her through the dark. She walked with bare feet, a red trail left in her wake and tears in her eyes; pain bore through her, yet she sang, a lullaby for her giggly child who peered up at her blurry face that had long left his mind, her words forgotten, but the emotion and love were felt, etched into his heart. The babe giggled, reaching for her night-black hair, swaying like twinkling stars, a babbling smile peering up at amber eyes bright and warming as the sun that shed rain, a sweet kiss of the cheek as she sang of dreams, a melody to keep the darkness away, to soothe the heart when feeling sad, to comfort when alone. A promise he would never be lost as long as he dreamt of smiles, of the stars that would always light the way, and the moon would always be with him. A dream to be shared even when it could not be remembered.- With a quiet sigh, the memory faded away as if he had just awakened; the humming and soft rocking of their bodies slowly ebbed to a stop. Blinking away the welled-up tears, a nervous gulp as everything flowed back into view, and with a shaky exhale, Kazu gently placed her down, hoping he had calmed her down, though he was prepared to be smacked or laughed at. But it was worth it to keep from losing Olivia to this wicked kingdom that vilified magic, or to the dark flames that threatened to destroy the sweetest sunflower. As he put her down, he did not move to pull away just yet, wanting to savor the caress of her hair just a moment longer. A chance he took to hide his words meant just for her.” [color=limegreen]It’s ok…Percy..it’l be ok. I know..I know you can't stand that slug bastard.[/color]” His hands briefly squeezed her arms in a steadying grip, a flash of this morning, the horrid stench of flesh, then a soft inhale of strawberries washed the disdain and anger away.” [color=limegreen]But not here..not like this..please.[/color]” Lightly shaking his head pleading, struggling to find what to say, his hands gave her arms a tender rub before letting them fall to his side.”[color=limegreen] …I know it's hard to hold it in, but I..we are here for you.[/color]” A momentary glance towards Char and Cass, grateful for the two being her friends. “ [color=limegreen]For now, it’s best we hang back and let them handle it, but I promise you, the king, Calbert, and all those fuckers that have hurt you..hurt Char, will get their just desserts, the day you can be free will come.[/color]” He whispered through strained lips, uncertain if it was possible, but he would fight tooth and nail to find a way. Then he gave a gentle, reassuring smile.” [color=limegreen]Once this settles down, we can all go back and eat together to fill our bellies and mood. And…maybe..maybe a dance too? How does that sound?[/color]” Kazu hesitated at the last bit, holding out hope that he managed to convince Olive to back down, difficult as it must be to let the king’s disgusting behaviour stand. A spark of his eye showed, though if he made any attempt or move on Charlotte, then all bets were off, but a conflict here was the last thing he wanted. With an accepting sharp exhale of his nose, the cowlicked blonde reluctantly stepped back waiting for what his dear friend would do and turned his gaze to Duke Lorenzo, taking in the deep weariness and sadness that lurked in the man’s eyes; they held a deep hurt from a grave loss, though where he thought the man broken, a fire still burned buried beneath it all. And the source of it embraced him in a loving hug only a parent’s child could give. [/color]