ᴮᴱᴬˢᵀ.

Lucky raises an eyebrow. “ Well . Better behave so we can finish our lovely evening , hmm ? ” He comments as he steps back, allowing him the room to start leading the way.

When following the prince he keeps the blaster semi hidden under his tuxedo’s jacket. Concealed enough that he could hide it properly if any passerby happened to come across them but still out enough to keep it a clear threat. With the party still going on he isn’t expecting to be disturbed. A very convenient circumstance.

Their footsteps echo through the empty halls. Moonlight lighting their way. Lucky has no eye for the beauty of the palace or the landscape that can be seen from the windows they pass. He instead keeps his gaze trained on the back of the prince’s head. Still vigilant to any defiance on his part. His missions don’t usually go this smoothly, no matter how well prepared he may be. “ Yep . I tell you only what you need to know . No offense . You’re cute . Doesn’t mean I trust you . ” He responds, the nonchalant words in contrast to the tenseness in his voice.

“ You can keep your questions to yourself , your Highness . ” He adds. The title said without even an attempt to conceal his sarcasm. “ Instead , tell me more about these treasures of his . I shouldn’t be expecting any unpleasant surprises , should I ? ” He asks.  While the security details had been given to him with this mission Lucky has had enough encounters with cursed items or weird, ancient booby traps to last himself a lifetime.

adam  snorts  in  amusement,  the  tone  with  which  the  other  speaks  making  it  all  so  obvious.  of  course.  of  course  he’s  not  going  to  tell  him  anything.  that’s  how  this  shit  works,  isn’t  it?  he  plays  the  obedient  little  hostage  and  leads  him  to  the  king’s  stash,  and  then  ends  up  with  a  blaster  bolt  to  the  back  of  the  head  for  his  troubles.  that  last  part  will  not  be  happening.  not  if  he  can  help  it.  still,  he  will  cooperate  for  now.  adam  isn’t  unreasonable,  and  it’s  best  to  try  and  stay  on  his  good  side.    “  no,  of  course  not.  the  man’s  an  idiot,  ”    adam  scoffs,  the  distain  clear  in  his  voice.    “  he  assumes  that  no  one  would  dare  be  foolish  enough  to  try  and  steal  from  him,  so  he  doesn’t  even  bother  putting  security  features  on  any  of  his  garbage.  ”      a  glance  over  his  shoulder  in  the  other  boy’s  direction  before  adding,      “  he  keeps  most  of  it  on  his  bookshelf,  right  out  in  the  open.  little  trinkets  and  things  like  that.  it  shouldn’t  be  hard  to  find.  ”  

through  the  hallways  of  the  palace  does  the  prince  lead  this  thief,  the  wheels  in  his  head  turning  the  entire  time.  he’s  concocting  a  plan  of  his  own  ;  he’s  not  leaving  ANYTHING  open  to  chance.  not  when  there’s  this  much  risk  involved.  adam  is  a  lot  of  things,  but  he  is  not  a  fool.  well.  aside  from  sending  away  the  guards.  that  admittedly  was  a  fool’s  move,  in  retrospect.

the  prince  of  pirates  LAUGHS  ;  it’s  a  twinkling  sound,  one  befitting  of  the  high  courts,  not  of  the  high  seas.  fate  and  circumstance  can  change  one’s  designated  path,  though  —  and  if  his  highness  were  to  be  entirely  honest,  he  prefers  the  freedom  that  comes  with  ruling  the  sea  rather  than  the  ballrooms.  body  is  draped  across  the  chaise,  a  brow  quirked  skywards.  perhaps  it  had  been  rather  foolish  of  him  to  sneak  onto  the  pirate  queen’s  ship  ;  after  all,  their  peace  treaty  is  already  so  fragile.  what  would  her  crew  say  if  they  found  their  fair  lady  in  throes  with  him,  hmm?

𝐅𝐎𝐑  𝐖𝐇𝐎  𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃  𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑  𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍  𝐓𝐎  𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄  𝐀  𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓?

maybe  it’s  improper,  the  way  that  adam  is  watching  from  the  sidelines  as  the  soldiers  train.  maybe  he  should  be  upstairs,  working  on  something  more  befitting  of  NOBILITY.  god  knows  there’s  plenty  of  shit  his  father  would  LOVE  to  have  him  doing  —  but  adam  has  always  looked  for  any  opportunity  to  spite  the  old  man.  not  to  mention  the  fact  that  it’s  ...  ENTERTAINING  to  watch.  he  watched  the  training  even  as  a  boy,  but  nowadays,  his  reasonings  for  finding  it  so  intriguing  are  a  bit  DIFFERENT.  

takayuki  has  always  held  his  highness’  interest,  ever  since  they  were  children  :  the  boy  that  the  captain  of  the  guard  had  taken  in  as  his  protégé,  the  boy  that  was  so  close  to  the  prince’s  age.  had  it  really  been  a  surprise  that  childhood  friendship  had  turned  into  something  ELSE  as  they  grew  up?

The warmth of a sincere smile gradually rises to Jinan’s own lips as he gives an quick but noticeable nod in agreement.

“That is very well put, y-Adam,” he stammers slightly, an awkward laugh fleeing his lips as he catches his mistake just a moment on time. “My apologies. It’ll take some adjusting to call you so informally, though, I do hope you’ll address me by name as well.”

With his hands clasping delicately in front of himself, Jinan takes several steps forward, closing the distance between himself and his fiance to a more comfortable distance. “I suppose since we’re tied to one another in such a profound way, we should use this time to our advantage. Get to know one another in a more proper manner. It’s not often people in our position get such an advantageous opportunity.”

Jinan pauses and offers a humored smile before adding, “It’ll give you some time to run if you change your mind about our engagement.”

Truthfully, he knows neither of them would do such a thing. This union is far too valuable for both countries, and it is their duties to put their people before their own preferences.

the  prince  watches  his  betrothed  closely,  a  faint  smile  still  toying  at  his  lips  when  the  other  man  slips  up  on  the  name  calling.  he  understands  it.  though.  formality  is  a  hard  curse  to  break,  truly.  that’s  why  he  doesn’t  say  anything  when  the  other  apologizes,  instead  merely  brushing  it  off  with  a  shake  of  his  head.    

still,  when  jinan  steps  closer,  adam’s  smile  widens  into  something  more  genuine.  there’s  a  quiet  laugh  in  response  to  the  other  prince’s  words,  nodding  softly.  he  has  a  point.  if  they’re  going  to  be  tied  to  one  another  from  now  on,  they  really  must  get  to  know  one  another.  it’ll  make  everything  so  much  easier.  they  truly  are  lucky  to  have  been  allowed  to  meet  beforehand.  most  do  not  get  such  privileges,  only  meeting  on  the  wedding  day.

to  be  fair,  the  orlesian  doesn’t  particularly  trust  any  of  the  mages  at  skyhold.  it  just  happens  to  be  that  dorian  is  the  one  he  encounters  the  MOST  ;  it  just  happens  to  be  that  he’s  the  one  that  keeps  grabbing  his  attention.  dreadfully  inconvenient,  all  things  considered.  

he’s  in  the  library,  doing  his  best  to  keep  his  attention  on  whatever  book  he’s  currently  pursuing.  adam  knows  the  mage  is  watching  him  from  where  he  lingers  nearby  ;  he  can  feel  his  eyes  on  him.  doesn’t  dorian  have  something  else  to  be  doing?  shouldn’t  he  be  off  with  the  inquisitor  doing  something  instead  of  WATCHING  him?  

“  didn’t  anyone  ever  teach  you  that  it’s  not  polite  to  stare?  ”    adam  finally  asks,  masked  visage  never  once  rising  from  the  pages.  he  will  not  give  that  satisfaction.

Lucky frowns at his response. He shouldn’t be surprised, really. All these rich boys are the same. More arrogance than they know what to do with. “ This isn’t a negotiation . If you don’t lead me there I will kill you . “ He pokes him with the business end of the blaster to accentuate his point, his voice low and intimidating. “ Oh , and you’re coming with of course . Wouldn’t want you calling any surprises on me and ruining the fun . “ He adds.

 He hadn’t gotten the impression that prince Adam was one who obediently follows his father, what with the extravagant party and leading a random boy to his bedroom and all. Still, it’s good to have confirmation of it. Hopefully that’s going to make this whole job a lot easier. 

He does glance down at his lips before slowly leaning in closer until he’s hovering right next to his ear. “ If you behave . I might give you something to remember me by . “ He whispers, then pulls back only enough to be able to meet his eyes. What more could someone as rich as him possibly need?

“ What else could you possibly be craving for ? “

being  taken  hostage  is  a  new  one.  honestly,  adam  is  surprised  that  it  hasn’t  happened  before,  considering  how  much  he  runs  his  mouth.  a  slight  tilt  of  the  head  ;  an  unspoken  confirmation  that  he’s  going  to  come  with  him,  that  he’s  going  to  lead  him  to  where  the  king  keeps  his  trinkets.  adam  will  cooperate,  even  if  he  doesn’t  get  something  out  of  it,  solely  because  he  doesn’t  exactly  want  a  blaster  bolt  through  the  chest  ;  it  would  RUIN  his  jacket!

still,  he’s  only  human.  a  spoiled,  arrogant  boy,  used  to  getting  EVERYTHING  he  wants.  

that  is  why  the  other  boy’s  whispered  response  makes  brows  raise,  a  glimmer  of  INTEREST  appearing  in  blue  eyes.  yes,  that’s  more  like  it.  gaze  flickers  from  his  eyes  to  the  other’s  lips  ;  the  image  that  his  mind  conjures  up  is  filthy,  but  he  doesn’t  exactly  care  either,  considering  he  HAD  initially  been  trying  to  sneak  away  with  this  guy.  

the  blaster  and  threats  were  just  a  horrible  INCONVENIENCE.

“  you’ve  got  yourself  a  deal,  pretty  boy,  ”    the  prince  hums,  a  smile,  arrogant  and  cocky,  rising  to  his  lips.    “  after  all,  you  did  cut  our  evening  AWFULLY  SHORT  by  doing  all  of  this.  ”

when  the  stranger  finally  takes  a  step  back,  adam  straightens  his  jacket  and  runs  a  hand  through  his  hair.  even  now,  he’s  concerned  about  looking  PERFECT.  arrogant  and  vain  until  the  very  end.