[IC] The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

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POST ARCHIVE

Because of course, when you combine a whole bunch of politically powerful teenagers, there's absolutely nothing that could go wrong...

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Liv stared blankly at the sheet music before her, fingers resting over the ivory keys of the grand piano. Around her, the room was blissfully quiet, the library not having many inhabitants so early in the day- and those few inhabitants it had were several walls and rows of bookshelves away, in the proper library section, rather than this ornate entrance hall.

To be completely honest, Liv had mostly come in here seeking her betrothed, after his conspicuous absence at breakfast. She assumed the library would be the best place to find him- his tense stance at the welcoming ceremonies had seemingly said he was uncomfortable with such a crowd and he spoke like someone exceptionally well-read. A peaceful library would be the best place to find him, she had figured. But then she'd come in and hadn't seen him on a cursory inspection, and then right in the entry hall she had seen the piano, and, well... had gotten a bit distracted.

The girl shook her head, distancing herself from her thoughts. She flipped further through her well-worn music folder, picking a piece at random and spreading her fingers over the keys. She knew most of her pieces by heart, but the sheet music was helpful for keeping her eyes- and thus her brain- focused. She counted off in her head, fingers striking the keys seemingly of their own accord. As she played she dimly wondered if the others had finished breakfast yet- as soon as she'd finished eating she'd left the gathering, the large group making her uncomfortable- and if they had, if anyone else would be coming to seek refuge among the books. She half-hoped they would; she always found interacting with people much less intimidating when it was in small groups, and informally.

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Mai patted at her lips gently, setting down the napkin and discreetly reapplying her lipstick. Breakfast had been rather average, in terms of te food (Mai was not a big fan of eggs and bacon, even if the eggs and bacon were expensive eggs and bacon), but Mai considered it a success in other terms. She had been able to deduce quite a bit from what she'd seen and heard.

After breakfast was officially over, Mai found herself with nothing to do. Her betrothed had never shown up to breakfast, which Mai found to be quite peculiar. Niklas didn't seen like the type to pass up a chance to socialize and find out more about their company. In any case, Niklas hadn't shown up, and Mai needed something to do.

Mai strode briskly down the corridor, her black heels click-clacking against the ground. She wasn't quite sure where she was headed, but she supposed that it didn't really matter.

A couple of minutes later, Mai came across a rather ornate door. Soft piano music was floating out of the room. Her curiosity piqued, Mai paused and poked her head inside the doors.

The source of the piano music was immediately clear as soon as Mai looked inside. Princess Liviana Traianus of the Lusitanian Empire was sitting in front of the keys, playing her heart out. The diminutive princess had four little birds-sparrows, from the look of them-perched on her shoulders. Mai had to smile at the sight. She looks so...dare I say it? She looks so cute. Oh, that is absolutely terrible of me. Princess Liviana probaby despises it when people describe her as 'cute'. Indeed, Liviana always seemed to be wearing just as much, if not more, make-up than Mai. Mai wore make-up because it made her feel royal, and she had to say that her favorite red lipsticks always made her feel more confident. But Liviana did not wear make-up for confidence, that much was clear. By the way that Liviana carried herself, Mai thought that she could safely say that the small princess rarely ever felt very confident. She probably does it to make her look her age, Mai mused silently. Or, it was forced upon her to make her look her age. Either way, the look would suit her better if she looked more...regal. She looks like a wealthy nobleman's daughter who is about to be married off to secure a political alliance, not like a princess or future queen. Though I suppose that in Liviana's case, that description is not very far from the truth. She is the seventh child, is she not?

In any case, Mai did have to appreciate the pink dress and wrap that the other princess was wearing. It was not something she herself would have worn, but it was pretty. And Mai could always appreciate pretty things.

Liviana finished playing. Mai cleared her throat softly, so as not to startle her, and walked toward the piano, stopping once she was next to the other princess. "You play very well," Mai said quietly, giving her a gentle smile.

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Fareeha Amari strode down the grand, royal corridor like she owned it, holding her fancy shoes in one hand, her aviation sunglasses in the other. She curiously inspected all her passerby- servants, minor nobility, princes and princesses, the occasional Duke, King, or Queen from one nation or the other. All of them were, at least, slightly curious, while some of the younger servants were considerably more keen on her, if trying to do so undetected.

It wasn't really surprising that she was garnering so much attention- she knows politics, and how to be a lady, but sometimes, she simply won't abide by such rules. It is the modern day, after all, and while there's a point where one goes 'too far,' she did not consider her current state to be it.

Her current state consisted of sweat, lively, wild eyes, mussed-up hair, scuffed leggings and without her leather coat (she hung it up in Farih's 'stable' and forgot about it). She was marching confidently, almost forcefully down the hallways with a bright, slightly crooked smile of mischief and playfulness, only accented by toned strength, made obvious by her sleeveless tank top.

Faree didn't stop for anything until she passed a particularly grand set of doors on her way to her room, on the opposite side of the royal palace. From between the great oaken portal, she could hear the dying notes of a particularly resonant piece- for the life of her, she couldn't place it, but she knew she heard it during her studies of various cultures.

Pausing for a moment in the hallway, she froze. All the servants in the immediate area- some of which had averted their eyes at Fareeha's teasing winking and grins- took notice, eyeing her curiously and almost cautiously while going about their duties. And, almost as abruptly, Fareeha made up her mind about the music, and about-faced, marching back up to the door and brushing easily through them.

She was just in time to hear the smooth, rich voice of a particularly exotic princess compliment, "You play very well."

"Well I'll say," she cut in, with a hint of humor and warmth. "No, pick another piece and continue, if you'd like. I don't think I'd mind dancing to those notes, Livvy!"

She tossed her boots next to the door, and before either of the two pretty princesses could respond, she started dancing to her own beat, lost to her own world- keeping aware of the two of them on a more secondary level of attention. She began spinning around, mouthing the words to her favorite song as she danced to its imaginary beat.

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Liv looked up slowly from her sheet music at the soft sound from the doorway, and half-turned on the piano bench to see Mai, as graceful as ever, step into the room. As ever the other princess wore a designer dress, a bold shade of red that flared prettily out from the waist, high heels that could kill, and perfect, glossy-red lipstick. She was just so... pretty. And perfect. Liv brought her hand to her shoulder, self-consciously smoothing the pale pink chiffon that comprised the top layer of her dress, and getting lightly pecked by a sparrow for her efforts.

"You play very well." The other princess said with a smile. Gods, even her /words/ were eloquent.

Liv hesitated for a moment, forming a sentence in her head. English grammar was just so strange. In Latin you could have the words anywhere, though convention said the verb had to go last. But people would still figure out what you meant whether you had it first, last, or in the middle, and the nouns could be in any order. It made the careful- but at times contradictory- nature of English syntax nearly impossible for poor Liv, who spent about five seconds forming the words and had just given herself enough tentative confidence to speak them when she was interrupted by a louder voice from the door.

Fareeha Amari danced through the door, shoeless- wait, no, those were.... riding boots? by the door. And a pair of fancier flats in her hand. Her hair was mussed, bare skin flushed, presumedly from exertion. She spoke loudly- aaand then she burst into a dance of her own. Liv tried to read her lips but found she didn't know what the song was... but Fareeha had requested another song... so Liv picked a dance, at random, one that had a tempo vaguely in time with Fareeha's steps. Of course it happened to be a waltz so the cadence was ever so slightly off, the emphasis being on every third, rather than every fourth, step, but it still was a decent enough song for an impromptu dance party. Hopefully.

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Princess Liviana looked up at Mai's words. Before she could reply, Princess Fareeha Amari burst into the room, and began...dancing? Mai was not quite sure until Liviana started playing again.

Mai wasn't sure how she felt about the princess from Mamlakat Alssahra. The reports had mostly talked about her time in the Special Forces of her nation and her affinity for snakes, but Mai had seen pictures and she had seen the way she'd acted at the welcoming ceremony the previous day. She's very confident, and not in the way that Princess Caterina Versini of Svearike is. Caterina has a flirtatious sort of confidence. She enjoys being in the limelight, or so I presume based off of what I've seen. If the circumstances were different, I feel that Caterina would be the type of girl to lead other boys on and break their hearts into pieces just for the fun of it. Fareeha has more of a...how would you say this in English? The way she walks with her head held high has a certain quality to it. It is not a swagger, I would say, but more of the way one would walk if they were on top of the world and they knew it. There's even a touch of arrogance in the way she holds herself-not enough to be very noticeable, but it is definitely there. I am sure she has her reasons for behaving in this manner, given her background and upbringing, but I would be careful, if I were her. Arrogance, even the tiniest hint of it, is a dangerous trait.

Fareeha seemed sane enough, though, which was a start. And Mai could appreciate her liveliness and spontaneity, although it was rather improper. Nobody would ever say a thing about it to her face, Mai thought wryly. They'd just come off as horribly prissy.

Mai watched the other princess dance, her expression carefully arranged in one of light amusement mixed with a hint of curiosity. Mai raised her eyebrows and parted her lips ever-so-slightly, tilting her head to the side. She giggled. "Oh my!" she exclaimed to herself, her eyes following the erratic movements of the copper-skinned princess.

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The Princess of Mamlakat Alssahra gave Liviana a wide grin as she began playing a new tune for her. She finished the mental tune of her own, letting the verse of the song she was on play out, before switching almost seamlessly to the new cadence, always smooth and flowing in her movements. After spinning around just after falling into step with Liviana, she lifted her eyes from her dancing feet and locked onto Mai's.

With an ever-widening grin, she proclaimed, "The Princess of the Serpents bid you and Princess Liviana a greeting, and a good morning." After some moments, her expression turned slightly coy, slightly challenging, as she continued on. "And remember, Mai Mei, I always know a snake when I see one- and how to handle them."

She dropped her gaze and continued her dance, closing her eyes as she let the dance and the music take over. After several moments, she slipped her way closer to Mai, and reached out a hand to her- directly at her, despite having had her eyes closed and dancing around in circles several times.

"Come on, missy. Surely you know how to dance."

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Fareeha continued to dance. Mai watched her, making no comment.

Then, Fareeha looked up, a sly expression on her face. Her wild, untamed eyes met Mai's guardedly polite ones. "The Princess of Serpents bid you and Princess Liviana a greeting, and a good morning." A pause. "And remember, Mai Mei, I always know a snake when I see one-and how to handle them."

Mai resisted the urge to roll her eyes, though the expression on her face didn't change. It's this kind of unnecessary talk that gets people killed, she thought. If I had been Casimir or Zhou, it would've been war, right here and right now. Thank goodness I'm not, though. Courtesy is a lady's armor-and her weapon, if need be.

"Oh, I'm sure you do, Princess Fareeha," replied Mai in an amused voice. "Especially the type with fangs." She laughed lightly, shifting her weight on her spiky high heels. "But I'm afraid you are mistaken, my friend. I am a rat, according to my country's zodiac-I was born in 1996. I am not sure how familiar you are with zodiac signs, nor am I very sure how interested you are in them, so I shall refrain from boring you with a retelling of how the zodiac signs got their placement."

Princess Fareeha danced away and then back again, reaching a hand out to Mai. "Come on, missy. Surely you know how to dance," she said.

Mai grinned despite herself. "Princess Liviana here is playing a waltz, if my knowledge of Western music is up-to-date. Perhaps you should ask Elizaveta Romonova to dance with you. I hear that she is quite the accomplished ballroom dancer," answered Mai in a lightly teasing voice.

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Fareeha let out an exasperated sigh, exaggerating it a little obviously. She went back to eyes-closed swift-feet, mumbling a short, "I'ma getcha to dance someday." She kept dancing, but this time, she started edging over to where Liviana was playing the piano- rather involved, she was, in her work. As smoothly and as naturally are rain, Fareeha came alongside the playing princess with another one of her grins.

Spinning around once, she suddenly paused her activity to drop into a feline crouch next to the girl.

"And what of you, Liviana? You play fantastically, and you don't even really need the book. Can you dance as well as you play the grand instrument? I could teach you, if you don't, you know."

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At the sudden tension in the air with Fareeha's comment Liv looked up in alarm, her fingers striking the keys mildly harder than she had intended. With a mumbled apology she looked back down, focusing on the page of music without reading it, though her ears- rather than being focused on her work- were trained on the two older princesses. It seemed Mai had the situation well in hand, deflecting the comment about snakes with a comment about the zodiac, and rats, instead. Liv grinned to herself- her birth year, 2000, made her a dragon by the zodiac. She'd looked it up in a book on Liang, one day when she'd been bored, and had found it one of the most inspiring things she'd ever read about herself.

If Liv was startled by the way Fareeha moved to speak to her, she managed to conceal it. She blushed faintly at the praise, taking her hands from the keys to cover her mouth, her cheeks flushing the barest pink- her equivalent of turning beet-red. At the question about dancing the girl frowned, her eyebrows knitting together slightly as she pieced her reply together. She was silent for a moment before carefully articulating, "My parents thought it decent for my sisters and I to be instructed in dancing. I suppose I'm adequate at it, though not by any means the most graceful. But my instruction was not begun until I was nearly thirteen, so I suppose I can excuse it as inexperience." She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking away for a moment as she remembered when she had been small, asking why her sisters were getting taught to dance and she wasn't. And she'd taken the reply in the simple, thoughtless way that most children do...

It's hard to dance with a boy when he's in a wheelchair, isn't it? Don't worry, little sparrow, you'll learn someday.

She shook the thought away, glancing back to Fareeha with an apologetic smile. She did her best to change the topic away from herself, asking, "You dance very gracefully, Princess Fareeha. Where did you learn?"

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Fareeha Amari grinned even wider at Liviana for a long moment, before leaning back slightly, and barking out in a hearty, lively laugh.

"If you must know, Princess, I learned while I was training to be one of Mamlakat Alssahra's finest special forces operatives. You'd be surprised what some of the toughest, strongest, most badass men know. In my people's case, it's how to dance in the finest of occasions. I had always danced, and I had learned a bit of ballroom dancing from a couple tutors when I was younger, but it would be after running through an obstacle course a dozen times, after putting a thousand rounds in the firing range, that's when I learned how to dance. How to flow, and not to just move."

She gave the youngest of princesses a smile.

"I'll teach you if you want me to. I think it'd be fun, and you're just going to have to tell me how to managed to tame birds enough to have them perch on you. I can do snakes or lions, but the winged are beyond even my charm."

Playfully, Fareeha gently bumped Liv's shoulders- hard enough to be felt, soft enough to prevent accidentally pushing her.

"Whaddaya say, Livvy?"

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Mai listened to the other princesses' exchange about dancing, making no comment herself. Mai had learned Western-style ballroom dancing after her uncle took the throne, and she'd had a couple of years of training in terms of traditional Chinese dance before...well, everything, but that was about it. There hadn't been time for dancing lessons while Mai was pretending to be some farmer's daughter or some wealthy landowner's niece during the time that her uncle was trying to take back the throne.

Mai watched Liviana and Fareeha's exchange, noting the way that Liviana looked away as she talked about her own experience in dancing. Poor girl. Tenth child, mmm? I can't imagine that she got as much attention as her siblings, growing up. Why, I don't even think she arrived with an escort to the palace!

Fareeha then told Liviana how she had learned dancing, and again, Mai made no comment. She smiled politely, of course, and kept an expression of mild interest on her face, though she was picking apart Fareeha's each and every word in her head.

In any case, Liviana seemed to be appreciating the attention, from the piano playing to the dancing, though Mai could see that she was slightly flustered. Mai didn't mind watching the other two interact; it gave her plenty of opportunities to subtly learn more.

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At Fareeha’s comment about the sparrows Liv flashed a small smile. But at the jostling shoulder, though it was light and jesting, Rhea and Silvus took to the air with an alarmed cry. Liv calmly reached into a small pocket hidden in the folds of her dress, withdrawing a small handful of seeds which she lifted upwards. She lightly clicked her tongue, then rolled it over her palate, mimicking the cooing sounds that sparrows made to each other. Within a few moments the birds had come down to rest on her hand, and after devouring the seed, hopped into the air for a moment before settling on her narrow shoulders again.

Finally she looked back at Fareeha, brows again slightly crinkling as she constructed the words to reply. “Taming them was not my task… In Lusitania sparrows are as common to keep as dogs or cats are, in the rest of the world. There are sellers, running shops all over the big cities. So many sparrows- big ones, little ones, in as many colors as you could ask. Perfumed oils to keep them smelling sweet while they are with you. Trainers and… lessons- obedience lessons? Though I trained these four myself. They are given as gifts, by those without the financial means to give more exotic creatures to their lovers, or parents wanting to teach their children responsibility without risk of much loss.” She made no further comment, though her hand went for a moment to the gold locket that hung against her heart, then back up to pet the sparrows after an insistent peck.

She then scrambled for something else to say, and finally remembered the whole, er, dancing topic. So Fareeha had learned all this in the special forces? That was terribly… interesting. Liv’s mental assessment of Fareeha’s formidableness went up by a solid two hundred percent. Probably best to not refuse the offer. “And, as regarding the dancing, I would love to learn at some time.”

After that exchange the small princess turned to look again at Mai, who had been silent for some time now. Scrambling for a topic, she finally picked the most obvious thing about Mai’s physical appearance- at least, the most obvious trait through the eyes of a short, awkward girl. “Princess Mai, you always move so gracefully in those heels… I have never been able to even keep my balance, never-mind move in them, and I was wondering if, if it were convenient for you, you might give me a few tips, at some point during this stay?” She bit her tongue, cursing her meandering thoughts and habit of rambling- subconsciously trying to obfuscate her sentence structure and make the grammatical snaggles less apparent.

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Mai had to smile at the sight of Liviana interacting with her sparrows, watching as Liviana procured a handful of birdseed and fed it to them. How sweet, thought Mai idly, and she listened to Liviana's explanation of sparrows in the Lusitanian Empire. I suppose that explains why she has sparrows in the first place! Mai said to herself, laughing silently. Mai noted Liviana's awkward, choppy speech with interest. English does not come naturally to her. I suppose that can be said of all of us here, although it seems like Fareeha and I are much more fluent than Liviana is. I do wonder why; a princess of the Lusitanian Empire should be just as fluent as a princess of Liang or a princess of Mamlakat Alssahra, considering its standing and political clout in the world. Liviana seems intelligent enough, from what I know, so it is surely not because she lacks the ability to learn. Perhaps it is because she was not taught as well as one would expect. In any case, Mai could only speculate. She did not think that she would be privy to the true reason behind Liviana's awkward speech any time soon. She duly noted how Liviana's hand went to touch something that hung from her neck-a pendant, maybe, or a locket?-filing it away for future reference.

Liviana then turned to Mai. “Princess Mai, you always move so gracefully in those heels… I have never been able to even keep my balance, never-mind move in them, and I was wondering if, if it were convenient for you, you might give me a few tips, at some point during this stay?” she asked rather timidly.

Mai smiled softly. "Of course, Princess Liviana. It would be my pleasure. I'm sure that you'll find that heels are not too terribly difficult to walk in-you just have to get used to them." Here, Mai looked down at Fareeha, who was crouching beside Liv, and her lipstick-coated lips curled up into a teasingly sly smile, as if Fareeha was a boy whom Mai was playing hard to get with. "I'm sure that you'll find that high heels have other uses as well," she continued softly, her eyes flitting back to Liviana.

"Now, you yourself will have to show me, well, your entire wardrobe one of these days, of course. I do very much adore the loose style of the Lusitanian Empire. There's something very...free-spirited about it all. Your wrap from the welcoming ceremony yesterday was to die for," Mai giggled, though the mirth didn't quite reach her eyes.

Mai sighed and sat down on the ground, her legs bent and resting to her side. She glanced at Fareeha. "So, Princess Fareeha Amari," Mai began pleasantly. "Would you care to tell us more about the snakes that you know how to handle so well, since Princess Liviana here has enlightened us with her sparrows?" Mai asked in a light voice, cocking her head to the side and letting her chocolate-brown eyes find Fareeha's.

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Liv's blush, which had nearly faded, came back with a vengeance at the comment about her clothing. She herself found her people's clothing, while pretty, to be confining and bulky. "You're too kind, Princess Mai." she mumbled. She finally noticed that Mai's eyes were focused and sharp, though the rest of her had seemed relaxed and friendly. A bit of unease settled in the back of Liv's head, though she mostly ignored it. Surely Mai was just being guarded because they were barely acquaintances, right?

As Mai sat on the floor- Gods, she did even /that/ gracefully!- and asked Fareeha about her snake, Liv quickly turned her focus to the tall, muscular princess. She had been meaning to ask it as well- snakes were an odd choice of pet, and this was coming from a girl who kept a small flock of sparrows! She folded her hands in her lap, recrossing her ankles (as much to her chagrin her feet were still a good distance off the floor when she was seated on the piano bench) and waited for Fareeha to speak.

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Fareeha glanced back and forth between her two audience members, her enthusiasm finally slacking off a bit at the memory. She didn't hate it, or live in denial of it or any of the sort, but it wasn't something she enjoyed talking about, either. And yet, she also wasn't one for secrets or to refuse someone's curiosity in something that isn't really all that private. Anyone could look it up, anyways.

"It started when I was young, very young. I was always a bit of a tomboy, and I'd always skip my tutoring classes and all my princess duties to go wander the desert around my home. I never really acknowledged the land to be dangerous- perhaps that's why I ventured out so far and so often. I knew the desert around my home like the back of my hand.

"My parents were understandably distressed, and always tried to stop me- but I knew the palace just as well as I knew the desert, and I could get around them every time. I'm very resourceful, you know." To accent her point, she winked conspirationally at Liv. She personally didn't know of anything that Liv might do against her parents' will for her own reasons, but she felt like the girl might understand a little more than Mai.

"Eventually, they tired of attempting to cage my wild little soul, so they decided to monitor it instead. A guide would always come with me, and I was perfectly fine with it- because he taught me everything he knew about the land. Knew my father a while back, and had some training in the self-defense, if you know what I mean.

"He died. We had stumbled onto a small cave, and with us being the little adventurers we were, we ventured in. When we came out, we found ourselves on top of a cobra.

"And it was angry."

She paused for a long moment, collecting her thoughts.

"He died. If you've done any background searching on me, then one of the most notable things about my health is that I'm one of the healthiest and the most resilient in the world- because the Mamlakat Alssahra's royal family has had a tradition for some generations now to, weekly, inject ourselves with a small dose of some of the more potent serpent venom. It makes our immune system stronger, and our resistance to poison and venom even more. He died where I lived. We were both bitten by the cobra, and instead of hating them forever, I was intrigued. I didn't tame it, but I wanted to know more, and it seemed to accept me before it left me and my dead friend."

"After that, I just... pursued my interest. I researched the snakes, sought them out in the desert, learned how to handle them. I may not be able to go and pick up most cobras out in the wild without being bitten, but within a few minutes I can get them calmed down. It's just... being calm, I guess. And being immune. You'd have to be immune to permanently handle the venomous varieties. They're just too dangerous.

"I learned to handle them like you'd handle any dangerous animal. They're dangerous, they're to be taken seriously, but they're still animals. They're just as much an animal as a dog, or a cat. Or a sparrow."

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Mai listened to Fareeha delve into the details of how she developed her fondness for snakes with interest. She was struck by how frank the other princess was, but she supposed that she should not have been so surprised. Fareeha Amari was known to be blunt and straightforward; her comment to Mai's face about snakes was evidence enough. Not very subtle, is she? Mai thought to herself. Still, though, it was a refreshing change from the veiled threats and fake smiles that Mai had grown accustomed to back in Liang.

I suppose that Princess Fareeha and I are complete opposites in this regard, Mai mused contemplatively. Fareeha is extremely direct. She reminds me of Niklas, actually. Direct, and unashamedly so-she's got this look in her eye that practically dares you to challenge what she's saying. It was quite clear when she publicly rejected Casimir's 'gift'. My oh my. She doesn't seem like much of a politician, though. In fact, I would venture to guess that politics bores her. She'd rather be out with her snakes or hyenas than sitting in a conference room with a bunch of prissy officials discussing things in polite, boring language. At least, that's what it seems like to me, although I really shouldn't make such a judgement so soon. It's much too early for me to accurately assess her character.

Fareeha's story about the cobra and the guide was different from what Mai was used to when other royalty talked about their pets, that much was for sure. She thinks I'm a snake, hmm? Like I'm something dangerous yet something she's intimately familiar with and immune to? Mai would have let a small smile fall over her face if she were alone. However, seeing as she was in the company of Fareeha and Liviana, Mai did not let her expression change from the one of polite interest as she listened to Fareeha. Oh no, Princess Fareeha. I'm a rat. When the animals were racing across the Heavenly River, the rat rode on the water-ox and jumped off at the last second, securing its place as the first animal of our zodiac. Rats are much more intelligent than you would think they would be...and much more dangerous too, if the occasion arises.

Fareeha finished her story. Mai let her words soak in for a moment before speaking. "How...intriguing," she replied, slowly, deliberately. "It must have been quite an experience, living near such a desert." It must have been quite an experience growing up in an actual palace as well, thought Mai, though she did not voice her feelings out loud. "Surely you must have mourned the death of your guide. He sounds like a genuine friend and a wonderful companion."

Mai smoothed out the front of her vivid red dress and shifted slightly, pushing an invisible strand of hair away from her face. "I suppose it is my turn now, is it?" she asked with a soft laugh. "I unfortunately did not have the privilege of a pet when I was growing up, although I'm sure you could count the various animals that came to steal from our vegetable garden as pets if you wanted to," Mai began. "The rabbits were the worst. They would chew through our plants before they even had a chance to ripen! But uncle and I did not mind too terribly much." Mai giggled at the memory.

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Liv frowned for a moment as the bubbly, confident princess seemingly deflated a bit, before beginning to tell her tale in a much-more-serious tone. The little princess listened wordlessly to Fareeha’s speech, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth at those simple words. “he died.” How could one be so matter-of-fact about that? About the termination of life?

After the story finished Liv just sat there, speechless. Mai seemed equally confused, but she finally said how… interesting it was. Then she gave her own comment about rabbits.

Finally Liv spoke, turning first to Fareeha. “I am sorry for your loss, Fareeha. It is- it must not be easy to lose a friend.” She let those words settle for a moment, then glanced at Mai. A soft smile settled over the small girl’s face as she thought back to the fluffy rabbits kept by a few of the girls at court. In Lusitania rabbits were mostly bred for food, but sometimes a soft-hearted young girl would rescue one and keep it as a pet.

Speaking of rabbits… Liv thought again to Fareeha’s snake. Snakes were known to eat rabbits and other small fluffy things.

Including birds.

Liv subconsciously reached up to her shoulders with both hands, running the tips of her fingers lightly over the heads of the four birds perched there. “U-um… Fareeha… does your snake, um… does it eat birds?...” the question trailed off awkwardly and the girl swallowed, blushing and looking down.

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Fareeha cracked a grin at Mai, at her comments. To think, given her background, she probably wished she grew up as a princess, and not as someone considerably messier. Fareeha liked to be fair, and didn't think poorly of those of another, lower class, but she'd never want to be one. She didn't know Mai's thoughts, but figured it to be the same.

And yet, she also had green things. It'd be amazing to grow up in a place where things actually grew, beyond shrubbery or the like in the ever burning desert.

She turned a gentler smile on Liviana, though, in response to her concern.

"Being a snake, yes, my little sun does eat birds. I keep him well fed, however, so he won't try to eat your little birdies. Only when my habyeeb is very hungry would he try to go after your birdies. Which is, maybe, once every couple weeks, if I haven't fed him. Your birdies are safe. Now, if I brought my real favorite, a king cobra, then he'd probably eat everything he could get. But he's not here, so don't worry."

She gave the girl a reassuring smile and turned back to Mai.

"You've never had a pet, so you might as well start off looking at some exotic types. Would you like to meet my second habyeeb later, Farih Mushmus? Or Farih, for short. In this language, it translates to Sunny Joy. Quite the happy hyena."

[ayzrules]

Mai noted Liviana's reaction with interest. Is she...surprised by this? Did she not know of it before? Mai herself had already been familiar with the story-it was not very hard to find this type of information-but of course she had allowed Fareeha to speak. It would have been horribly rude to interrupt the other princess in the middle of a retelling of what was obviously an experience that had profoundly affected her.

Then, Liviana voiced her own concerns about Fareeha's snake eating her sparrows, and Mai felt that horrible, horrible thought come to her mind again.

Oh, goodness gracious. Liviana is absolutely adorable, and if she ever knew that I thought this, she would probably stab my eyes out with one of my own hairpins, Mai said to herself, mentally shaking her head. I really must refrain from calling her cute or adorable or anything along those lines, even in my head. I'm sure she loathes it when people call her that out loud.

Mai hoped that Liviana's fears were at least partially assuaged by Fareeha's reassurance. The poor girl seemed nervous enough already. She certainly didn't need to be worrying about the lives of her sparrows!

Then, Fareeha invited Mai to meet her 'second habyeeb'-a hyena named Farih Mushmus (which meant Sunny Joy in English, according to Fareeha). Mai was taken aback, though she was careful not to let it show. Only Fareeha Amari would bring a hyena to a gathering like this, thought Mai wryly. And her royal mother and father had absolutely no qualms about this? I suppose that shouldn't be so surprising, given that they are the rulers of Mamlakat Alssahra...

"It would be an honor," Mai answered with a friendly smile. "Oh, goodness. We have so much planned, and I simply cannot wait to get started!" she laughed softly. Mai tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the other two princesses. "I trust that both of you shall be at the Grand Ball tonight? It will be such fun to meet the others, and I do very much look forward to seeing you there," she said, letting a grin slip onto her face.

[ayzrules]

Liv blushed, taking some solace from Fareeha’s answer. Her littlest sparrow, the little cream-colored one named Lumina, chirped and began preening a strand of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder. Liv cracked a small smile, lightly running a fingernail through the sparrow’s soft feathers.

She looked up sharply at Fareeha’s mention of a happy… hy…hyena?! A hyena. A happy hyena. What in all the heavens….?! But Mai took the offer in grace, and then turned the subject away from terrifying animals to a much less stressful one- the royal ball.

Liv giggled softly, happy that the mood had relaxed. “I am looking forward to it very much.” She said. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s formal outfits… In Lusitania everyone more or less wore the same thing.” What she didn’t say was that she had never been outside of Lusitania- well, save for visits to Athens, but their attire and social customs were all very similar to what Liv was used to. Sure, she’d read a few books on the matter- glossy magazines from Trelins and Aciras. Her father had confiscated them when he’d seen, telling her that it was improper to turn her back on her people’s traditions for the “glossy lies” of the fashion publications.