Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow really doesn't like Cedric ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

By the time Crow and John got back to the castle, the former was starting to feel his exhaustion catch up to him. Spending most of the day on horseback was a tiresome activity, especially since he wasn’t used to it, and he had a feeling he was going to wake up sore in all the muscles he wasn’t used to pushing for that long. On the contrary, Penelope’s father seemed to be doing fine. The viceroy wasn’t surprised though. John had been a knight long enough that he’d probably ridden horses far longer than just the middle of the afternoon. It would have been more shocking to see him worn down after just one training session in the field.

When they reached the Great Hall, the two parted ways without a word as the older man immediately headed toward a table of knights. Meanwhile, Crow lingered near the door as he sought Penelope’s face amongst the crowd. It took a moment before he spotted her, but then he stiffened when he caught sight of her company. He was careful not to let the full extent of his displeasure cross his face, but he still narrowed his eyes as he watched Cedric from across the room. Knowing that the other man was a former suitor of the woman he loved—and that he’d hurt her in the past—he detested seeing them together. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do to separate the two without raising any brows, so he silently set his jaw and made his way over to join them.

Naida was the first to notice him approaching. “Hey, Collin!” she grinned broadly and gestured with one hand at the open seat beside Penelope. It was then that the viceroy realized she must have pulled her usual trick to make sure he sat beside the knight.

Normally, he would have rolled his eyes at his half-sister’s antics, but since she had kept Penelope away from Cedric, he was grateful enough for the intervention that he didn’t express any annoyance. Instead, he took the spot compliantly and leaned in to rest his forearms on the table. “Hey,” he yawned, not bothering to hide his weariness from the others. “What have you been up to all day?”

“Party planning!” the princess sat up straighter and shot a glance at Penelope. “We finished all the invitations before supper.”

“Is that so?” Crow raised a brow, mildly impressed that they had written so many letters. Just one always took a toll on him. Sitting for a whole day writing one after another after another sounded torturous to him. It also reminded him that he still had to talk to the few noblemen and women that he had enough influence over to invite. He wasn’t fond of conversing with people who just wanted to use him—especially with the women who would flirt and bat their eyes—so he had been putting it off, but he’d promised Penelope he would do it, so he had to get it over with at some point.

“How is that going anyway?” he asked, turning to the knight beside him and lifting one hand to prop his cheek against in a lazy manner. The fact that he was avoiding eye contact with Cedric wasn’t completely discreet, but he used the excuse of talking to his sister and secret lover so his cold behavior wasn’t too out of place.

~Bonsoir~

If Victoria asked for one, Vail would send one of the Hygrace servants to buy one for her in the city xD He just wouldn't do it himself, since he wouldn't want to risk anyone noticing his lack of reflection in public

~Bonsoir~

The exterior would have all the classic elements of a Victorian building (lots of decorative features but a uniform, dark color) and the interior would also be styled like the time with over-the-top decor. If you Google Victorian interior design, you'll see a lot of the same. Throw pillows, figurines, china cabinets, large paintings, etc. Essentially a housemaid's worst nightmare. I'll include a few specific images I found that would be similar to the way the Hygrace manor looks specifically ^^

Victorian interior

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EDIT: I forgot to mention the one feature that would be missing is mirrors. Since it's a family of vampires with no reflection, they have no use for them.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

The way Iris got excited over every little thing they did brought a smile to Cas’s lips. Even trying a few run of the mill drinks sounded like an exciting adventure when she spoke about it. Her endless zeal for everything life had to offer might have been a side effect of the fact that it was all new to her amnesiac brain, but he still thought it was fun to watch her light up any time he suggested something she couldn’t remember doing before. He was eager to see what she would do if she liked any of the beverages she tried that evening.

“I figured,” he grinned when she said she’d be a mess if she tried every drink. “But if you find out you’ve got a favorite, just let Martin know, and he’ll bring you a full glass of it.” Though he had no intention of getting her drunk, he was curious to find out what she was like after a couple shots. It was always entertaining to see what aspects of someone’s personality were brought out by alcohol. For the Aspirian prince, a few strong drinks made him loose lipped and competitive. It was why he knew it would have been a bad idea to have too many around Iris. The scandalous thoughts in his head wouldn’t stay there for long if he pushed his limits, and he wouldn’t care about getting between her and her boyfriend—if she had one—because he would only be focused on winning the prize right in front of him. It definitely wasn’t the best frame of mind to be in when he was sitting with a woman he was attracted to.

As she commented on the way other people tried to use the royal family, Cas nodded. Surprisingly, she hit the nail on the head. He wasn’t sure if she truly understood the weight of living in a world where everyone seemed to have ulterior motives, but the sympathy in her voice was evident. “I know,” he exhaled, his smile fading slightly. “But it’s not going to change. Everyone has their own agenda, and my family is the fastest way to make their dreams happen. Technically, my dad and I aren’t supposed to endorse any pet projects people come to us with, so the crown doesn’t show favoritism, but that’s never stopped them from trying to get a royal stamp of approval anyway.”

When Iris brightened again, he mirrored her expression. They weren’t making any spectacular plans for tomorrow, since they were just going to be exploring the capital, but her enthusiasm never failed to infect him. “Just don’t stop using them too quickly,” he advised when she complained about the crutches. “It would be even more of a pain if you landed yourself back in the hospital because you pushed yourself too hard.” He didn’t know much about puncture wounds like the ones she had, but he’d heard about other people busting open their stitches before they had fully healed. Just thinking about something like that happening to her made him shudder. He’d already seen more than enough blood for a lifetime the night he’d found her.

“Scotch sour, Your Highness.” Martin’s voice drew his thoughts from the morbid memory. The bartender had returned with a tray full of drinks and was now setting them down on their table. “And three samples for the lady.”

“Thanks, Martin,” Cas offered the servant a polite smile as he picked up his glass. The gold-colored drink had been garnished with a ribbon of orange peel, which he plucked out to more easily sip from the rim of the cup. Turning back to Iris, he raised his beverage in a toast, a playful smile curving his lip. “To new friendships and surviving dinner with my dad.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

It was good! We ended up going to a friend's place to hang out actually xD

It's been alright overall. I'm surviving! Also, I just got out of the shower, so I can get started on a post for you now ^^

Cirque du Sombre [Siaya Dragalorn & Summer]

Oh, nice! Which state are you moving to next?

Thanks! I appreciate it ^^ I'm blessed to have an amazing husband and a small army of friends in my town who've been great support though, so I've been doing good so far.

Cirque du Sombre [Siaya Dragalorn & Summer]

Frieda could tell that Lune was struggling to accept her claim that Rayth wasn’t as dangerous as she thought he was. Considering the fact that she seemed to be a stranger to the supernatural world and had been prematurely exposed to monsters that had wished to do her harm, the faerie couldn’t blame her for being cautious. Slow emersion would be best. In fact, it was a good thing the girl had encountered the vampire first among the creatures in the troupe, since as a halfling, he could serve as a bridge between the reality she knew and the reality that brought her fright. She just needed to coax her to warm up to him first.
“It is,” the ringmistress nodded in confirmation at Lune’s question. There were a multitude of complexities in their underground world, and a creature’s origin was no exception. She was sure that the girl sitting beside her had heard the myths and legends surrounding vampires as a species, but the information humans had on them was sorely lacking.
Under better circumstances, she might have bothered to fill the gaps in the runaway’s knowledge, but at the moment, her goal was to paint the picture that she was a relatable figure. Showing off her extensive knowledge of the supernatural right now was not the way to do that.
Instead, she explained her reasoning with a simple: “If it was not so, my dear Rayth would not exist.”
The faerie sat quietly as Lune replaced her camera in her bag, ever patient as she waited to find out if her efforts to calm the girl had been fruitful. To her pleasure, Lune’s voice wasn’t as urgent when she spoke again, though the words on her lips were still skeptical.
“He’s been part of this circus for a year,” Frieda’s smile was ever present, and a hint of fondness seeped into her blue-eyed gaze. The more affection she utilized when speaking about the vampire, the easier it would be for her nervous new member to trust that he was harmless. That was her hope, at least.
“In all the time he’s spent here, he has not hurt anyone else in the troupe,” she went on truthfully enough. Rayth hadn’t touched any of the other members. Like the rest of the monsters, his preying was restricted to the unfortunate humans they invited to their exclusive after party. “Since he’s gone this long without becoming a danger to anyone else, I have no reason to believe his habits will change. But don’t just take my word for it.” She rested a hand encouragingly on the girl’s shoulder. “I think it would do you good to talk to him directly. If you would like, I can fetch him to speak with you. He’s just outside the big top. I’ll even stay here during the conversation to make sure you are safe, if it would make you feel better.”

Cirque du Sombre [Siaya Dragalorn & Summer]

Yay! Good for you ^^ I hope the new place works out better than the last, haha.

Um, I think stressful is the best word I could use right now xD Lots of personal issues have been coming up in the last week that have made life unnecessarily difficult. I'm an open person, so I have no problem explaining, but it's stuff I prefer to keep it to a PM thread if so (just for the sake of not being stalked by an anonymous user, haha). If it would concern you at all, it's not something that's going to be impacting my writing or posting speed at all. Just an annoyance.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

That's good! Sounds like you deserve a good break.

I liked it! My husband and I are having another date day, so I probably can't get a post up until after dinner or tomorrow depending on what else we decide to do tonight and how much homework I need to get done xD