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[hr][i][color=LightSteelBlue]Time: 10am[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Location: Edwards Estate / Drake’s Party[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Mentions:[/color] [@princess] Lottie, [@FunnyGuy] Lorenzo[/i]
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Cassius laid there, feeling the cool earth beneath his back and the warm sun above. But the real warmth, the kind that spread through him like a slow-burning fire, came from Charlotte. Her laughter, the way her eyes sparkled with life as she teased him... it made his chest feel oddly tight. A part of him wanted to dismiss it, to lean on his usual tricks…a grin, a playful quip, but when she took his hand, that same hand that had taken lives and spilled blood, he froze. It wasn’t the touch of a princess to a knight. No, it was even softer, more delicate. Too tender for a man like him. 

For a moment, his heart did something unfamiliar…it skipped, maybe. And, to his confusion, a blush crept up his neck. [i][color=LightSteelBlue]Shit... I think I'm blushing.[/color][/i] He glanced at their joined hands, trying to mask the way his breath had caught in his lungs. Her touch sent warmth into his chest, spreading through his veins and settling somewhere deeper, [i][b]somewhere dangerous[/b][/i]. He felt his throat tighten, the weight of her simple, earnest words crashing over him like a wave.

[color=D0B4EC]"...And I’m glad it’s with you."[/color]

He tried to grin, to let some cocky remark slip from his lips. But nothing came. All he could do was look at her, that easy smile faltering for the first time in longer than he could remember. His storm-gray eyes softened, taking in every detail of Charlotte...how the sunlight danced in her dark hair, the way she seemed to shine against the chaos of the world around them. [i][color=LightSteelBlue]Gods… she’s beautiful.[/color][/i] The thought took him by surprise, knocking him sideways in his mind.

Cassius forced a chuckle to break the silence, though it sounded almost nervous to his own ears. [i]Nervous[/i]...him, of all people. [color=LightSteelBlue]“Well, that makes two of us.”[/color] he said lightly, though his voice had a rougher edge to it than before. His eyes lingered on her, watching as she sank deeper into the grass, her contentment palpable. The moment was soft, sweet… too sweet.

And that’s when the doubt crept in.

The rogue in him, the man who had spent his life chasing thrills and experiencing all the beauty in the world, felt a tug to pull away. His instincts kicked in, like they always did in a fight, but this wasn’t a battlefield he recognized. This was something else entirely, something that made the back of his neck heat up and his pulse quicken in ways that had nothing to do with enemies charging to take his life.

He could feel it now...something shifting deep inside him, as if the ground he stood on was no longer solid. His thoughts, though always a storm, usually sharp and focused, began to race in a thousand different directions at once. He wasn’t in control. [i][color=LightSteelBlue]What is this?[/color][/i] he wondered, the confusion creeping in, unsettling him in ways no threat or enemy ever had. But he didn’t understand it. He was supposed to be good at this...reading situations, keeping control, predicting the next move, or at least reacting to whatever move could come with poise and always a dash of confidence. Yet when it came to [i]her[/i], to this moment, all he could feel was that unfamiliar heat coursing through him, a war raging inside that he had no idea how to fight.

Before he could dwell on it, Lorenzo’s bizarre mumbling cut through the air, dragging him back to reality. Pieces of him felt relief, a small smirk curling at the corners of his mouth as Charlotte scrambled to her feet, tipsy but resolute. She was so endearing in her determination, commanding the scene with that familiar fire in her eyes...a fire he was unsure she even knew she had. It was a good distraction, a reprieve from the uncertainty that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

Still on the ground, Cassius pushed himself up onto his elbows, watching her with that familiar, cocky grin. But even now, there was something softer in his gaze as he followed her movements, something that hadn’t even been there before.

He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as she announced the alcohol ban and took charge of the situation. His heart warmed at the sight of her rallying behind Lorenzo, even as the man, who moments ago had threatened him, rambled on about ferrets and feet.

[i][color=LightSteelBlue]Life is so fucking weird, sometimes.[/color][/i]

When Lottie turned to him with that bright smile, asking for his help with Lorenzo’s gifts, Cassius gave her a wink, slipping back into his usual charm. [color=LightSteelBlue]“Of course, anything for you, Princess.”[/color]

But even as he said it, his mind kept circling back to the moment before...the touch of her hand, the look in her eyes. Part of him wanted to laugh it off, to pretend none of it mattered. But deep down, he knew better. Something was shifting in him, and no amount of teasing or bravado could keep it at bay forever.

[i][color=LightSteelBlue]You’re in trouble, Cassius.[/color][/i] A voice rang out in his mind’s eye, though this time it was not his. This voice came from a deeper place, one built on memories and days gone by. It was the voice of his mother, the voice of Meredith Vael. 
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