ayzrules

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

Mai Mei of Liang

Mai inclined her head in response to Elizaveta's curtsy, meeting her gaze as the other woman began to speak. "I am glad that we have a chance to talk to one another, Mai responded. She laughed lightly at her comment about her title of Grand Duchess. "Very well, Veta, and please, simply call me Mai. I agree with you-fancy titles are so..." Mai trailed off, wrinkling her nose slightly. "They're so old-fashioned. May I be blunt with you, Veta? I think both of our kingdoms are ready for something that isn't old-fashioned at this point, if you know what I mean." Mai laughed sheepishly. "Don't get me wrong, being old-fashioned is not a bad thing. But sometimes it is truly refreshing to be a little more free-spirited, no?"

Here Mai paused and chuckled softly, thinking back to the previous day. "Why, just yesterday, my betrothed-Prince Niklas Konig of Konig der Welten-introduced me as, ah, what was it? A 'lovely feline named Princess Meow from Lirooow'? Mai laughed again. "I had no idea what to make of that!"

Mai admired the way that Elizaveta could wear the simplest outfit so effortlessly. Mai herself only felt like a true princess after coating her face in layers of cosmetics and donning her favorite pair of spiky heels. She supposed that was a flaw of hers that couldn't be helped, given her upbringing. "I am having a wonderful time here so far, and I hope that you are as well," replied Mai to Elizaveta's last comment, not letting the slight twitch of her brow slide past her.

Did I say something that offended her? Mai wondered, until she caught a glimpse of Princess Caterina Versini of Svearike's confident saunter striding in the opposite direction of Prince Nikolai Johanssen of Anduin's more laid back walk. Ah. Well, I shall stay out of this, but it is certainly an interesting tidbit. I seem to recall that their kingdoms have a... history with each other.

Prince Nikolai entered the ball room, greeting everybody as he did so. Mai smiled politely at him as he looked at Elizaveta. "Good morning," she said.

Again, Mai could not help but to admire the way the two complemented each other. It would have been the perfect betrothal in Mai's eyes if she had not taken note of the minuscule twitch in Elizaveta's expression when she saw her betrothed with another woman.

All things aside, Elizaveta truly had more strength in her than most people thought, that much was clear. Mai was almost envious of how she seemed to think the best of people until given reason to think otherwise. Mai had stopped doing that herself a long, long time ago.

Mai's gaze flitted to the entrance as Princess Feora Swinth of Wulfswinth strode in. Like Veta, she wore a more casual outfit. The princess of Wulfswinth was smiling, though there seemed to be a slightly forced quality behind it. Mai guessed that she was not very happy about being in Aciras, but she could not say for certain.

In any case, it would have been rude to ignore the other princess, so Mai turned in her direction and smiled back. "Good morning, Princess Feora," she said. "I must say, that shade of green suits you perfectly."

There. At least that part was sincere.

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

Will have something up tomorrow or friday!!

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

Mai Mei of Liang

Mai blinked blearily, letting her eyes adjust to the light coming from the weak morning sun filtering through the thin curtains that covered the window. She remained in bed for a moment longer, letting herself savor one last second of peace and quiet, before turning on her side to the ​clock that sat on the night stand next to the four-poster bed. Mai was pleased to find that it was still quite early, which gave her ample time to prepare for the day.

She sat up, pushing aside the covers, and stretched like a cat. Mai stood up and padded softly over to the vanity in the opposite corner of the room. There, her belongings had already been carefully laid out the night before. She was pleased to find that one suitcase in particular had not been touched-it contained most of her ball gowns, and tucked away into the folds of the ball gowns were her beloved bladed fans and hairpins and parasols. Mai had by no means brought along her entire collection of them, but the small number she'd slipped into her suitcase would be enough for her stay in Aciras.

Much like the day before, Mai had already planned out what she would wear weeks in advance. Mai brushed out her hair slowly and methodically, as she always did, and pinned it to the side while she focused on other aspects of her appearance. A pair of pearl studs went on her ears, and a black choker with a pearl pendant to match the earrings went around her neck.

Mai procured a curling iron and carefully teased her wavy black hair into a vintage hairstyle reminiscent of 1940's Shanghai. It took a great deal of hair spray for her hair to keep its shape, but Mai was pleased with the final product. Mai arranged a few bobby pins with wickedly sharp ends into her hair, their presence swallowed up by the inky black curls framing her face.

Hair

Moving onto make-up, Mai's fingers hovered over the array of eye shadows, blushes, lipsticks, and eyeliner pencils neatly spread out in front over her. She began with a thin layer of foundation to cover up any slight blemishes on her face. Then came a light coat of blush. Mai tackled her eyes with a mascara wand and black eyeliner, brushing the barest hint of a soft black eye shadow over her eyelids. And last but not least-lipstick. Mai selected a deep, glossy red to match her dress.

Speaking of dresses: Mai walked over to the closet, where she had hung up the dress she planned on wearing to breakfast the night before. It was a gleaming shade of red somewhere in between crimson and burgundy, made of taffeta with a skirt that reached just above her knees. It was rather simple, Mai had to admit, but there was a certain elegance in its simplicity. She donned the dress and surveyed herself in the mirror once more.

Satisfied with her reflection, Mai put on a pair of black gloves that ended just below her elbows and stepped into her shoes-black high heels with a "bow" that wrapped around her ankles. She grabbed hand bag made of red leather "ruffles" and a parasol made of black lace, glanced at herself in the mirror one last time, and strode out of her bedchamber.

Outfit

Outside, both Ayreesha and Zheng were waiting for her. Both of them stood up at the sound of her arrival. Zheng opened his mouth to speak, but Ayreesha beat him to it.

"Good morning, princess. Please, you must allow me to attend to you as you get ready next time," Ayreesha said.

Mai gave her a gentle smile while her insides churned with suspicion. What game is Casimir playing at? she thought.

"I assure you, Ayreesha, there is absolutely no need for that," Mai replied.

Zheng cleared his throat. "Princess. You slept well, yes?" He seemed uncomfortable with Ayreesha in the room, so Mai turned to the other woman and sent her away on some meaningless chore.

With Ayreesha gone, Mai was able to speak freely. Zheng relaxed as well. "I slept well, yes. And you?" Mai answered, switching to her native tongue.

"The same. How is Prince Niklas?"

Mai paused. "He is...fine, so far. He is perfectly charming and flattering in every way, as expected."

"Hmph. I see. I assume you know what's planned for today, Mai?"

Mai rolled her eyes in a very un-ladylike manner. "Of course I do, Zheng. And I believe it is time for breakfast. Shall we?"

Zheng gestured towards the door. "Lead the way."

The two of them strolled down the elegant carpeted corridors to the dining room. As they walked, Mai couldn't help but to mentally wrinkle her nose slightly at the royal gardens that she caught a glimpse of from the window. Oh, it's all very beautiful, yes, but it's so controlled. It's so very Western. I'd much rather be in the palace in Peking, surrounded by the harmony between buildings and plants that my ancestors valued so much.

The absurdity of criticizing architecture at an event of such a grand scale almost made Mai laugh out loud.

She and Zheng soon arrived at the dining room. They were rather early, as evidenced by the fact that only Princess Raven Willow of Aciras and Princess Elizaveta Romanova of Noslainia were in the room. Mai smiled a greeting to her host as Zheng melted away from her side. Elizaveta was closer to Mai, so Mai decided to approach her instead.

"Good morning, Grand Duchess. I do not believe I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance yet. I am Mai Mei of Liang, and it is an honor to meet you," Mai said in a pleasant voice, extending her right hand.

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

oh okay thanks guys I wasn't really sure what the deal was with that whole shebang
anyway i should be posting either today or tomorrow!

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

@HaleyTheRandom yo just a question is zhou still being assassinated b/c it's day 2 and clock dropped out ages ago lol

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

just a heads-up, i will not have internet access from monday to wednesday this coming week-i will try to post sometime today, but i can't guarantee that i'll be able to find the time

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

Mai Mei of Liang

What the hell did Niklas just say? Mai thought in disbelief, a look of horror flashing over her face. She quickly composed herself, arranging her expression into one of polite bemusement as Prince Edwin Drakewine of the Empire of Britannia began to respond.

Mai felt slightly comforted that Prince Edwin replied with something equally ridiculous after a few seconds of silent bewilderment. 'King Rich Twit the Seventeenth?' Mai echoed silently. Goodness gracious. What is going on?

Mai subtly glanced down towards Princess Liviana Traianus of the Lusitanian Empire. The diminutive princess's expression perfectly mirrored Mai's own-that is, until she let a giggle escape from her. I suppose if nobody is offended, what just happened has done no harm.

Mai tilted her head to the side and studied Prince Edwin with slightly parted lips. She supposed that she ought to respond to the last bit of his 'introduction'. It was the most sensible thing that had been said in the entire conversation thus far. Mai smiled sweetly at him, her eyes glittering with a mischievous mirth. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince Edwin-or should I say, King Rich Twit the Seventeenth?" Mai began, laughing softly, all traces of her earlier surprise and shock completely gone. "I must say, you and Prince Niklas would make quite the dynamic duo. Prince Hooligan and King Rich Twit. Does that not have a wonderful ring to it?"

Mai then let her eyes stray to Liviana Traianus. The child-like princess wore a loose garment that resembled a tunic. Mai thought that it was more of a cross between a tunic and a dress. The dark violet fabric complemented her pale complexion nicely. There was an ivory wrap hanging from her shoulders, and Liviana's hair was done up in an messy braided up-do. Her eyes were set off with a heavy layer of gold eye shadow and mascara, and her cheeks were dusted with blush. It was a very elegant ensemble-albeit something very, very different from what Mai would have worn herself-though it looked just a tad out of place on someone as small as Liviana.

The sweet smile returned. "Princess Liviana, I must say that it is truly an honor to meet you as well. How are you on this lovely morning?" said Mai. "I have to admit that I absolutely adore the wrap you are wearing. What is it made of? It is such a sheer, delicate thing, yet it is completely opaque. It is simply gorgeous," she gushed.

Mai paused for a second and glanced at Niklas before continuing. "My betrothed-Prince Niklas is his true name, as I am sure you two already are aware of, if you will forgive me for being serious for just this moment-and I are merely here to make conversation. One cannot attend an event of this size without a bit of socializing, no? Mai laughed lightly. So far, neither Prince Edwin nor Princess Liviana appeared to be the type that got riled up for no reason or were too stiff to take a joke, as evidenced by their respective reactions to Niklas's absurd introduction.

Mai's dark eyes sparkled with playfulness, and a coy smile twitched at her lips. "I do wonder what the result of the next three months will be. I do not doubt that the marriages will be as prosperous as we can hope for. I am more interested in the friendships that come out of this...and, of course, the new fashion ideas that I will be sure to acquire from this mixing of royalty. Princess Liviana, you must show me how you did your hair this morning at some later date. I cannot possibly fathom how you managed to create such a wonderfully free-flowing yet controlled style without wanting to simply pull your hair out! And I'm sure that all of us could spend hours discussing the most fascinating of topics." Mai chuckled. "Everything from ancient history to winged eyeliner, no?"

Mai fell silent, giving the others a chance to respond. Things were coming along nicely, and if she could make an ally out of the Empire of Britannia, the Lusitanian Empire, or both, then her borderline rambling had not gone to waste. As much as I hate to judge based on first impressions and appearances, I believe that Prince Edwin will be the tougher nut to crack, so to speak. Princess Liviana is already quite insecure, or so I've inferred, and as along as I do not say anything blatantly offensive or too sensitive for her, the occasional ferocity that I have read about should not ever be directed towards either Niklas or I. And I cannot say how relieved I am that Prince Edwin had the good grace to return Niklas's absurd introduction with an absurd introduction of his own. If he had been a prim and proper prince who was obsessed with etiquette...oh, that would have been humiliating. I don't even want to think about it.

Mai surveyed the rest of the ball room. Princes and princesses were moving about, conversing with one another under the elegant chandelier. Hmm. Well, I certainly cannot say that these next three months will not be interesting. No, I suppose there will be plenty of things to keep my mind occupied while I am in Aciras.

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

^^^^^^^

Assassin School RP

potentially interested

When Royalty Collides ~Closed~

@HaleyTheRandom it's a long way back, haha
right before we started talking about assassinations on ooc i think