[color=lightgray][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/YGxzxVR.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/YJB0hdq.png[/img][/center]
[color=D0B4EC]Time:[/color]10am
[color=D0B4EC]Location:[/color] Edwards Estate - Drake's Party
[color=D0B4EC]Attire:[/color] [url=https://i.ibb.co/kyG8ft9/A2-D2-A381-EFF4-4-AF1-99-DB-F4-EDCC799663.webp[/url]Dress[/url], [url=i.imgur.com/2SBcciZ.png]Amulet[/url]
[color=D0B4EC]Interaction:[/color] [@PapaOso] Cassius [@FunnyGuy] Lorenzo 
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[hr][color=lightgray]As Charlotte’s giggles faded into the air, her gaze lingered on Cassius, lying so close beside her, bathed in the sunlight. It was the first time she had truly seen him like this—so at ease, so unguarded. Her eyes hovered over his face and she smiled, though it did fade ever so slightly as the moment went on. The sunlight striking him also highlighted the scars that marred his skin... Highlighted the evidence of a man who once spent his life fighting for coin, wandering from one battle to the next. 

Her mind had begun to wander to that age-old question: Who is Cassius really? But then, his words caught her off guard in a way she hadn't expected. [color=lightsteelblue]“I’m all in, Princess.”[/color] That teasing grin was there, but the words carried more weight than the casual banter he always threw around. He meant it. 

[color=D0B4EC]“Oh, I know exactly what we’re doing,”[/color] she replied after a brief pause, her voice lilting with playful sarcasm as she met the gaze of those gray eyes of his, [color=D0B4EC]“We’re making a grand spectacle of ourselves, that’s what. And you, my dear Cassius, are doing a remarkable job at it.”[/color]

Leaning in slightly, her voice softened as she told him, [color=D0B4EC]“If you’re all in, then so am I.”[/color] She smiled softly, letting herself sink deeper into the grass, feeling the cool earth beneath her. It was grounding, despite her intoxication. With a contented sigh, her gaze drifted upwards, following the lazy path of the clouds overhead.

[color=D0B4EC]“You know…”[/color] she mused, her tone light but carrying a deeper undertone, [color=D0B4EC]“This might be the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”[/color]

As the words slipped from her lips, she found herself reflecting on the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, lying in the grass, shoes kicked off, laughing and teasing without a care for how it looked—how improper it might seem. She could almost hear her mother’s voice in her mind, stern and exasperated, berating her for all those wasted hours in finishing school. All those lessons on grace and decorum... and for what? To roll in the grass like some unruly child?

But none of it seemed to matter anymore.

People change after losing a parent. That was an obvious fact, and her mother had been the second time she had lost one. The girl she had been a year ago seemed like a distant memory, and even now, so did who she had been simply days ago.  No matter what the gossip columns or Duchess Victoria might say, the power to define her own life was now in herself. She knew what she wanted to do with it too, but in the meantime, all she wanted to do was just enjoy the moment.

Her head turned back toward him slowly, her smile even more genuine as she reached out to take his hand tenderly, [color=D0B4EC]“...And I’m glad it’s with you.”[/color] 

[Color=salmon]“Lottie… please darling, get up… "[/color] Barely coherent mumbling reached her ears, breaking the peace of the moment. A pang of concern tugged at her as she pushed herself up slightly, propping herself on her elbows.  [Color=salmon]“There's… there's feet down there, Lottie. So many feet… ugh… I have to give Lord Drake his gifts…. I have to do it… do it before the duchess finds a way to corner me...Lottie… get up from there. The king ferret…. Lorenzo Vikena, the ferret… the ferret king of the Furonian Kingdom demand… it.”[/color] 

Her lips twitched upward at first, the absurdity of Lorenzo’s words sparking an amused giggle deep in her chest. But as her tipsy gaze slid back to her father, the smile on her face began to falter. His posture was all wrong—defeated, slumped, as if some weight far heavier than the drinks was bearing down on him. She exchanged a quick glance with Cassius before returning her gaze to Lorenzo.

[i][color=D0B4EC]“Papa?”[/color][/i] she blurted out, the word slipping from her lips.  It felt strange calling him that, as if the word did not belong to him truly, and she wasn't sure why she had said it at all. She clumsily pushed herself up to her feet, wobbling for a moment before gripping the back of a chair to steady herself. [color=D0B4EC]“Are you quite alright?”[/color]

Her eyes widened in sudden resolve as she dramatically declared, [color=D0B4EC]“Alright, that does it. We’ve all had enough to drink. Alcohol is now banned from this table!”[/color] Subsequently, Charlotte stepped closer to Lorenzo and put a hand on his shoulder.

[color=D0B4EC]“No need to worry, Lorenzo, for I shall help you present your gifts to Drake... Where are they?"[/color] She looked over at Cassius and then smiled as an idea dawned on her, [color=D0B4EC]“Oh! Cassius can help too if you have a lot."[/color] She beamed as she assured Lorenzo, [color=D0B4EC]"You're always... so thoughtful with your gifts! Lord Edwards will adore them."[/color] 

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