While Prince’s Court had begun with promise, it soon devolved into tedium. No one else brought him wine, or produce to antagonize a king with, or even a simple glimpse at a real person. An hour was spent writhing under a spotlight while a crowd of unfamiliar faces looked on. There was nothing to do but wait around for someone to approach and then engage in what felt like the same conversations played on repeat. It was hard to just sit there and be still and look regal, so he drummed his fingers against the table and fidgeted with the stuff on the table. Callum tried to be still when someone else sat across from him but he held no doubts that every onlooker could see just how much he did not want to be there. Don’t be rude. Don’t be rude. Don’t be rude. He had to keep reminding himself because he kept forgetting.
He could handle the attention when he was biting into onions or making announcements from atop a table, but doing nothing like he was now, felt so wasteful. Right now he was practically on a stage with enough eyes and ears near him that he could do something that mattered if only he were made of something other than bad ideas and impotent rebellions. So he only tried his best to do what he was supposed to do on this stage and blend in with the scenery, but even as nothing more than a prop, Cal performed poorly.
Then there was Wulfric, placing a grounding hand on his shoulder, offering him a path to escape. He didn’t have to be here anymore. As much as he wanted to flee his chair in the same way Ruby had earlier, he held back. Callum didn’t bother to look his brother’s way, only nodded his agreement and waited. He wasn’t going to let Wulfric know he’d done him a favor, that would feel like a loss in the imaginary war he was in with his brother.
Wulfric made his exit from the ballroom and Callum sat through another conversation that left his mind as soon as it ended. He didn’t announce his departure or wait for any official dismissal; Cal only nodded at Edin and left the ballroom taking the handkerchief and worm pot with him.
But he didn’t go directly to Wulfric’s office, but meandered through the hallways, taking the scenic route, to go see his brother. He studied the railing as he climbed his way up the stairs. He took detours through various rooms looking like a lost tourist as he studied objects he’d seen hundreds of times. He again stopped at his own bedroom and placed the handkerchief and tiny worm pot on his desk. He drank more whiskey. Enough to wash away any lingering taste of onion. He locked his bedroom door as he left. He staggered around the second floor some more, taking the longest path possible to Wulfric’s office. Just to be a nuisance.
Callum knocked once against the door to Wulfric’s office before opening the door and walking in without waiting for a response. “You wanted to see me? Again?” He walked into the room, left the door open, and made his way to one of the couches. He flopped onto the couch and swung his legs up and laid back, letting his feet rest atop one armrest and his head on the other. “Surely a Crown Prince has better things to do than keep tabs on his brother all day.” Callum grinned and on instinct, he poked the bear to see how angry it was.
Time: Morning, 12 pm Location: Athletic Arena Interactions: Mina @Tae, Dr. John @Conscripts
As they made their way through the exiting crowd of people and just far enough away from the arena to be greeted with fresh air, John approached. “Exceptional timing doctor,” Leo offered both a quick bow and nod of approval. Leo gave John the details of what happened with Mina during the execution as precisely and accurately as he could remember. Doctor’s appreciated that sort of thing and John was worth staying on the best possible terms with.
He then hesitated for a moment before adding, “With the possibility of recent druggings I hope I did not overact in sending for you. Sorry if I troubled you.” Leo gave a polite smile. True or not it was an interesting notion to float about. A conspiracy in Sorian to drug and make fools of foreign nobles, one that could even be linked to the two youngest Danrose royals, that had some potential to make the summer a little more interesting.
“Anytime, Lady Mina, and if you need anything do not hesitate to ask. May your day only get better.” Leo smiled, bowed, and turned to the ever-reliable doctor. “And a good day to you John. I believe the bull riding is beginning shortly, maybe I’ll be seeing you later.” Leo offered with a sincere grin before heading off in the direction of the arena.
Time: Morning, 12pm Location: Athletic Arena Interactions: Mina @Tae Mentions: Dr. John @Conscripts
“Fetch Dr. Williamson. Immediately.” Leo snapped an order at those closest to him as Mina began convulsing. Fainting was one thing, fits were entirely another. Many around them panicked, but Leo did not, he put that effort into action. He kept her head cradled so she couldn’t knock it against the wooden seating and tilted towards the side, to keep her from choking. It ended a few frightful seconds later. Whoever had asked if she was dead was lucky that his attention was entirely focused on Mina.
Her chest's subtle rise and fall had stopped for several moments too long before a sudden gasp brought her back to consciousness. He echoed with a small sigh of relief and returned her hug. One he was not forced to tolerate, nor did he worry about whether it was appropriate, because comforting a shaken friend mattered much more than how such things were seen in Caesonia. “Nothing to be sorry about. I’m glad you’re okay.” Leo spoke just as she let him go. As Mina returned to her feet, Leo followed and stayed close by her side in case she was still unsteady.
Despite Mina’s attempts to convince herself that she was fine, peaked and panicked would be a more accurate description of how she looked as her eyes darted around the crowd. “It is rather hot here, and the air is entirely unpleasant, would you care to escort me out of the arena? Somewhere with a bit of shade.” He offered his arm to her, a polite and transparent attempt to remove her from the situation that had caused her distress.
“I sent someone to try and locate John.” Leo hoped whoever it was would not just simply return with any doctor, potentially one of the many crackpots in Caesonia, instead of the rational Varian. “We should wait for him as well, ensure no one has slipped you anything.” He whispered the last part. He was not convinced Mina was fine; watching a man burn could cause a fainting spell but not some sort of seizure. These events involved far too much mingling around the common people and it would be too easy for one of them to slip poison into food or drink.
“What a coincidence, mine also likes to call for heads at minor inconveniences. So we have mutually assured destruction to ensure this conversation stays at this table.” Callum offered, far more engaged in this conversation than he was a moment ago. He hadn’t expected her to stay or express a similar dislike for noble life. “It’s a pleasure to meet Ari.” He added and smiled sincerely the way he only did around people who talked to him without a mask on.
“Can’t stay I’ve ever been in a ravine, or too far from here really.” Cal added, not that he’d ever sought out those secluded parts of nature either. “But the gardens make me all sneezy and congested and so I guess I’ve never thought of myself as an outdoor person. Sounds beautiful, the way you describe it.” He took another drink from his glass, partially because it was there and because he didn’t know what else to add. Everything he knew about nature came only from books.
Ari smiled at his interest in the forest she mentioned “ Oh it’s lovely, and allergy free. There arn’t any flowers here per say, maybe a couple berry bushes. Its wonderful, you walk through a arch that a tree has naturally formed and push through some vines and leaves from the surrounding tree. Once you pass there its like a little secluded oasis. There is a river that runs through the little cove” Ari’s face lit up as she spoke about her secret place, her hands drawing a little image on the table as her mind sparked the memory of the place. “ On one side there is some berry bushes and a tree line and on the opposite side is a lush grassy area with a giant waterfall over looking the ravine. Me and the only other person who knows of this place, well we built a little fort out of twigs and dead branches we found. When you enter this oasis its forbidden to wear shoes and me and my friend will actually remove all the troublesome gowns and just wear what a servant may. “ she stopped as she realized she had started rambling. “ I’m sorry, this is likely boring you. If you do ever find yourself interested though, I would love to show it to you sometime. I wasn’t much of an outdoors person myself either until I was shown that particular spot where I could just be Ari.” She smiled “ That would mean you could just be Callum there and no one would be the wiser. “ She looked around nervously as her fingers twiddled on the table top. She wouldn’t tell him that it was actually Anastasia’s place that she shared with Ari, gifting it too her a few years ago. Since then they would run off during their political meetings at the estate and hide in the woods. “ What kind of things do you enjoy doing ? “ she asked actually interested in getting to know this not prince Callum.
Callum chewed at the edge of his tongue to keep himself from saying anything. Mostly things like he thought he might be allergic to the grass too, or that thinking about walking around without shoes on made his skin crawl, and that while it all sounded really nice in theory, he was pretty sure it also sounded like the kind of place where you got eaten alive by mosquitoes, or something worse. He didn’t interrupt because he didn’t want to keep being the Callum that was afraid of things just because they were different from all the familiar things he hated.
Instead, Cal tried to just think of Ari’s spot in the woods only the way she described it and it helped that she seemed to get lost in whatever bit of happiness that place brought her. Then being alone, or with a friend, in a place where everything was very real, even if it was barefoot, sounded a lot better than the palace ever did. “You’re not boring me. This place bores me, same shi-” Callum stopped and changed his wording, ”stuff all the time and none of it matters. So whatever you say that is different from what people normally say in palace ballrooms is way better.”
He took another drink and tried to think of things he enjoyed. “When I’m stuck here, my place is the library, more books than people, and it’s quiet, and organized, mostly. And I do like to learn new things but I never really liked doing new things. Which doesn’t even make much sense because I don’t even like most of what I spend my time doing. So, I guess, what I mean is next time you want someone to walk around barefoot in a ravine with, I’m in.” He was sure to be as honest as he could be in his response, he didn’t want to lie to Ari but he also wasn’t going to outright admit an interest in magic.
Ari listened in with ease to him opening up to her. She was surprised to find out that Callum was alot like her just before she met Anastasia. She had opened her up to so many possibilities she had even yet too try or dare to even try. “ I couldn’t agree more, so much focus on empty promises, money and status. My mother wants me to wed and find someone that can bring me wealth and status, I dont want to disappoint her but at the same time I sometimes wish I were a farmers daughter instead. Maybe then I could have more freedom, less restrictions and wouldn’t need to wear these blasted outfits. “ She bit her lip as she looked back up at him from staring at her fingers. “ Maybe actually be able to experience and live like the stories in those books that sit in the libraries. Sometimes I get envious of the characters.” She found it strange how quickly she was able to open up to him, she had never spoken to anyone so candidly. Even with Anastasia it took her a long time before she really got to know her.
Ari let out a gleeful smile as he accepted her offer to visit her secret oasis. She was excited to share it with someone. ”well..Since we both seem to be in similar situations, I’ll make you a deal. If you do indeed try something new then I too shall do the same, your pick. Name it and we shall do it. I for one have never really experienced anything either, mainly due to all the eyes on me but it could be fun.” she shrugged “ if I were really bold, I’d sneek out of here to escape this dreadful event…” she paused for a moment , since he seemed to be so open with her already she was curious about one thing. “ Is that why you did the whole onion bit earlier? Was it to make a statement of some sort? Onions wouldnt be my first choice but it certainly kept alot of the women away. So many were moving away from the table, and when I saw you struggling after a rather funny display I must say, I felt inclined to come over and atleast relieve you from the burns.”
“I didn’t think the onion would be half that bad. But it was there, and the woman here before you tripped over the chair, and that made a scene, so I made another scene.” He said, grinning that Ari had seen his antics as amusing rather than idiotic. But he also knew that wasn’t much of an answer. Since he had someone’s ear, he finished his glass of wine in a final long drink before leaning forward and speaking in a quieter voice.
“And Edin’s here, and he can’t stand it when things don’t go exactly his way. So I did the first thing that popped into my head because I knew it would make him mad at me, but that’s not anything new. So I guess, it’s only fair to warn you, spend too much time around me and it’s probably going to land you on the King’s shit list.” He leaned back in his chair, and thought about what else she’d said. It wouldn’t be fair not to warn people that he was a bad luck charm, but he also hadn’t tried very hard. He did need to do more new things, what he was doing now was amounting to nothing. So someone who’d push him to try new things had to be a good thing. Plus Ari saw it, at least part of what he saw. And it probably wouldn’t kill him to talk to more people.
“Sometimes I want a different life, I think about being a bird and simply go where ever and do whatever I wanted. Or a farmer and spend my days growing food and feeding people instead of doing nothing and being surrounded by everything I didn’t earn. But the way things are, it’s not right.” Callum paused, realizing he was going too far. A few drinks and his thoughts just leaked right out. Talking about social pressures and suffocating formalities were one thing, but he couldn’t start spouting off about his rotten bloodline that was suffocating Caesonia. Not here, not with someone he barely knew.
“But I have this life, and for whatever reason, my name gets to matter more than a lot of names, so I get to try and use that to make things a little better. Today I thought eating an onion would help, so obviously, not going very well.” He pivoted and twisted his words so that he still believed it, and he wasn’t going to lie to someone who was being honest with him, but most of the truth was closed off. “So here’s a new thing, if you’re still interested, we find something we can do that will make Sorian a little better and do that.” He offered.
Ari sat back and listened , each time he spoke she was just more and more curious about Callum. She watched as he finished back the wine and leaned in dropping his voice as if to tell her a secret of his own which he certainly did. “ Well , that does sound like a wonderful thing and I am for that if that is what you choose but…” she paused “ That is what Prince Callum would do. A civil duty to help make Sorian a better place, and it is a noble thing and one I would gladly partake in but what would Callum do? You don't need to answer now, perhaps save it for another day. Going to a pub with wigs on and different outfits pretending to be farmers sounds fun to me…” she smiled at him. “ Well I do believe I have taken much of your time Callum.” She said as she rose out of her chair. “ To say this was a surprise would be an understatement but it certainly was enjoyable and refreshing to have such a welcomed conversation with someone. I hope we can venture into that little oasis sometime soon. “ Ariella curtsied , her violet eyes fixed on him as she kept her soft smile that she had been holding the whole event. She turned and left the table , walking past the large crowds still forming waiting for their chance with one of the other princes. Ariella however wanted to leave the event on a highnote. Knowing the other two Princes would likely ruin her mood with formalities she decided to set out for a different event.
Callum only flinched at the mention of having fun in a tavern. He tried not to hold that comment against her; she wasn’t there this morning to see that sometimes what sounded like harmless fun ended with a carriage driver being beaten and nearly killed. He could only wonder who Alibeth might find to punish if he was then caught taking Lady Edwards to a seedy tavern while dressed as farmers. He only nodded, and rose from his seat when she did, bowing once more.
“The pleasure was entirely mine, I am the one now getting a trip to an oasis out of this. I’m glad I had the chance to meet Ari instead of whoever it is your family wants you to be.” He said, returning her kind smile and reverting back to a more formal posture as she left. Then he sat back down in his chair and noticed that she had left her wine glass still on the table and entirely full. He pulled that glass closer to him and the strange array of items that were now collecting on his table.
Time: Morning, 11 am Location: Athletic Arena Interactions: Mina @Tae
Leo watched transfixed as the execution began. The guards made a dramatic unveiling of the stake and pyre before the criminal was cuffed to it. It was clear why no offer of a pardon was presented, the only answer to high treason was death. But even stranger that the royal family didn’t see this as worth their time; they showed indifference toward a crime that attacked order and rule of law.
Why the criminal had been allowed to keep his treacherous tongue, and why the guards had allowed him last words, was beyond Leo. The traitor’s ravings were wild and mad as he was granted both stage and audience to spread his chaotic notions about the king and hidden power. Ideas that now spread through the crowd. Leo wondered for a moment just how long they were going to permit this lunatic to rant. Far too long it seemed.
There was a subtle chill as the executioner was beckoned and strode towards the pyre, gleaming torch in hand. He felt Mina’s hand on his arm and heard her say “something isn’t right…”, just as the executioner removed her hood and decreed it time for the traitor to burn. It wasn’t right, the entire execution was a bungled mess so far but at least the finale would be difficult to screw up. He glanced at Mina, noting her closed eyes and disquiet expression. It was a surprise, Mina did not strike him as being easily shaken. Leo remembered the first time he’d seen a man burn, the immense weight of dread and horror that time and experience had rid him of as he stood to watch another. There was a spark of envy and a sobering realization that he didn’t feel much of anything to watch this now.
The torch was finally dropped upon the pyre. Even stranger, as much as the doomed man struggled amidst the rising flames and billows of smoke, he did not scream. He laughed. And from within the flames, a flash of glowing red orbs that Leo mistook for rising embers, glowed. One of the guards, it seemed, had accidentally lit his own pants on fire. What an idiot. Leo shook his head, he had more than a good idea of the state of Caesonia now. His odd nostalgia, and burning curiosity, for the event, were far less important than Mina’s current state of distress. Leo was about to offer to escort her somewhere else when she took a weak couple of steps backward.
“Mina?” She was now a ghastly shade of pale. He moved to steady her, an arm around her waist with enough time to stop her from crashing to the ground just as her slight frame became only dead weight. He gently guided her down onto one of the seating benches in the area, unceremoniously pushing anyone nearby out of the way. “Mina?” He repeated softly. He knelt to her level and figured the event had all just been a bit too much for her, surely she’d be up in a few moments.
Time: 11:00 am Location: Ballroom Interactions: Ariella@Tpartywithzombi
Callum honestly expected the public interest in talking with him now to have dropped off. He certainly wasn’t expecting any interest in him from anyone perched at the top of the Caesonian hierarchy. So to find Ariella Edward’s violet eyes on him was a surprise.
Salvation walked towards his table, not in the form of the red-haired noblewoman, but in the glasses of wine held in her hand. He imagined quite a few mothers out there had advised their hopeful daughters that winning over Prince Callum was as easy as keeping a filled wine glass in his hand. Not bad advice either, but why anyone would view capturing his hand as a prize was beyond him. He wasn’t going to be a king, he wasn’t even liked by the current king or the crowned prince, whatever small gain they thought he could provide was already long gone.
" Forgive my intrusion, Prince Callum." She spoke, curtsied, and offered him not only a glass of wine but a cloth of cold water as well. It was a kind gesture. And it was so hard to tell whether people were being nice to Prince Callum or to just Callum. Either way, he still reached for the glass of wine as soon as it was placed on the table. The wine also tasted more like onion than wine but he didn’t hold it against the drink.
“Thank you, and you’re not intruding, anyone who brings a drink is always welcomed around me.” Callum replied flippantly but he’d still risen from his chair to bow to her before sitting back down. Cal leaned his head back and put the cloth on his eyes. It really did help. So he relaxed a bit and found it easier to just listen to Ariella this way; when he couldn’t see the extravagant efforts put into appearances and he could just think of her as a person and not one of the Edwards. She asked if she could sit as she made her introduction.
“You may, and I know who you are,” Callum added but he realized that wasn’t entirely true. “Well I guess I mean, I know your name and who your parents are, but that’s really not the same thing is it?” He’d hated being thought of as being like his parents, he wasn’t going to do that to other people, even if he had seen enough glimpses of Dutchess Edwards to know she was awful.
“I think I should let you know that if you're looking to talk officially with a proper prince who enjoys all of this,” Callum gestured with one hand to the entirety of the ballroom, “and is looking to end this summer with a wedding, then you’ve picked the wrong table.” He took the cloth off his eyes and sat it down next to the onion and the worm pot. Ariella came from the same sort of family as him, illusions surrounded both their lives, and if she wanted someone to feed into all that there were plenty of nobles around who would. “But if you still want to talk to the idiot who ate an onion off the floor a few minutes ago, he’s more than happy to share a drink. As long as you’re fine with dropping the titles, I’d rather just be a person right now than a prince.” Callum made his offer and waited, fully expecting her to leave to speak with one of his brothers.
Time: 11:00 am Location: Ballroom Interactions: none
"GUARDS! Get that onion woman away from my sons! NOW! And Callum, conduct yourself with some respect for the ladies if not for yourself!"
Callum made his way back to his seat, still staring at Edin, and loudly chewing that same onion bite with his mouth wide open. Now that he had a mouthful of onion he didn’t particularly want to swallow it. His eyes burned, his mouth was filled with onion-infused saliva, and he had to choke down this god-awful decision or give Edin the satisfaction of him acknowledging in any way that eating this onion was a bad idea. So Callum sat back down in his chair, continuing his show of preformative mastication until the onion that was in his mouth was entirely mush. Then he choked it down and chased it with what remained in his cup of coffee.
Another bad idea because coffee mixed with onion was not in any way better than onion alone. He realized he could have spit the onion into the cup but it was way too late for that. Everything still tasted like onions, but he didn’t let a single expression slip through to betray how disgusting he found the experience. He looked away from Edin, who had long stopped paying attention anyway, and looked ahead at whoever else was still watching. Surely no one here wanted to sit and chat with someone who just had his last visitor leave tripping over the chair to get away and who ate onions off the floor. Maybe he wouldn’t have to disappoint anyone else here, they’d already know what they were getting into.
Since Edin wasn’t looking, Callum tried to discreetly wipe the tears out of his eyes and drool from his mouth on his sleeve. Except it was the sleeve that contained the hand that had been holding that damn onion and now his fingers smelled like the onion. His eyes only grew redder and more watery. No longer discrete, Cal next tried wiping his eyes clear with the other sleeve, and any victory he thought he had over Edin from eating that bite of onion with a straight face was now lost amongst the frequent face wiping and occasional gagging.
Gods only know how long he was now going to be stuck here where everything smelled and tasted like onion. But maybe he’d spared Ruby something; Edin’s full attention, or at least when people talked about this, and they would, maybe they’d all laugh at Callum eating an onion off the floor and not at the clumsy girl who tripped over a chair. He was fine with that, people thought there was something wrong with him anyway.
He gathered the peeled-off bits of the onion from the table and stuck them in his now empty coffee cup and placed the rest of the onion on top. He wasn’t eating any more of it, and it was probably one of his least favorite ideas, but maybe it had done something a little bit helpful. He didn’t feel good about it though, not because it was entirely disgusting and not because he was probably ruining the whole regal air of the event. No Callum currently felt like a jackass because he had promised Wulfric he wouldn’t do this. And then he did it. On a whim. Just like he pushed buttons because he knew where they were and he was angry enough not to care what happened after that. So he’d looked at just about everyone in that room while he was making another scene but not Wulfric, he didn’t have the nerve for that.
He noticed that Ruby really had left the tiny worm pot behind and he moved it closer to him. He was going to keep it safe until she wanted it back, and he figured she definitely would still want it back since he was doing a terrible job at this whole prince’s court thing. He wondered if someone would bring him a drink if he asked for one now. Probably not.
Time: Morning, 11 am Location: Athletic Arena Interactions: Mina @Tae
“I know what you meant, it is just a tender subject, which I also know you understand. And, thank you.” Leo answered with a soft and careful reply. It was a matter he did not need to casually discuss. It wasn’t polite conversation and Leo knew better than stand around and discuss topics that he was unable to remain calm and rational about. if he spoke on it for too long and he’d say things that weren’t for public ears. Grief would unravel and he was doing pretty well at keeping it coiled and contained. It was his burden to carry and the only person he could share burdens like that with was gone.
Mina’s words on the execution were easier to hear and she now had far more of his attention than the event taking place. While Leo had noted the absence of any members of the Caesonia’s royal family, he had not considered its potential importance beyond them not finding this particular criminal worth their time. Mina made a solid point; the game of acting as if a pardon could be earned, that the monarchs cared even for those who had lost the right to live, was necessary to keep the common folk believing that the game wasn’t rigged from the start. Without that hope, people got desperate. The trick was dosing it out, too much hope, and people got greedy, too little and you’d have a revolution pounding on the door. The common folk needed to be given those few scraps of hope to keep them quiet and dreaming of something better rather than demanding it.
“Hope really does make the sturdiest cages.” Leo agreed with her statement, not entirely sure if Mina had meant her observation in the way he’d taken it but it hardly mattered to him, it was a valuable insight nonetheless. “Now witnessing history, sounds like a fantastic way to spend the summer.” Leo grinned and dropped his voice to whisper before continuing.
“Whether it’s here or elsewhere, Sorian feels far less stable than I remember. Take last night’s party, every single noble in attendance now has a very bizarre case of amnesia for the entire event. And those parties have been recurring around here for a while now involving the two youngest Danrose royals.” Leo offered up his knowledge of last night’s events, it was hardly a secret, and word of it would spread quickly enough with or without his help.
“Not to mention at some point last night a prankster managed to sneak into my room and had more than enough time to ruin every pair of shoes I had here. Which says nothing good about security. Even the palace servants are hostile and unruly. Which is to say, from one Varian to another, thrilling and historic, almost certainly, but potentially dangerous here as well. Not that I would imply you can’t handle it, but added caution wouldn’t hurt.” Leo left out the fact that the said prankster revealed herself to be one of the hostile and unruly servants. There was no way he was going to willingly admit he’d been bested by some impoverished miscreant. He offered what he thought would be useful to Mina because he thought highly of both her and her uncle and she had shared insights with him.
Time: 11:00 am Location: Ballroom Interactions: Ruby @SausagePat, Auguste @Inertia, Edin
“Oh I can’t wait to return to the worms.”
“Same.” Callum muttered though he doubted that was the appropriate response. Ruby’s entire demeanor had changed, she seemed in a panic to get out, or at least away from him. Both the chair and Ruby crashed to the floor, and for some reason, there was now an onion rolling around as well. Well, there goes staying out of trouble. He really had tried to keep his word to Wulfric, but if they had really wanted this whole event to go smoothly then they wouldn’t have included him.
Cal wasn’t sure what he’d said wrong, maybe he’d gone on about worms too much. Or maybe it wasn’t entirely the fact that he was talking about worms but that everyone here, Ruby included, expected him to act more like a prince and be able to think of something more interesting than worms to talk about. Then again maybe five minutes was about all it took for people to figure out he wasn’t someone they wanted to be around. It didn’t much matter why, it was his fault, and now Ruby had made a spectacle and he had to fix it because Ruby seemed far too nice to deal with Edin’s attention.
“Sorry I-” Callum got up from his chair but didn’t get a chance to offer a hand to help Ruby up as she was already on her way out. Probably for the best, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say. Sorry, I ruined this event for you. Sorry, I’m kind of a shit prince. That didn’t seem like a useful thing to add right now, and he needed to try and find ways to be useful rather than just apologizing for messing things up. Callum picked up the chair and sat it back. Then he grabbed the onion off the floor and grinned.
“Hey, Auguste, I got a gift and a snack, not too bad huh?” He asked, louder than necessary as he slowly peeled off the first layer of the onion and set the peelings on the table. Cal made no effort to hide a grin as his eyes found Edin’s. Callum lifted up the raw onion and took a bite the same way he would’ve if it had been an apple.
But it was not an apple and whiskey, coffee, and a mouthful of raw onion were certainly not the breakfast of champions. It took most of his will not to hurl at the taste and the unwanted amount of onion juice now in his mouth. He forced himself to chew the crunchy bits of onion with a smile as his eyes never left Edin’s. “Mmm, my favorite.” He lied, mouth still full of half-chewed onion as he spoke. Then just because it was obnoxious he continued to chew with his mouth wide open.
Time: Morning, 11 am Location: Athletic Arena Interactions: Mina @Tae
Leo was caught off guard by Mina, and by her comment even more. He cringed momentarily before his jaw tightened as the words or is it Duke Smithwood now, rattled around in his head. The immediate instinct to snap back and shout that his father was not dead, not until there was proof, still tried to claw its way out of him. But it had been over a year and every day it got a little bit harder to even hope there was a chance he was alive. Every time it was brought up, no matter how subtly, it cracked that delusional hope just a little bit more.
“Lady Blackwood, your face is always a delight to see.” He spoke with a polite but hollow tone, bowed as was expected, and a polite smile twisted its way across his face. Leo took care to ensure nothing else beyond the image of a proper nobleman was seen.
“Stravy remains in the capable hands of her Dutchess,” Leo said, purposefully acknowledging only the true Dutchess of Stravy as he spoke, “and after last night’s folly I’m more than sure my mother has pushed back any thoughts of retirement plans.” He forced a calm and friendly reply; this was not a bridge to burn over an imagined slight. He knew Mina enough to assume she wasn’t here to make light of his loss and he held no animosity towards House Blackwood.
The issues between Leo and his mother were entirely personal, but in her duties as a Dutchess, he found very few faults and he was in no rush to be named a Duke. It felt far too soon to hold his father’s title and he wasn’t ready to accept it either. Going to late-night parties that draw ire from a foreign monarchy and nearly losing all composure with random servants was only proof that was true. His attention turned back to the execution as he thought about the other half of what Mina had said. He made no comment on the men who ended their lives before they could face the executioner’s justice, he figured his thoughts on that matter would be unwelcomed.
“It is effective, for a while. All these people here to watch, get their fill of bloodshed, and they’ll all leave thankful it wasn’t them, thinking as long as they stay in line it won’t be them awaiting the executioner. Until it stops working and they will all look for a new way to satisfy a need for blood.” That was the way the cycle went; those in power used brutality to keep the order only to have everything fall apart beneath revolutions. Then came chaos and in that chaos, a new power rose up and the cycle began again. “Thank the gods Varian has moved beyond such displays.” He added with a smirk. He almost meant it but he was here all the same enjoying the spectacle of old-fashioned public execution.
“This one already feels different, the man out there doesn’t look like a doomed man awaiting his fate. He looks like rage, like he still has something left to prove. Should be an interesting one.” Leo did little to hide his excitement as he spoke, they were both here to witness it, and he saw no reason to feign shame at that.
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