「 f l a s h f i r e s ! 」

“I was mostly just trying to get whatever tiny knight that has crawled into my head to stop stabbing me between the eyes,” She said, rubbing her forehead. “But I won’t say no to company. What’s your name, mysterious falling stranger?”

“Shit,” Musetta muttered under her breath. “Shit, shit, shit.” She wasn’t sure why, but she thought she was starting to see Chanson everywhere now. Damn him for having such a common face. She turns a corner and hides behind a busy shop to catch her breath, only once daring to look back and see if it really was Chanson following her. However, this time, it was just yet another land-folk who had an eerily similar face. She hides behind the shop and tries to relax a bit, taking deep breaths to slow her heart rate.

     the feel of a desperate merchant’s leather beneath her      fingertips was briefly forgotten and she caught a flash      of bright hair, red hair, hair like hers. it was almost a      familiar face, tamar thought. pale skin, quick movements.      the fact that the figure darted around a corner a heartbeat      later made it all the more interesting.

     abandoning the merchant she was trying to haggle with,      tamar made her way silently after the figure, threading      through the crowd like a needle. she peers around a      corner after a brief moment of tracking, taking in the      figure properly. they really did look oddly similar.

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          “i know!” she hissed, somehow high-pitched in her           panicked whisper. a glance around to see if anyone           had overheard them, and then a lower, calmer whisper.           “i know it’s treason.” her eyes did what she would           otherwise not: they begged him. “don’t repeat this           anywhere, lucien.” tamar sent a slow, careful look that           promised a slow, careful destruction if he ever loosened           his tongue too much. she too-casually shoved another           forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, before finding           her appetite gone. collecting her plate, she mumbled,            “see you in the training ring,” around half a mouthful of           food. she left him sitting there, hoping the training ring           was further away than tomorrow.

He raised an eyebrow, interesting, very interesting. If he could just somehow convince her that she was on the wrong side by siding with the King, perhaps he could actually get her to join with the rebellion. Clearly she was less loyal then she let on. “Who’d I tell” he muttered, making a mental note of the situation. He wasn’t too worried about her threat though, even though it was silent. He was good at what he did, better then he let on. “See you” he replied, an unexpected turn of events, but one that was positive.

“Yes, but can so can not knowing how to wield a weapon” that he had seen before. It was frightening really, but there was nothing he could do or say about that either.

He was silent as she spoke, letting her air her grievances about the other man. He was probably the safest person to say it to, as he had no intentions of repeating it to anyone. Couldn’t like everyone in this world after all, that would be near impossible with the events taking place at all times. “The reason, is that no one can beat him when it comes to weapons” he had watched people try. It was entertaining how unsuccessful they normally were. “Perhaps not, but acting on it… even saying that, can be classed as treason” oh that was hypocritical and he knew it.

“Oof.” As Tamar kicked up her leg, Fiona reached down and gave it a little squeeze, for no other reason than it was there and she was looking at it. “I would die for those shoes. Great choice.”

Fiona practically jumped out of her own shoes when food was held in front of her. She went right for the bite, giving no concern for Tamar’s fingers in the process. 

“Tipsy-toes,” she mumbled as she chewed. “That’s fucking brilliant.”

Now that she wasn’t throwing anything at him, Will was able to get a better look at his attacker. She certainly seemed more experienced in fighting than him, what with how ready she seemed to charge. Who exactly did she think he was? An assassin? He almost snorted out loud at the thought; as if he could ever be anything that sneaky or subtle. Not to mention the whole killing aspect.

He raised an eyebrow at her callous tone, even as she apologized soon after. “Didn’t realize I was near your target, sorry. Or do you normally try and take people down with your shoes? Seems like an awfully cruel thing to subject your heels to.” The question aimed his way gave Will pause, however, and he stopped the teasing, glancing back at the palace’s raucous party. “Yeah. Um, I needed some air.” He didn’t mention the fact that he hadn’t intended to run into anyone, let alone talk to them. Especially not when Thea was still out there, doing who even knew what.

          she knew she shouldn’t be getting cocky, but her posture           betrayed her thoughts and better judgement. this boy was           skittish and too nervous to put all his sharp, boyish angles           to any sort of use. she shifted her weight from one foot to           the other, gently swaying back and forth. “i suppose i can           make anything into a weapon if i try hard enough,” she mused.

Cilla laughed, propping herself up slightly to get a better look at the stranger. “What, are you falling for me already?” She asked, grinning at her own stupid joke. “If you make it a habit, I fear you’ll get all bruised up. Falling for pretty girls constantly can do that to you.” Cilla said with a wink. “Even if it was just a joke.” She flopped back down in the grass, snuggling into the warmth of the sunshine. 

          tamar rolled onto her back, sighed softly. she let the           cadence of the other girl’s voice roll over her. she           could probably just lie here for the rest of the day,           avoiding the clamour and shriek of steel that her           place in the palace held.

All are welcome, the rumors told, humming over Wonderland with news of the King’s birthday celebration. It seemed an appropriate time to test how welcoming the Crimson bastard could be. Aisling had skipped last year, and the year before that, and the year before that as well, but this year she intended to scope out the battle grounds before starting a war.

The advantage of a crowd was that sound constantly bounced off walls, providing a flawless aural map of the palace. The disadvantage was the sensory overload and the ringing in Aisling’s ears from the chatter, the clinking of glasses, the prancing of footsteps, and the throbbing of heartbeats. Her hearing was adept enough to hear the pulse of the guard standing several feet to her right. He was nervous, probably scanning the crowd for potential threats. After all, a rebellion was brewing. With any luck, an assassin would dispose of the King tonight.

“Excuse me,” Aisling whispered to the person on her left. “This crowd is unbearable, and the hall is barely wide enough to fit all of the King’s admirers. Is there a place where I could get some air?”

     tamar had stomped off to the edge of the finely-decorated room,      fancy glass of whatever in her hand. it’s not that she minded that      the food was free, that there were people everywhere— she lived      for the energy of a crowd. but all the trimmings and trappings of a      royal court set her on edge.

Willem was starting to despair. He hadn’t caught sight of his sister and he’d been wandering around the festivities for nearly forty minutes. Shouldering his way around the crowd was growing tiresome, not mention the way his anxiety was shooting through the roof thanks to the combination of the close proximity and paranoia. If he was braver, he might have snatched up a drink.

As it was, he managed to push his way out into the gardens, heaving a deep sigh as he leaned against the nearest wall. He barely had a moment to breathe before he realized he wasn’t alone, eyes widening at the heels flying past his head over a hedge. “Whoa!” Will glanced back, jaw dropping. “Watch where you’re throwing those!”

     tamar was on her feet in an instant, hands raised and feet spread      as if to take on a charging foe, or at least another guard in the      training ring. she didn’t have night vision, but from what she could      see, all she faced was a scrawny, fresh-faced boy, seeming a year      or two younger than her. but perhaps that was just the bad lighting,      or the nervous wide-eyed look he had in his eyes. it was almost      comical, she thought to herself.

     her shoulders relaxing, her hands dropping, tamar straightened,      though her feet remained planted and knees slightly bent. “maybe      you should watch where you’re standing,” she snapped. 

Sober Fiona might have played into Tamar’s little sweet act, but drunk Fiona was in a mood and looked right past it. She patted the girl’s hand and spoke as if being the utmost sincere.

“Bitch, you always slow me down… But fine. I’ll tol-erate it.”

     tamar had to giggle— or maybe it came out more of      a snicker. she gave fiona’s arm a slight squeeze,      letting her know that she knew exactly what she meant.       “well, if it’s my short legs slowing you down, you don’t      have to worry about it tonight— see?” tamar kicked up      a foot, showing off her fancy, blocky heels. “not-so-short      legs anymore.”

Only a second or two after Tamar mentioned it, the wind blew that very familiar scent right past her nose as well. She inhaled deeply and her nervous smile was replaced with a much more genuine variation. 

“Yes, it should be the next corner then…”

She quickened her pace just enough to reach the corner before her new acquaintance, peeking down the right to confirm. Then she spun back to face the girl, clasping her hands excitedly in front of her. 

“Here we are!”

          tamar grinned, while her stomach growled in approval and           demanded an end to her wait. she broke into a jog, eager           to scramble around the corner to put an end to her small           quest. she almost skidded around the corner, heedless of           the people around her, but at the last second pivoted and           threw her arms around paige’s shoulders, if only briefly.           then she was gone again, waving and calling a brief and           fading, “thank you!”

Fiona looked between Tamar’s arm and then back to her face a good few times before she straightened up, pretended to dust herself off, and shrugged.

“Nobody said I was going to have to do fucking math here, alright? I’m good… I’m good. You’re good. We’re all good. Just… Shh….”

Paige was intrigued the more this girl spoke. She clearly didn’t come to Fairtown much, which meant she couldn’t be from the Woodland… There were so many possibilities, and Paige was eager to learn, but she seemed to have half a foot stuck in her mouth.

“Oh yes, um, sorry, no. I mean, I work around here. I’m from a little north of here, though,” she answered with a smile. “And I’m sure there are plenty of secrets… But I promise I’m only still discovering them.”

          tamar had to wonder— was paige usually so contrary?           did she always trip over herself? tamar privately admitted           that it was rather endearing, looking over at the blonde           as if she was some kind of puzzle to sort out.

A cackle left her lips as she held up her cocktail, tapping the glass to her temple in a knowing gesture and possibly a toast? She grabbed the girl’s arm with her other hand to keep herself upright as challenged the girl’s words.

 “Bitch, please. Are you trying to tell me you’re not triplets?”

“Hey fuckers, what’s up?”