^{@Rai and @13org}



Royals continued to enjoy their time around Lila. Even as she sat alone in silence. However as a new song began to play many found a partner and slow danced with each other. A hand slid across Lila's table and soon was followed by a gentle voice whose smile could be heard through his grin. A Nero royal man lowered himself before Lila. His clean smell was covered with a rare cologne few could afford.

“Excuse me. I can't help but notice your beauty within this crowd. You remind me of a rose growing within the dark. A rare sight indeed. Would you be kind enough to have me for a dance?" His voice was confident and smooth like any other royal but it had an air of youthfulness near Lila's age perhaps. His hand lowered to near Lila's. “"I will guide you all the way."

Lila didn't know how to react to that. She didn't know how to dance, and nobody never approached her like that. Why her? There were a lot of other royal women on the banquet who were much more accustomed with the royalty, who knew how to use their charm... Lila was nothing like them. She knew how to kill and assassinate, but not how to dance and please... She didn't have the other female royals' charms, their carefully chosen words...

"Amongst all the roses in this garden, why choose the least fragrant one?" she asked, hesitantly turning towards the royal.

"Why choose the only rose that has more thorns than petals? A rose that was created not to love and be loved, to please and be pleased, but only to hurt others with its thorns and then die...?" she asked. slowly getting up.

Lila was indeed curious about that royal... There were many other women there. All of them much more charming than her. What could have that man possibly seen in her that caught his attention?

"I've... never danced before. I... don't know what to do... I've never seen anyone dancing before, or even tried to dance myself..." She said, standing besides the royal, looking down awkwardly and grabbing her dress with the other hand, unsure on how to move and act.
Without her scythe and her weapons, she felt... strange. Almost like she wasn't herself.

"I'm... sorry. I know I shouldn't be here... I'm not as graceful as the other nobles, nor well dressed or wealthy... If you wish to search another pair..." She said, still unsure on what to do. The man's fragrance was so different from hers... He smelled like something precious, like something... beautiful. A smell that was so different from the one Lila was used to... So different from the smell of death...
Why was that man interested on her? She was already so uncomfortable with all that situation... Having that royal nearby her only made her even more uncomfortable.

"But if you aren't really mistaken... If you really wish to take this black rose, full of thorns and cold, stiff petals to dance..." She said, hesitantly allowing him to take her hand.

“Your petals appear ample enough for me.” His voice said in a whisper that could not avoid her ears. It was however not rushed and smoothly escaped his well tuned vocals. “I have a feeling you’ll be a great partner.” He took her hand in his and grasped it gently. He gave her light feet as they walked together with him in the lead. The crowd parted around them. His passage was met with words of awe at whom their fresh gazes met. Through the dim elegant lights the piercing glow of this Nayu royals eyes brimmed with icy stoic self-assurance.

Anui
a cousin of the King. He was young but well known for his demeanor in social gatherings, and his heritage. Part of his heritage are those eyes of his that are said to be the source of a rare ability. Who he passed his genetics onto was important for he was at the age to court another. His rare trait was only shared within the Mythue bloodline. So many were invested in his choices.

“I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Anui Mythue.” He paused with her first to speak. Having taken her other hand in a faux move of dancing. Though the music was gently paced and matched their desire to take it slow. “Your beauty is beyond any rose I've held... and I’ve nurtured the best..” He said with a hint of laughter. All whilst attuning himself to her by rocking left and right gently in unison. It was meant to be a simple display to warm her into it. He did not know why but he felt she was akin to a rose in need of gentle handling.

As the Nayu male got closer to her Lila could hear his smooth whispers, feel his gentle grasp, the way he touched her hands and led her through the hall... She could feel the crowd opening as they passed and hear their words of awe. All that atmosphere was certainly something that Lila had never seen or felt before. To someone like her, to be handled so gently was an entirely new experience... But Lila wasn't that naive... Even she knew better than believe in fairy tales. She knew what she was, the ones that trained and raised her were very clear regarding that... Even though... Lila was still a 19 years old girl... Inside her mind, a war between logic, hormones and feelings raged...

"I-I'm Lila... Lila Moriarty." Lila said after he introduced himself, stuttering out of nervousness, and regretting doing so immediately later. She didn't want to show any weakness to Anui. All that fairy tale situation was still suspicious to her.

His sweet, honeyed tongue was still making it even harder for Lila to think straight. Nobody had never shown interest or desire on her before. Her logical side was the only thing preventing her from melting on his hands. He was a stranger. She didn't know him. And as far as Lila was concerned, any stranger was a potential threat.

"This rose is unlike any other rose you might have... nurtured." Lila replied to him, letting her emotions flood her mind for a second, with a hint of dissatisfaction to that commentary.

"There are many other roses in this garden with softer petals, which would promptly let you handle them without resistance. But the one you chose... is the one with the most thorns... Your choice intrigues me, Anui." Lila said, looking right into his eyes as they danced. That was the first time she had looked right into his eyes, even being blind. Anui would feel that he just felt one of the thorns Lila mentioned about. Her blind eyes were fixed on his, almost like if she was trying to read his mind.

All those reactions, all those feelings... Lila herself didn't even know why she was speaking and thinking such things... Why was she dissatisfied with his commentary? Why has she shown such hostility after what he said? Her head was such a mess that she couldn’t think straight anymore. Trying to repress those wild feelings, Lila started to concentrate on the dance.

"I... I'm trying my hardest... I never danced before." Lila said, as she silently tried to put her thoughts in order and match Anui's gentle and careful movements. Even though he was handling her with utmost care, Lila was still very uncertain about all that, including her own nature, appearance, her place in the world and in the Nayu court... And it wasn't that hard for Anui to realize all that.

As Lila started to become a bit more comfortable with Anui's movements, she began to follow his steps with relative ease. As she did so though... Anui would realize something different on Lila... She wasn't 'soft' as the other noblewomen... Her body, although beautiful, resembled that of a predator. Her sweet looks and smooth white skin hid a carefully trained body. Not only her muscles, but her joints, the way she moved... Even as she danced, her movements had an martial feel to them, they weren't as soft and graceful as the other ladies.

While dancing with her, Anui would start to realize the type of rose he had chosen... Every step, every word needed to be said very carefully, for to be able to touch that rose and feel its fragrance was a dangerous and hard thing to do.

Anui’s face was ever vigilant in its stone cold structure. But it did wane a bit to the side to Lila’s formidable presence. Despite how shy and timid she appeared. His eyes ventured to meet hers. As they did he looked with only understanding. Their dance had only just begun and their rhythms were already dynamic. But only hands touched.

It was the rise of the tempo. Much like the musicians were watching from afar the music matched Anui and Lila’s desired balance. His right arm ventured beneath her left and a hand was gently placed flat in the midst of her upper back. This brought their chests closer together. The warmth from their faces and the fragrance was ever more present. “I can tell you’re no ordinary rose. You’ve been grown for much more than beauty.” He said this while staring into her naked eyes. His soft attire against hers let their honed forms touch through fabric. Never has two warriors, potential enemies, danced and touched one another's hardened form.

“Yet this is why I want to know who you really are.” He gently caught her phenomenal balance off guard. A testament to his skills as a warrior, Lila was given no warning. She fell in his arms briefly, entirely under his control and was brought back up in what felt like two motions. He looked briefly pleased at her expression.

Lila was still concentrated on the dance as their bodies moved along with the music's rhythm. Even though she didn't want to think too much about it, she wasn't able to ignore it... She could feel his firm hand, his experienced steps leading the dance. Every time Lila felt a bit more comfortable to match his steps, he went a bit further, a bit faster... He seemed to be so close, but the second Lila was almost matching him, he gently and gracefully raised the difficulty and speed.

Normally, Lila would never get caught off guard like that, but she was so lost on that dance, on his breath as he danced together with her, the way he led her carefully, but always inspiring her to continue... The second his hand touched her back, Anui could feel Lila's strong, but petite back arching back as she held her breath, surprised.

As Anui spoke, Lila's face got redder, and she wasn't able to hide that no matter how much she tried. She could feel his body on hers, his muscles, his firm arms enveloping her, his hair's delicate fragrance, the warmth coming from his body, his face only inches away from her...

Lila tried to resist as much as she could, but she was held hostage of that moment. The swirl of feelings, thoughts and smells were too much for her to handle. She was an assassin, a warrior, a predator, a tool, but she was still an inexperienced girl regarding love...

His words... Did he really meant that? Was he really interested on her by what she was? All those questions, all that was simply too much for Lila to take... As Anui got her on his arms, her body didn't even reacted. Even her fighting reflexes refused to work. That moment that she laid on his arms, she was completely vulnerable both as a girl and a warrior. Her eyes when she looked towards Anui weren't those that pierced him earlier...

"Ah..." Lila sighed, letting out an unexpectedly cute sound out of her mouth. Anui could feel her anxious breathing under her dress... Above everything else, Anui could see something that nobody had never seen before...

On Lila's eyes when she looked at him, he saw not a warrior or an assassin, but a girl. He had a glimpse of Lila's true feelings. How helpless, sad and alone she felt, how much she earned for such embrace, how long she waited for someone who held her like that...

As Anui brought her back up, their eyes met. Lila caught herself unable to look away for a few seconds...
She tried to open her mouth, but nothing came out of it. Lila didn't know what to do, she had never felt those things before...

Confused, Lila dashed through the hall as fast as she could, going to the place where she could feel the cold breeze coming from, the balcony, right next to the musicians…

In dramatic fashion she was fleeing, doing so swiftly enough to leave the boy speechless for a moment. He felt their alignments. A vibrancy in the way she gazed at him. Like a beast evading its predator she scurried off out of his embrace. Many who spectated began to wonder. But soon after he assuredly walked after her.

The air from the balcony waved a few of his black feathers decorating his overcoat into the air. He grasped one and soon after approaching her from behind he held it between his fingers. He remained a few meters away. Though his demeanor did not change from his broad stance he kept an air of caution even as he spoke. Even if he knew how she truly felt.

“... May I apologize. I think I’ve overstepped my boundaries with one so fair. A Mythue has always respected a relative to the Moriarty.” He bowed slowly in apology. “On my blood I swear to never discomfort you again.”

She thought the cold breeze would do good to her, but in reality it wasn't helping at all... Her body was still as hot as it was before, her cheeks were red as the roses on the garden below and her mind was still as confused as it was before... She felt someone approaching her from behind, but she already knew who it was. The fragrance, the way he walked... Everything about him was so imprinted on her memory...

Instead of doing anything else, even approaching her, or trying to take advantage of how vulnerable Lila was at that moment, instead Anui bowed down, apologizing himself... Why was he so gentle with her? Why did he choose her? Why was she so self conscious about herself at that moment? Her heart was beating so fast...
At that moment, Lila decided that fighting against her impulses would be the worst thing at that moment. Walking fast towards Anui, she grabbed his hands, putting it over her chest.

She didn't say a word, instead, Lila only stared intently at Anui, almost like if she was searching for some answer on that blank, expressionless face she saw as her heartbeat went up with his touch. It was exactly the same blank face as all the others in Lila's eyes, but why she felt that way only with him?

"I... Don't understand... Anything..." Lila said, looking down. In her voice, there was no trickery, no lie, no deceit, only honesty. She tried to open her mouth again, but no words came out of it. She didn't know how even to describe all that...

"All that I know is how to kill and hunt... I am nothing but a tool, a weapon... And yet... why am I feeling like this? Am I broken?" She said in a low tone, almost like if she was speaking to herself.

"Let me... at least see your face... Just this once..." Lila said in a low tone.

"I can't stand looking at another blank, expressionless face anymore..." she continued, looking to him.

Anui was gentle but stiff. Her hand taking his was a soft gesture of trust he did not fear, despite his lack of experience. This indeed felt like something more than the desire to have a fun night. Anui has seen many banquets, even as a child he has had his sight. He looked down at Lila as his hand merely remained planted over her beating heart. Her vitality was in his hand.

“Being a prey or predator isn’t a choice. We do what we must to survive, even as we dress ourselves as civilized beings. It is a shame you’ve yet been blessed with sight.” He brought his other hand over to caress her shoulder and smooth over to her thin soft neck. “I can show you everything the light hides. I can reveal it to you. All you have to do.. Is trust.”

Their eyes met in a almost hypnotic gaze within the balcony. The veils danced with the music briefly covering the two in shadow in intervals of seconds. The young mans eyes began to faintly glow when met with the concentrated sunlight from the massive cavern above the capital. A single red tear ran from his eyes to his cheeks. He closed his eyes and Lila.. could see.

She was vulnerable in front of that man and even being in such state, Anui never did anything. Never anyone embraced her like he did, never anyone made her feel like that, and above everything else, he came for her. When she ran, he went after her... Normally, Lila would trust no one. Never she would have let someone see her like that and live. But when he asked her to trust him, there wasn't other option but to silently nod and trust him. Even though they met each other in that same night, she could tell... Somehow she could tell that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

After a few moments, Lila's life would change forever.
Everything until now was like a dark, silent dream, and Lila had just woke up.
Colors, so many colors, so many details... Everything was so... real. And in front of her, a young Nayu male stood with his eyes closed. His long hair, with the same fragrance as Anui. The way he walked and even his breath were the same. But unlike before, Lila could now see...
She could see his beautiful, yet delicate face. His hair as black as the night... Words failed to describe the man in front of her.

Without saying a single word, Lila gently reached to his face, wiping the red tear that stained his beautiful face.
Slowly and carefully, she ran her fingers through his face, feeling every corner of it. From his thin, beautiful lips to his delicate nose and ears...
He was taller than she was. Lila already knew that, but now she could see it for herself. She almost had to look up.

Gently putting her hand on his cheek, she looked to him with the most honest, genuine smile on her face as tears ran down her face.
She wanted to feel that again. She wanted to be embraced, she wanted to feel his strong arms enveloping her once more. She wanted to stop being a ruthless assassin, she wanted to stop being the predator. Even if for one night only… She wanted to be just a girl.