Raiden had been too distracted by Henri's lost puppy eyes to notice Beatrice approaching them. It wasn't until she was standing in front of him and Ryn that he finally noticed her. He had to pry his eyes away from the blonde to look at his fiancée.

"Ah, Princess Beatrice, you look stunning as always." He pulled back from the table he had been leaning on to give the Princess of Königreich der Welten a propper bow. "We only had small talk," Raiden glanced back at Ryn just in time to see Quentin approach their table.

After Quentin's little introduction, Raiden gave the man an encouraging look before glancing at Ryn to give her the "use the dagger on me" look before turning his attention back to Beatrice. "We should leave these two to talk. Ryn, please remember we are at a ball." he teased before offering his arm his betrothed. "Shall we?"

In response to Raiden’s bow, Beatrice dipped into a slight curtsey, smiling and thanking him for the compliment. Then, Beatrice took a moment to properly appreciate both Raiden and Ryn's outfits - Raiden was in all black, his suit paired with an absolutely gorgeous embroidered overcoat, and Beatrice thought that Ryn’s one-shoulder gown (which was also sporting some stunning embroidery), while a bit more daring than something Beatrice would personally wear, was beautiful.

She glanced at Quentin, briefly - his outfit was a lot more elegant than Beatrice had initially expected, all things considered. “It’s nice to see you too, Quentin,” she replied, politely.

Beatrice had known that Raiden and Ryn were good friends, what with their couture brand, and she smiled at the light teasing, as would be expected of her. “Lead the way,” she said as she accepted Raiden’s proffered arm, giving him another small, polite smile.

With another smile to Ryn and Quentin, Raiden led the way towards the open bar. Now with Beatrice on his arm, he needed something stronger to keep him focused- or to take the strain of it all. "How was your flight? I was lucky enough to have the Raske siblings with me."

When they finally got to the bar, he waved down one of the bartenders and ordered an old fashioned with bourbon. The night was still young, but Raiden already felt the weight of it all weighing him down. He glanced at Beatrice and offered a kind smile. Being alone with her felt surreal. He never imagined himself with a woman at all, but standing next to her made him realize how fucked he was.

“My flight was alright,” Beatrice responded, falling into step beside Raiden as they walked to the bar. “Long, though. But probably not as long as yours.”

Beatrice waited until Raiden was done ordering his drink before speaking again, returning his smile with one of his own. “Are you enjoying Aciras so far?” she asked, as politely as ever, taking a sip of the drink she’d snagged on her way over to Raiden and Ryn. “I’ve only been a couple times, and would love to see more of the city.”

"I am. I'm staying at The Plaza hotel with Ryn and Rhys. I'm hoping to enjoy the city far more than being stuck in this palace." Raiden took a sip from his own drink, "Perhaps you can join us one of these days. Ryn was planning to see some of the clubs Aciras has to offer. It would be a perfect opportunity to see more of the capital city too." It would be a nice opportunity to see a more relaxed side of Beatrice.

Beatrice couldn’t honestly say that she approved of Raiden’s choice of friends when it came to the Raskes, but whatever. It was none of her business, and if she would have to deal with being around them for the next two months, then so be it. It would get...tedious, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Beatrice could put up with tedious.

“I think, quite honestly, that my parents would actually kill me if they caught wind of me going clubbing,” she replied, a wry look on her face. “So we’d have to be incredibly stealthy. But I can’t say that I’m altogether opposed to the idea, and I’d certainly like to see more of the capital. It’s quite lovely.”

"Well, if that's the case we can opt-out and do something more suitable." Raiden offered with a shrug on a shoulder. "We can always go on a trip around the capital. I heard Aciras is famous for its apple pie and its lovely gardens."

He didn't mind going out of his way to spend some time with Beatrice. If they got to know each other a bit more they could possibly come down to an agreement to dissolve their betrothal. Making it a mutual decision would get his parents off his back.

“I’d like that,” said Beatrice, flashing Raiden a brief smile. “I love apple pie, and gardens. My mom has always been into flowers, and I guess it rubbed off on me.”

Beatrice paused, and took another sip of her drink. This is...pretty awkward, all things considered. We barely even know each other. And I suppose it doesn’t help that I don’t plan on marrying him at all, she thought.

“Do you see a lot of other people that you know here?” she asked, after a moment of hesitation. “I don’t think I’ve seen Princess Vivian, yet, but I still have to congratulate her on her upcoming wedding.”

"I see a few I should probably get to greet them," Raiden nodded a bit, scanning the room to look at Leo, Cass, Chris, and finally Henri. He could tell Henri didn't want to be in this place. Even from across the ball, he could see his subtle mannerisms.

"Would you like to look for her?" Raiden turned his gaze back to Beatrice. "I can help you look," please say no. He wanted to make his way across the ballroom and talk to Henri, but leaving Beatrice would be rude of him. Although she seemed to be looking for an excuse to leave his side. Raiden didn't blame her.

Beatrice’s gaze flitted around the ornate ballroom as Raiden’s did the same. “Well, I don’t see Princess Vivian, so I don’t see why we should not go and greet the others,” she answered. “We can always go look for Vivian and congratulate her a different time.”

Beatrice surveyed the ballroom again, more discreetly this time. Out of all of the people in attendance, the person she wanted to speak to the most was Zheng, but she couldn’t. Not with this many people around, and not when she had someone she was already supposed to be marrying.

No; she couldn’t go find him alone, but perhaps she and Raiden would naturally cross paths with him over the course of the night. It seemed like the best bet, in any case, so Beatrice turned to Raiden and gave him a faint smile. “If there’s someone you’d like to talk to, we can definitely go and find them,” she said. “I’d love to meet more of the people here.”

Raiden hid the disappointment with a sip of his drink. "Of course." Raiden offered her his arm once more. "I can introduce you to a business partner and friend of mine." He glanced around for Cassandra, smiling when he spotted her. "She's a bright woman, I am sure you two will get along just fine."

Once again, Beatrice took Raiden’s arm. “That would be lovely,” Beatrice agreed, even as she sensed the - the reluctance? - in Raiden’s voice. Beatrice had heard of Cassandra, of course, but they’d never interacted (and frankly, Beatrice wasn’t sure how much she wanted to interact with the princess from Dal Riata, given that she was fairly certain that any political power Cassandra had would be negligible, considering how she was running her own company now. Nevertheless, Beatrice was nothing if not polite).

Raiden began to lead the way towards the familiar face of Cassandra. She wasn't too far off as she had been talking to the Maris Royalty and the Princess of Massylii. "Perhaps we could greet one of your friends as well, I'm afraid I'm not very well acquainted with many of the other royals." He glanced at the Princess of Arcenia and the Prince of Austerund as they continued to walk. It was amusing to watch them from afar.

Beatrice nodded in agreement to Raiden’s words as they walked. “I’d be happy to introduce you,” she replied, pleasantly. Beatrice followed Raiden’s gaze to Arabelle and Erik, arguing yet again. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, just a little bit. Really, both of them could be more mature about their betrothal, she thought to herself. Like, I love Ara, and Erik’s really not so bad. But seriously. Nevertheless, Beatrice still found herself suppressing a fond smile, despite the childishness of it all.

Beatrice thought that she had spotted Cassandra, just a little ways ahead, and was content to follow along with Raiden. However, before they could get closer to the princess from Dal Riata, no one other than Zheng himself appeared in front of them, presumably on his way to join in on the festivities.

Beatrice slowed to a stop. “Princess Beatrice, an honor to see you here. I do hope that Königreich der Welten and its queen are doing well,” said Zheng.

“Prince Zheng, how are you?” Beatrice said by way of greeting, giving him a polite smile. Zheng hadn’t been born into royalty, but the emperor of Liang had given him the titles, thanks to his service, and Beatrice knew court etiquette like the back of her hand. She knew to address him properly.

Beatrice winced, internally, at the entire situation. Here she was, hanging out with both the man everyone thought she was going to marry and the man that she wanted to marry (if only for political reasons). Zheng knew about her betrothal, of course, and how she did not intend to see it through. Raiden did not.

“Prince Raiden, this is Zheng. Prince Zheng, this is Raiden, my fiancé, she said, not letting any of her thoughts show on her face, her expression arranged in one of polite interest the entire time.

Dear God. We’re ten minutes in, and everything is already so awkward. How are we supposed to get through two entire months?

There is a certain feeling of helplessness that can drift over a person when witnessing an impending disaster. Like the reporter watching the Hindenberg collapse in flames, a Arcenian soccer fan watching the national team head into penalty kicks in a major tournament, or Lindsey Lohan’s agent, there were some instances when there is nothing that can be done to prevent a tragedy from playing out. That was the position Catherine found herself in as Arabelle crossed paths with her betrothed and things quickly descended into a shouting match. There was nothing she could do to stop it, and it quickly erupted into a powderkeg that threatened to consume everything around it. She pitied who happened to be in the direct line of fire. As it was, the sidelines provided enough cover that she could at least monitor the situation in case she had to play reluctant peacemaker. Instead it sounded like she would play sideline commentator instead.

”Tell me… do they do this often? And if so, how on Earth do you manage not to rip your hair out listening to them?”

Cat almost didn’t look over at the girl talking to her, but she did a double take at spotting the hostess standing at her side. All right, Cat. Play it cool. You’re a cool kid, be like one. They seem to fit in.

“Honestly,” she started. “The rulers of our respective kingdoms have been smart enough to keep them at bay given a couple incidents when they were younger. So it’s not often, but this is a pretty bad one.” It was true. Usually it didn’t get to this level of venom until things were a bit more private. Perhaps the flight took more out of her sister than Cat thought. “Usually I just have my headphones in. That or a steady supply of distractions.” She held up her drink. “That and I’m pretty sure bald is not my best look, so that keeps my hair in its place.”

Raven shrugged her shoulders slightly in response as she took a sip of her drink. ”Makes perfect sense, actually. How was your commute?”

Cat was doing her best to remain in pure Catherine mode, but in reality, seeing her sister go off the rails like that was the sign that the window was open a little bit. “It was… long. Really long. The longest flight I’ve been on. This is my first time in Aciras. I’ve heard so many things about the country.” She took a sip. “Although, I don’t suppose a lot of them would be found in a castle like this. No offense.”

The young woman couldn’t help but smile. ”None taken. I never quite liked the flights to Arcenia either. But no worries. Aciras is a large Kingdom, and there’s been a lot planned for the festivities. There’s a lot going on in the next few months aside from the wedding, so you’ll all be able to see some of the best we have to offer here. You’ll also have the best tour guide.”

Cat cocked an eyebrow at that last response. “Really? You know, I was wondering just exactly what to do with my time here. Knowing that there will be plenty of opportunities to explore the city, at all times of day, well that does set my mind at ease. Especially if I have a chance to let loose a little bit.” She winked at Raven, with rising certainty that the younger princess knew what she was after. “This tour guide you speak of, are they the trustworthy type? Because I don’t need to be led astray to let the tabloids have more fodder for their Monday editions. At least, not have fodder I wouldn’t want out there.”

”Said tour guide would politely tell the writers and camera men to fuck off while strolling through a back alley to one of the best bars in town.” She continued to watch the scene that was Ara and Erik unfold before her. ”But on a more serious note, you don’t have to worry about the tabloids here. Not unless they’re the up and coming ones that literally grasp at straws. The castle will be the safest place, of course. Your tour guide can’t promise you anything out in the city, but they’ve made it very clear to the press that they’ll have their heads if they catch wind of any slander.”

This was met with a nod of approval. Also, the swearing merely confirmed Cat’s suspicions about her drinking partner. She let out a happy sigh of relief. “Good shit,” she said as the rest of her meager glass of champagne was finished. She motioned to a nearby waiter for another one. Watching Ara and Erik’s blowups was a full-on sporting event. “I think visiting one of those bars would be awesome after this party given how things are turning. Unless my sister needs some emotional support after having to deal with the prince of Garbausterland.” She turned to Raven, doing her best not to get lost in those eyes again. “You’ll have to tell the tour guide we’ll be needing a lot of help to take our mind off this… unpleasantness.”

”Completely understandable,” Raven said, taking a large drink from her glass. ”Why is champagne customary at these things?” she scoffed. ”I need something stronger.” Luckily the waiter that Catherine waved over had arrived.

”I’ll take a margarita please, Julian. Get whatever Cat wants for me as well, would you?”

Things were definitely picking up at this rate if Raven was advancing the drink menu past the token champagne flutes. “Well, if there are some off the platter options, I’ll take a vodka seven. Cherry seven if you have it.” Cat told the summoned waiter, who gave a polite nod and hurried off. “I’ll have to get you to come to every royal shindig I’m forced to be at. It would be great to have a drinking partner who didn’t stick to the tiny glasses.”

”It would be an honor to be your plus one to any event. I’m honestly surprised that everyone showed up. Though why some of these people were on the guest list, I have no idea. I want to go ahead and apologize for my future behavior though. Two months of hosting these people isn’t going to be fun, so I’m sure you’ll see me completely shit faced on more than one occasion.”

Raven sighed. Everything she had said was true. Getting all of these people here on time, presentable and trying to keep politics out of the way was proving to be a pain in the ass.

”Don’t get me wrong. I love my sister. But sometimes I wish she would just hire a party planner.”

Catherine looked over at the Aciran princess and understood that pain. “Hey, I’ll need the tips soon enough. Believe it or not,” she motioned out to the floor, where it appeared Erik was reloading on alcohol to keep up the fight with her sister. “I’m probably going to be helping plan THAT happy union. So, I will take any help on that matter. All I have is my backup plan of causing such a scene that HurriKate trends instead of ErikFail or something, which is a service I can also offer to you so you don’t have to apologize for future behavior or anything.” She gave Raven a wink as she said that last bit. “The perks of not really giving a sweet fuck. At least, not unless my sister needs me. And right now, I think the distraction would be more valuable than me actually behaving myself.” The drinks arrived in front of the women at an opportune time.

Taking her drink from the tray, Raven took a sip and thanked the waiter before smiling at Cat.”I might have to take you up on that offer,” she said with a laugh. ”How… exactly did the whole HurriKate thing come to be, if you don’t mind me asking? I mean, I’ve heard things here and there, but you know you can never get a truthful story from the tabloids.”

Cat let out a sigh as she picked up her beverage. It wasn’t going to help her standing in trying to forget what happened, but maybe having someone like Raven know the whole truth would be better than the rumors floating around. “Basically, this snoop from the Lark caught me in the middle of kissing a girl that I was sweet on, keyword WAS, and they could not wait to post it. The Lark is such a kiss-ass rag for the Brunn conglomerate, and I’ve been on their shitlist for protesting the Brunns’ oil interests. So they run this whole HurriKate thing, asking how I can uphold royal honor, how could I be betrothed to anyone, you know, that bullshit. And fucking Candice runs right to them, starts smearing me all over TV. So safe to say, that was a quick end to that experiment.” She took a sip after finishing such a quick recounting of such a tragic tale. “But my parents were upset and kept me ‘sequestered for my own good’ until we agreed sending me here until the situation dies down was smart. I just wanted to get out of there. But yeah, you need someone to take some heat for you, I’m your girl.”

Raven did her best to try and keep the look of puzzlement and shock off of her face, but some of the signs seeped through before the had the chance to hide it. ”So you mean to tell me… that a royal liking the same sex is so scandelous that her parents will keep her confined to the castle for months on end?” she said, her eyebrows raised. ”That is beyond stupid,” the young woman concluded. ”No offense to your parents, of course. I guess I’m just lucky that the Aciran laws and people are a bit more open minded. The assumption that all royal weddings have to be heteronormative disgusts me.” She rolled her eyes while saying the last bit, raising the glass to her lips once again. ”Hopefully I won’t cause to much of a fuss, but if I do, it’s nice to know that I’ll have you in my corner.”

“I think it was more the media shitshow it became that they didn’t like,” Catherine admitted. “With that,” the younger princess pointed to the quarrel that was wrapping up for the moment. “Kinda being important and somewhat divisive and happening soon, I made an unnecessary addition to the opposition in their eyes. The Brunns, they hate LGBTQ anything though. Bigoted assholes. So, you know, extra fire. I swear, when Ara is queen, I’m having them booted from the kingdom. They can go to Tessia or something, I don’t care. But yeah.” She raised her chalice in response to Raven’s drink. “Happy to be here, and of course to offer whatever support I can in this time of celebration and stressing the fuck out.” The Catherine filter was fully disabled now. There was clearly no need for it with Raven and Cat was grateful to have someone other than her sister or Han to have that luxury with.

”I’d love to see the looks on their faces when you do, but for now I have to finish greeting the rest of the guests. It was a pleasure talking to you, Cat. I hope we get to do it again soon.”

“Right, of course!” Cat had to scramble to get the filter back up with Raven needing to fulfill her duties as hostess. “Well, the pleasure has been all mine, Princess Raven. I hope we talk again very soon. I want to learn all I can about this wonderful kingdom of yours.” Catherine offered a small curtsy, similar to the one she displayed at the entrance to the party, but she was careful not to spill her drink in the process.

”I’d be more than happy to show you around,” she said with a polite nod, the corners of her mouth forming a slight smile once again. ”Do try and enjoy the ball as much as you can. If anyone gives you trouble, feel free to just yell at me. I’ll be right over.” Just then her father came to stand beside her, whispering in her ear that she better get going. ”Annnnd that’s my official signal. I’ll talk to you later,” Raven finished, giving Catherine an apologetic smile before quickly following after her parents.

Catherine had already curtsyed, so she gave a half-hearted salute as Raven rushed off to her other duties as hostess. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She could have kept talking to Raven for most of the night. However, she had her own duties to attend to, as since Arabelle had spiraled off from her confrontation with Erik and was heading elsewhere, Catherine figured it was in her best interest to make sure the scene was confined to typical Arcenian-on-Austerund bickering. Drink in hand, she watched her sister carefully to make sure more cross words weren’t in the cards.

 

Han had made her way into where everyone had congregated. She could see all sorts of familiar faces, as far as her eye could see. She had the pleasure of doing business with some of these kingdoms. Some kingdoms she was quite fond of, and maintained a relationship that was beyond commerce and diplomacy. And some other kingdoms.. well... let’s just say that they had some fuckery going on that Han didn’t exactly approve of.

Currently, the princess of Tuyen Phu was waiting patiently for a rather special someone. A prince of Castilya. He was supposed to be a rather special person to Han, but quite honestly Han was only trying to be with him because her parents told her to do so. As much of an independent royal she was, she had to listen to the word of her parents as long as they lived. She stood at a table, her head propped up on an arm as she waited for him. But lo and behold, he was already there, much to the indifference of Han.

“Prince Alejandro. A pleasure, as always.” She said, before looking down at her dress, “Why, thank you. You have a very beautiful… gold… to your body.”

Alejandro beamed at her, not particularly put off by her general, uh, lack of coherence (at least, with regards to his outfit). “Oh, thank you,” he replied, adjusting one of his earrings. “I love the color of your dress, too. Pink is so gorgeous.”

Alejandro paused, took a tiny sip of his drink. “Are you enjoying Aciras so far?” he asked, pleasantly. “I hope your flight wasn’t too long - it would have been much longer than mine, I imagine, and I was pretty exhausted when we finally landed.”

Han chuckled softly. It was sweet of him to consider her fight here. The flight to Aciras was a rather long one, but the reason for flying far outweighed the tediousness and bother it took to get here. There were many opportunities for her here, one of which was right in front of her right now.

“Oh, it was long. But, it was not bad at all. Not much turbulence on the way here. Some jet lag, but I’ll be okay.” Han mused, “What about you? How was the flight from Castilya?”

“Mmm, it wasn’t horrible. But my hair was a mess after napping on the way over,” answered Alejandro, flashing her another grin. “The jet lag is awful, I agree, but I’m sure you have it worse than I do.”

Alejandro took another sip, using the movement as an excuse to flick his gaze towards Phillip. He was with Imani, of course - oh, but that gown of hers is lovely - and Gen (whose gown was also lovely), and he saw that Henri was talking to the trio as well.

Alejandro would have loved to go up to Phillip, say something not very PG-13 to him and then fuck off to somewhere upstairs and behind closed (preferably locked) doors, but obviously, that was not going to happen - not right now, at least. He let his eyes slide back to Han as he brought the delicate glass away from his lips.

“Have you visited Aciras before?” he asked. “I have, a few times, but I’m afraid that I still haven’t seen very much of it.”

“I have… but I unfortunately also have the same case as you.” Han had been to Aciras a few times on diplomatic matters, but she unfortunately never really took the time for herself as her schedule was filled with more pressing matters, “This kingdom is beautiful. I would love to explore it sometime.”

“I would, too,” Alejandro agreed. “I mean, I’ve been to the palace, obviously, and some of the other cities - mostly for the fashion shows. But I’ve never really had a chance to see the rest of it.”

“How does Aciras compare to Tuyen Phu?” Alejandro continued with a laugh, mostly to keep them from lapsing into an awkward silence. “Well, what you’ve seen of Aciras, anyway.”

“Aciras is bigger… but obviously I prefer Tuyen Phu.” Han smiled, “I’ll always prefer it.”

Alejandro grinned, nodded in agreement. “But of course,” he replied, laughing lightly. “The food here, for one, is different. And that’s just for me, coming from Castilya - I’m sure it must be even more so for you.”

“I have never had Aciran cuisine before, so I cannot say. But, I hear this place has some very good food. I’ve seen some of it on television. Some good places I’d love to try here, but I don’t think it quite does food like we do, or like Castilya.”

“Mmm, I see,” said Alejandro. “I’ve had some of the food - obviously not all of the different kinds, but I’ve had some of them - and while it’s good, it’s just not the same, you know?”

Alejandro scanned the assembled crowd, again. “Have you seen Princess Vivian anywhere?” he mused out loud. “I haven’t seen her around at all, and I do feel bad for not congratulating her on her engagement, yet.” He laughed, a tad sheepishly. “She and her family are the hosts of this event, of course.”

Han had just finished thinking of a response to whatever Alejandro was saying before she was asked about Princess Vivian. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really seen her either. She wasn’t present at the door when she had arrived here. “I have not. I only saw Princess Raven and the King and Queen. I would hazard a guess that she is… making her rounds?”

“I see,” Alejandro replied, “that makes sense, yeah.” He let his eyes flit through the room, again. “Do you see anyone that you’d like to talk to, here?” he asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow. “Seeing as we’re expected to be social, and everything.”

“I would like to see Prince Erik, but it appears that I do not see him… maybe he is preoccupied?” Or his skinny dick havin’ ass is just too busy with a pussy that don’t pop for him. “What about you? I’m sure there are some you’d like to see. I do not mind tagging along.”

Alejandro let out an amused huff. “Probably,” he admitted, knowing that Ara and Erik being together was some tea. “My friends Phillip and Imani are right over there,” he said, tilting his head in their direction. “If you don’t mind, we can go find them.”

Prince Phillip and Princess Imani… Han was familiar with them, but she hadn’t interacted much with them. But, better late than never, right? Might as well go start. “Sure. Just lead the way.” She held her arm out for Alejandro to take. Was that the thing to do with her future husband? She wasn’t sure.

Alejandro grinned, easily sliding his arm through Han’s. He started walking in their direction, noting that Gen was walking away with Prince Henri as they began navigating around the other small groups of people.

Imani was wearing a stunning off-the-shoulder gown, and as they approached, Alejandro could see that Phillip was wearing a blue ascot. He smiled to himself, inwardly, already wondering what the fabric would feel like under his fingers.

“Prince Phillip, Princess Imani,” Alejandro said by way of greeting, opting to include their titles, as they were in a public setting. He unlaced his arm from Han’s so that he could kiss Phillip (though they were more of pecks than kisses, in Alejandro’s opinion), once on each side of his face, his hands lingering for perhaps a second longer than they had to before he drew away. Then, he gave Imani a brief hug - they were close enough friends that Imani was comfortable with it - and threaded his arm through Han’s again. “How are you both? This is my fiancé, Princess Han,” he continued, inclining his head in her direction as he spoke.

---

Maeryn studied Raiden as he and Beatrice walked away to be on their own, leaving the Tessian prince in her presence. She managed a glare in his direction at his comment about this being a ball and to be on her best behavior. Though she thought it best to heed his words and maintain some semblance of royalty while under the eyes of the attending.

An incident between Erik and Arabelle was beginning to take form a short distance from where the Maeryn and Quentin stood, sipping drinks as they listened to the delicious scandal. At least, it was delicious for the Raske princess-- Quentin was too busy staring up at the chandeliers that occupied the airspace above them.

She had to refrain from rolling her eyes at being left in with his company. It wasn't that she disliked the guy. Quite the contrary, she thought he was interesting and knew he was harboring a side of him that few were privileged enough to witness. However, she knew that he was famously known for never shutting up and would almost surely expect a conversation from her, it was like an unspoken rule the last time they were in each other’s presence that talking was one of the furthest things from their minds. Furthermore, if their past interactions had any weight in the present she didn’t know if she was up for matching his energy appropriately. And for that, that energy, she was at a loss. At least for the moment.

Ryn couldn't put her well manicured finger on it, but she found herself drawn into his presence, despite how idiotic he looked staring upward in a room full of the most important young men and women in the world. It unnerved her. How could she? Princess of the Damned - aptly named she supposed - be taken in by the antithesis of everything that she was and has been? How had they been caught up in one another before all this anyways?

'Who is he to me? Really? Betrothal aside...' she thinks to herself as she sipped on the amber liquid, watching as he lifts his lemon-grape juice and takes a swig, puckering in distaste and humor. His mannerisms are strange indeed, but no stranger than her own... Actually, on second thought, probably stranger, just not as violent. 'What is he thinking? Does he not realize what I could do to him?'

The Flayer’s skin prickled with goosebumps as Quentin, with surprising grace, sidled up to her and laid his hand on her back. Perhaps it was intentional that his hand landed on her lower back where her skin was exposed to the air. Maeryn Raske felt Quentin’s hand tense and then lightly press harder down against the small of her back, where the Tessian’s hand met her dress- and directly pressing the sheath that housed one of her many blades against her spine. Not only did he discover the blade, but with how the light danced in his eyes as he turned his gaze to her, it seemed to have enhanced his excitement with catching up with her.

"What do you want?" Maeryn practically hissed under her breath in the midst of the chatter of the mingling royalty. The two of them were virtually invisible despite the hissy fit taking place just adjacent to them. That was largely due to the fact that the beginnings of a world war was deemed more important than both of them combined, and that the majority of the room had a bone to pick with one or both of them. He was even giving her that damned goofy smile.

"My betrothed is an incredibly beautiful and dangerous Princess of a most infamous land. Why wouldn’t I want to-- now hear me out-- possibly and, you see, quite literally risk life and limb to get to know a lovely lass like yourself. We could even compare knives later-- I bet mine are bigger than yours." There was far too much unashamed pleasure in his eyes at saying that awful, awful phrase. Enough of it that it caused a faint tingle of a blush to creep across Maeryn’s skin at how genuine his words were.

For Ryn, it was something of a 180; and she didn’t ever expect to get used to it. She by no means received it when people spoke to her, but now that she was betrothed to Quentin of all people… this likely wouldn’t be the last time. And she wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good thing or not.

Taking another sip of her little glass of fire, she flagged down a member of the staff and ordered another to parch her suddenly nervous throat. Obviously playing distant and cold wasn’t going to work, he was too cheerful. Besides, if history was to go off of, she knew exactly how he liked to be played. Clearing her throat, she turned her focus and gaze back to Quentin, her empty hand lay flat on his chest as she picked lightly at the buttons of his pressed shirt, “Bigger you say? Mmhm, you’d think I would have remembered that the last time we were together ~.” Teasing him would be her best option, and from the sudden tension that seemed to ever-so-subtly infuse his body, she was right. Nonetheless, he only gave her a wide grin and a wink.

With her new drink in hand she turned on her heel and began a slow, deliberate walk towards another table where her twin was located. If her intention was to make his eyes gravitate towards her legs and other flattering rear features, she was spot on-- Quentin found himself staring and… well, remembering. She made sure to accentuate her gait and expose more of her leg as she went about her way.

Meanwhile, the older of the twins was standing off to the side, his own glass swirling in his grip, clenching and unclenching, repeating the process as he observed his sister interact with her betrothed. Rhys didn’t like the way he was touching his sister and how close he got to her, more so at the sight of her touching him. Although, he was relieved to see her finally pull away and make a beeline to join him.

“Ah, sweet sister, so glad of you to finally make an appearance,” a sip and a kiss on the cheek, his breath warm and tinged with spices. He breathed into her hairline before pulling away, “Enjoy your time with your beloved?”

Maeryn pulled away, a knowing smirk on her lips as she leaned to rest her elbows on the table, “As a matter of fact, I did, and I plan on enjoying much more playtime with him~.” She couldn't help but think of all the ways she could bend this green cowboy to her will.

Morrhys rolled his eyes before scouring the busy room before them, trying to ascertain information of those gathered via simple people-watching. "When do you suppose the party is going to start?" He didn't wait for the look his sister was about to give when he corrected himself, "The real party. You know what I meant."

Ryn only resorted into shrugging at her brother’s complaint before noticing her fiance checking her out from where she left him, “Regardless of your evening, dear brother, it looks as if mine will be filled with fun~” with that said and Quentin’s intent stare, Ryn felt as if her evening wouldn’t be so bad after all.

&

Cassandra's phone decided it was not going to stop buzzing in her handbag. She looked around and saw that Phil was preoccupied before she pulled out the device. She tapped on the screen bringing it to life, she had seven missed calls, five voicemails, twelve texts, and one game notification.

She listened in on her voicemails, all of which was from her assistant who was upset that the production of the new watches coming out next year were delayed due to a bug in its programming. Cassandra rubbed the bridge of her nose while she tried to brainstorm how to fix the problem. She called up her assistant who sounded on the verge of a panic attack.

"Oh Miss O'Brien, the programmers said that it will set the release back at least seven months. The board wants to release on time with the issues and patch them out later."

"Rayleigh, breathe, tell the board that we are going to hire more programmers to make up the time difference. Also alert them that as a company, and my own personal philosophy that we refuse to release a product that is dysfunctional. Our reputation is built on that and no amount of money is worth selling our souls for. If there is a problem tell them I will call tomorrow morning and we can have a meeting to discuss the issues, now I must return to the party. Do not call me the rest of the night." Before Rayleigh could respond, Cass hung up the phone and took a drink of whiskey from a server.

With Raven having departed to attend to other hosting duties, Cat was left to her own devices. Her parents would argue that this was a dangerous thing, hence the reason for Cat being at this shindig. But what trouble could a girl cause with nothing more than a vodka seven in her hand? It wasn’t even being rapidly drained, for fear that with Raven gone, there would be no more left and she would have to switch back to champagne.

Although that fear was mislaid given that whiskey was now starting to circulate apparently. Huh. Guess Raven wasn’t kidding. They aren’t messing around at this party. The tray made its way over to someone the Princess of Arcenia actually did recognize. It was hard not to with the news Princess Cassandra made when she came out as a princess. Cat was barely in high school when it happened, but it was shocking in the royal world. The Lark definitely had a field day with it. She remembered her parents gossiping over it at the table on one of the rare occasions the family actually had a meal together. Before everyone started scattering. Cassandra’s tech company seemed to be doing all right too, if what she remembered from her classes at U of L were anything to go off. That being said, she only nominally paid attention during those ones. Well enough to take notes, but not well enough to really care about the material.

Still, she had a whiskey, and she shared a similar aesthetic to Han, so there had to be some common ground that she could find. Even when Cat was made up like a porcelain doll. Hannah did what she could, and she did an amazing job, but it still wasn’t Cat’s preferred outfit. She felt so out of place next to the royal from Dal Riata, who looked pretty damn good considering everything she must have went through. Cat took another sip of her drink. Hey, you can do this, all right? You can mingle. You did a fucking great job with Raven, you can keep this up. You might be able to get out of here sooner than later. You can do this. You’re a goddamn princess for the evening, all right? All right.

Catherine cut the short distance between the two, unaware of the corporate tongue-lashing that had just been delivered. Her filter was still up, the face of the perfect royal, but it surely wouldn’t last long given Cassandra’s reputation. “So, it’s nice to see someone else embrace the alternate drinking options available,” she offered to the princess. “I mean, one can only tolerate too much champagne before they risk floating away, am I right?”

Cass had barely put her phone away before someone else walked up to her. Through her frustration she had to scrape her memory for who this woman was. It hit her after only a moment of trying to push through the fog of whiskey clouding her brain.

"Yes, the good shit does help me not want to fire greedy corporate elitists that seems to think they can sabotage my baby while I am imprisoned in this…. Celebratory festival." Cass said while raising an eyebrow towards the Princess of Arcenia. She extended a hand towards her to introduce herself.

"Cassandra O'Brien, hopefully we won't have to switch to champagne. It's painfully boring and all of it tastes the same. And really how can they pass up the opportunity to serve Crown Royal to actual royalty. Prob could of got some good ad revenue."

Catherine took the hand that Cassandra held out and gave it a firm but quick shake. “Catherine Almore,” she replied in return. “And yes, you would think being close enough that Crown Royal would have jumped all over this. Of course, it’s no Jameson or Estelle’s Touch, but it’s a passable drink for sure.” She held up her own beverage, the fizz still lingering in the clear liquid. “I can’t say this keeps me from firing corporate elitists, but it definitely gives me the strength to fight them,” she laughed before muttering under her breath, “Fucking Brunn bastards…”

"That's right, you’re the royal that enjoys protesting my competitors. I must thank you for that, I hear you know how to properly whip up a crowd. I would offer you a job at Janus, but I fear that would hurt your social justice warrior princess image." Cass said placing her glass down.

"But I would be remiss if I didn't at least offer you a personal all access tour to any of my properties. I too am very conscious of the environment and it wouldn't hurt to have someone of your stature to come and give the company a once over anytime to make sure we are on the cutting edge keeping the planet sustainable." Cass knew she had a small chance to get Catherine's stamp of approval, but if she did get it, then it would help sales, and if she wasn't happy than she would have a new project to update.

Now Catherine was expecting a lot of things at this party, but a job offer definitely wasn’t one of them. Not that should would have been in position to accept an actual job offer anyway, but it was apparent that Cassandra at least knew she did something. Even if it didn’t sound like she knew about the recent developments to her image courtesy of Cassandra’s competitors. Of course, that meant she was more than happy to keep protesting them for free.

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” she answered. “I would relish the opportunity to see just how you’ve managed to build such a powerhouse company in such a short time without cutting any environmental corners. Of course, I’m not sure of my ability to whip up a crowd anymore, if that’s what you’re after. I haven’t had much of an opportunity recently thanks to… certain developments… in my homeland.”

Cass look at Catherine a bit confused, and then laughed as she finished off her whiskey.

"Oh sweetie, I wasn't asking for you to come check out the place because of your reputation. I was asking you to come because you seem like the kind of person that won't kiss my ass. Running Janus is a lot of work, even here when I am "suppose" to celebrate some royal I never met I am working. The problem is, everyone thinks they need to appease the boss and it is infuriating. You wouldn't do that, specially if my decision was terrible for the ecosystem." She said matter of factly.

Catherine’s eyes widened a little bit at that admission. “Well, if that’s what you’re after… I mean, I definitely have a reputation for not giving a damn about what the boss thinks,” Once again, Cat’s filter started to slip ever so slightly. “That is why I’m here, because of that exact reason. Bosses weren’t pleased about what I did, so I got shipped off. So yeah, you need someone to tell you exactly what they think, I’m your girl.” Cat tried to find something she could offer an immediate opinion on, but she was hard-pressed to find one on Cassandra. “Shoot, I’m a lot better giving opinions on stuff that isn’t just a bunch of royal shenanigans.”

"Which is exactly what I need. Most people look at me and see a princess that is their boss and are intimidated by that. Also, forget those clowns, they are obviously threatened by you. So really piss them off by working with an up and coming competitor, we can scare them together." Cassandra laughed again, getting someone like Cat to help her would definitely piss off the board. But she owned the entire company and refused to take it public. They could cower in their seats all they want, it would entertain her.

Cat lifted a glass in response. “Well if it will get me out of Arcenia for a bit until my sister’s wedding, then sign me up!” She laughed nervously, not really wanting to abandon Arabelle just to escape her overbearing parents, but hey, there wasn’t any need to close the door on an escape hatch just because. Besides, her parents might actually approve if she was working with the Dal Riatan royalty and “showing some aim in her life”. Either way, Dal Riata had a decent scene from what she heard from the few that showed up in the Larne nightlife. At least, that’s what she thought Niall and Siobhan were talking about. It was tough to tell with them.

“Yup, once the wedding occurs, then I won’t have to worry about those bosses at all. They will have no powers and me and my sister can banish the Brunns from the kingdom, and then I can do whatever I want. With whoever I want. It sounds lovely.” Cat was lost in her own temporary daydream for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it when she realized where she was going with that. “I mean, not that life isn’t lovely now, but… it could be improved.”

Hearing how Catherine wanted the Brunns gone gave Cass an idea. One that brought a devilish grin to her face. She could use Cat's hatred to further herself a little bit.

"You want the Brunns gone? Well instead of just banishing them, cripple them. Tie their hands in a way that allows me to swoop in and make a hostile takeover. Once I control their company, than if you like what you see in Dal, you will know I will turn their company around and fix it. I will be taking advantage of the situation of course, but it will further economic growth and better environmental standards."

“Well at the very least I know the Lark will stop spreading that homophobic garbage if your company took control of it,” Cat stated matter-of-factly. “That in of itself would be a vast improvement on the situation in Arcenia.” She thought for a second as she had another sip. “I’ll have to see what I can do. I don’t have a lot of ins there at the moment, but again, after the royal wedding, I know they won’t have nearly as much support from the crown as they do now, and that may be your in. If that word gets out that they pissed off the family too much, that might allow you to come in and ‘save them from themselves’. But I dunno. I’m not a savvy businesswoman like you, so I don’t even know if that would work.”

"Well me being homophobic would be extremely hypocritical I would think." Cass said with a laugh. "But I don't know if I would call me savvy, more like a bull in a china shop. I see what I want and if what I put my body, and mind through to get to where I am now is any indication. I am an extremely patient woman. But enough talk of business, I am here to pretend to enjoy this and possibly get really wasted. Be nice to have company for a bit if you have no other plans at the moment?" Cass asked raising an eyebrow.

And with that the filter was down. No need to pretend with the Dal Riatan either. The list of acceptable people to be real with was expanding, and Cat was all for it. Granted it wasn’t much of a stretch to think Cass would make that list, but hey, confirmation is always nice. “Hey, I’ve got nowhere else to be for… The Arcenian princess looked down at her wrist. “Two months or so. And my sister appears to need some cool down time after nearly igniting another Great War on the ballroom floor. So yeah, I think I can keep some good company. Gonna need more vodka though.”

Cass waived down a waiter and snatched a couple glasses of whiskey and handed one to Cat. Taking the shot relatively quickly, allowing the warmth to spread through her body. She grabbed another glass.

"Bring us a bottle of whiskey and vodka when possible, I plan on needing to be half carried to my empty bed tonight." She said to the waiter who bowed and walked away. She then turned back towards Cat. "Let's raise a little hell, really piss off those back home!"

“And two bottles of Cherry 7-up!” Cat called out to the departing waiter. She held her glass and looked at Cass. “What? I don’t drink vodka straight like some Austerundian barbarian. C’mon now. Like them, it’s got no taste without it.” She finally downed the offered shot of whiskey and had to stifle herself to contain the burning sensations that now passed down her throat. “All right, I can’t make any more of a scene than my big sis did, so let’s do some shit!” She didn’t give it the full-throated bellow that her new drinking partner did, in case her sister was around. However, it was clear that soon reactivating the royal filter was not going to be an option. And that suited Cat just fine for now. Now that there were clear goals to be had in Aciras.

Phillip's mouth curved up in a smile as Alejandro kissed his cheeks, a greeting that had been customary long before they'd shared anything but platonic intimacy. He had to remember to use the Castilyan prince's title, to say, "Prince Alejandro," instead of a casual, "Hey, Ali," like always.

He inclined his head when Ali pulled away and gave him room to hug Imani. "It's good to see you." Briefly, Phillip's smile flashed into a grin. "Though it's hard to miss you."

To Han, Phillip gave a half-bow. She was one of the few people present that he'd never met, so even though he would hazard a guess that she wasn't so formal herself, it would be best to err on the side of caution until he knew her better. "It's nice to meet you," he said. "And I know it's the thing to compliment everyone's clothes, but your tattoos are incredible."

Seeing Phillip and Imani before her was a pleasure. Right off the bat, there were compliments to be flung around, which definitely brought a smile to her face. Han was never opposed to someone complimenting the tattoos she had gone through so much and scoured the Earth to get on her body. It was quite a controversial thing according to her parents, but seeing the reactions of relevant people so far had proved otherwise. The more traditional, boomer-y types were vocally opposed, but they were soon to be dead and rendered obsolete in her society anyway.

Watching the both of them greet her, she returned a bow to the both of them and placed a hand on her heart. [color=FF8E00]"I am very honored to be in your presence, Princess Imani and Prince Phillip." Han had heard of Massylii before, and they were on her radar as a trade partner. They had something Tuyen Phu wanted, and Tuyen Phu had something they wanted. It was a very clean cut, fair deal. She wasn't as sure with Prince Phillip's kingdom, but she was sure that there was at least something there.

"You both look absolutely lovely today." She smiled, "Surely, today's got the makings of a good time. I hope we all enjoy ourselves here. I certainly will."

Alejandro beamed at Phillip and Imani. "You know that I'm glad to see you two as well," he said to Phillip and Imani, resisting the urge to make some kind of not PG-13 remark at Phillip's next words. "And Imani, oh, thank you. Your gown is absolutely lovely."

Alejandro couldn't resist complimenting Han on her tattoos, too. "I agree with both of you," he said, grinning. "Princess Han, I love your tattoos."

He glanced back at Phillip and Imani, his eyes pausing at Phillip - he had to remind himself not to let his gaze linger - before flicking towards the princess from Massylii. "How were your flights?" he asked, because it was the polite thing to do (and nobody would accuse Alejandro of not being polite, when he was in public. Even if people like Phillip thought he was ridiculous and insufferable behind closed doors, or whatever it was that Phillip had called him the last time they were together). "And Phillip, how is your sister? I haven't had a chance to talk to Gen yet; does she like Aciras so far?"

Although Alejandro was used to the formality of events like these ones, it was strange being so formal with Phillip, after everything that had happened in between them. And besides, Alejandro and Gen were friends - but again, he was nothing if not polite when he had to be, and Alejandro hadn't been sure if Han knew that Gen was Phillip's sister.

Raiden could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and his knees weaker as he got closer to Gen and Henri. While he had never been the nervous type, he was definitely anxious about the conversation that was about to take place. His abrupt departure from Beatrice and Zheng had been left behind, with little to no care about it. He wasn't going to marry that woman either way, and by the end of the celebrations, he needed to set things straight with Henri. Raiden's end goal was to make things as they were before. Both of them agreeing to stay together until he found a way to come out to the public eye while not losing his title and position. He took a sip from his drink for the extra courage and made his way to the duo.

"Princess Genevieve, Prince Henri, it's nice to see you two." Raiden glanced over his shoulder to see Prince Elias walking away from them towards the bar. He could tell their conversation hadn't been a pleasant one by the way Henri looked. He wanted to reach over to hug the smaller man- knowing well enough that Elias was a huge asshole.

"Henri," Raiden leaned in closer, lowering his voice a bit, "Can we talk? In private? I want to talk to you." He knew that Gen was aware of their relationship, but he didn't want to drag her into this.

Henri had been too busy thinking about the ways to avoid Elias for the rest of the night when he heard Raiden's voice. He froze up immediately, hands squeezing Gen's. He turned his head to look at the taller man. He hadn't expected Raiden to approach them this early in the ball. Henri was happy to see Raiden despite the conflict between them. He held his ground and fought off the urge to jump in the man's arms or yell at him.

"Prince Raiden..." Henri's cursed himself when his voice cracked just the slightest. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't want to be alone with him, not yet. Henri wasn't ready to hear whatever Raiden had to say. After prying his eyes off Raiden, he looked at Gen- hoping she would help him. Anything would help.

“I’m sorry, Prince Raiden.” Genevieve’s whole body was pins and needles, stomach knotting—and if her tone toward Elias had been cool, it had nothing on the register her voice had dropped into now. “But as you can see, Prince Henri is otherwise engaged,” she said, pointedly. She tightened her fingers around Henri’s, keeping his hand close to her side.

The double meaning was unintentional, but she didn’t regret it too much—not when Henri was shrinking next to her, wavering and uncertain; not when this man she didn’t know was trying to pull him away from her without so much as an “excuse me.” If Raiden wasn’t even going to bother introducing himself, Gen saw no reason to linger on pleasantries any more than duty called for. What had possessed him to approach Henri now, in public, where he was least comfortable? What made him think he was entitled to a private aside, to special treatment?

And she hated how much it bothered her, but damn it, how dare he act, however implicitly, as if his claim on Henri was somehow greater than hers?

To say the least, Raiden was taken back by the tone of Princess Genevieve's voice and overall attitude. Henri had told him about her in the past. He had imagined the girl to be docile in nature, much like Henri, but he hadn't expected this. Although her response had been polite and he couldn't shake the feeling of hostility towards him. Raiden cacked off, a small apologetic smile in place, and gave them both a nod.

"Well, my apologies, Princess Genevieve." Raiden gave them both a bow, eyes trained of Henri. "I'll leave you two to continue your conversation. I hope we can talk soon, Henri. It's important." It was clear that Henri wasn't ready to have a much-needed conversation with him. Raiden understood that. Perhaps he could have handled the situation better from the start, but he was always prone to mistakes. With that, Raiden turned around and began to make his way away from them like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs.

Henri had been frozen throughout the whole encounter. He was glad that Gen had acted so quickly of he would have just turned around and walked right out of the ballroom without looking back. Yet, as he watched Raiden turn his back on them and walk away, he almost wanted to reach out and stop him. He wouldn't do that, of course. Henri was a coward. He had depended on Gen to drive Raiden away, depended on her to drive Elias away too. It was like he was just a burden.

After Raiden was far enough, Henri let out a long and deep breath- like he had been holding his breath for a long time.

"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done without you. I- thank you. Holy shit." He looked at her, squeezing her hand back. He could still hear his heart pounding in his ear even as he turned to face Gen. He had never seen this protective side of Gen before. Their little encounter with Elias before had seemed to fuel the fire Gen had inside. Henri was glad for that fire.

"I think I need to go outside." He needed something to stop the rush of thoughts he could feel coming. He didn't want to burden Gen with any more than he already had. He had to be there for his friend too, and him breaking down was not going to help.

“I’ll go with you,” Genevieve offered, watching Henri’s face in concern. She’d just told Raiden that Henri was with her; it would look strange for him to go off by himself...and she worried that “by himself” was not the best thing for him to be right now.

Genevieve glanced, once, in Raiden’s direction, feeling a twinge of guilty nerves despite her irritation. “And...I’m sorry if that was too much.” She probably should have been more diplomatic, to save Henri stress, if nothing else. “I’m not trying to make this harder for you.”

”No, you were perfect. Raiden- he can be overbearing sometimes. I’ve learned to handle him, but in situations like these, my head just goes ‘bleh’ and fucks me over.” Henri gave an exasperated sigh as he began to lead the way to one of the few doors. It annoyed him that he couldn't handle his own personal things without either breaking down in angry tears or just freezing in place. If Raiden had caught him alone, Henri would have just stood there until the taller man dragged him out to the gardens and finally have his talk. He was just glad that Gen had been able to drive Raiden away and give Henri time to think thins over, not that he had already done that so many times before tonight.

Once they finally exited the ballroom and into the gardens of the Aciran castle, Henri finally let go of Gen's hands. "I'm sorry- and thank you," he repeated, looking away from her when he felt his chest ache. He hadn't expected this to happen, at least not so early in the night. Right now, all he needed was time to gather his thoughts back and think. Think real hard about what he wanted.

“No problem.” Genevieve squeezed Henri’s arm, trying to give him space while still letting him know she was here. She had his back. “You know I’ll stick with you. And we can always hide behind Phillip if we need a social buffer. You know he can talk to anyone.” And, more importantly, not even Elias would be stupid enough to be rude in front of Phillip.

She looked at Henri’s averted gaze, chest pinching. “In the meantime, do you want some water or anything?”

Henri glanced back at Gen, giving his friend a reassuring smile. It was going to be fine, these two months would be okay if Gen was there with him. "I think some water would be nice," He wanted to smoke just enough to be able to go back in the ballroom and see Raiden's face again. Besides, he knew how Gen felt about his habit of smoking and how she was trying to get him to quit. Henri really didn't know what he would do with himself without Gen. "Thank you." He couldn't say that enough.

“No problem,” Genevieve repeated, with a hint of relief. This, at least, was something she could do. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere, okay?” When he agreed, she ducked back into the ballroom.