Song of the Sea

Good luck to you, too!

37,035G goes to @islanderkana!

And the following muses may add 50,000G to their account:

Good luck to you, as well! You shall be missed, friend. The following may add 85,000G to their accounts:

( @icequeendia​ | @lannathepopstar | @pinkpoppyflower | @piccola-cara )

Revenue:

[+1,500G] For working at Siren’s Song 

[+2,000G] For being the boss of Leuda Broadcast Station

[+1,000G] For working at Charde Jewelers

[+1,000G] For being the owner of Mon Cherry 

[+9,300G] For booth sales

Expenses:

[No living expenses] Lives in a house

[No travel expenses] Owns a boat

[-22,500G] For misc. booth purchases

Net Income: 5,500G

Date: [4.13.19] Status: Pass / Fail / Hiatus 

Expenses:

[-4250G] For UPI courses

[♫] — Max gives her a dramatic shake of the head, his golden hair swishing with the motion. The light of the moon reflected off of it rather beautifully, giving his silken locks an appearance akin to liquid gold. He smiles down at the girl, feeling uncharacteristically flustered when she laces her fingers behind his neck.

Ah, so she wanted to play as well, hm? Interesting.

If Lanna thought herself to be bold, then Max would have to be even bolder. He had no issues with a woman taking charge— his own family was predominantly female, after all. It was honestly nice to know that this girl had a bit of spunk about her. But with him? Well… what sort of gentleman would he be if he let himself be lead along? As a man who would one day be the head of his family, it was he who should be doing the guiding, the leading.

Even in this dreamlike moment displaced from reality, that still remained true.

And so, with a devilish grin, he places his hands at her waist, with one going to the small of her back. In one fluid motion, he spins her around and lowers her into another dip, the space between their faces so dangerously — and tantalizingly — small. As he stares into her eyes, he grows curious. What would happen if he closed that space?

Probably something that would be more trouble than it was worth. Father was already keeping a close eye on him due to the womanizing rumors, and he certainly didn’t need anything else further wearing down the man’s patience (of which there was already an extensive amount). He needed to calm himself, and not get drunk on the atmosphere.

So he settles with a brief, chaste kiss to the cheek before righting her once more.

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — When he lowers her into a dip, she puts her trust in his hands and sinks into the rush of dopamine traveling through her as he gives her that smile that was up to no good. Her breath catches in her throat as he stares into her eye and is dangerously close. 

His game ends with a simple cheek kiss, to which, the blonde must admit, left her feeling a little unsatisfied, but she knew why.

Being a pop star had its perks, the glitz, the glam, the fashion. However, nothing good came without its faults. She knew that she couldn’t participate in a relationship, especially when she hadn’t discussed it with her manager and company. She imagined that this man—Max De Sainte-Coquille  —couldn’t be involved in anything that would put him at risk for a royal scandal either. 

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t give him and the others a show, right? She was meant to be a performer after all. 

When she’s upright again, her hands are preoccupied with his tie, straightening it. 

“There.” Lanna smiles at where the tie sat and rests her hands on his chest before slowly sliding them back up and meeting his eyes. She brings herself closer to him so she was flush with his body and her eyes flicker to his lips. With a little smirk of her own, she leans in, almost as if she were leaning in for a kiss. 

[♫] — His attention had been drawn by the sparkle of gems coming from the stall, tiny glimmers of starlight twinkling in the corner of his eye as he traveled through the bazaar. Interest piqued, he turns to see what the booth has to offer, finding himself charmed by the bedazzled shoes and adorable star plushies, though neither were to his own personal tastes.

Just as he considers getting at least one of the stars for Rosalind, he catches sight of a mini stage, and next to it, a face he hadn’t at all been expecting to see.

Lanna Elliott.

She was still as beautiful as ever, the light in her eyes shining as brightly as they had all those years back, in the days they’d spent all that time together. Much, much brighter than they had been when the two of them last parted. He could tell from here that she was doing better now, and he was genuinely happy for that.

Before he could think to leave, his gaze ends up meeting hers directly, and Max puts on a smile now that he’s been noticed. Couldn’t very well turn his back on her now, could he? He’s already made that mistake once.

“Ah, Lanna… long time no see!” He covers up the discomfort and awkwardness he felt, approaching her with played up confidence and bravado. “You seem to be doing rather well for yourself! I’m happy to see that.”

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — Ew. Lanna could smell that rosewood from anywhere and it just brought back memories she wishes she could forget. 

Still, despite how they may have ended, she needed to play nice for publicity. In fact, the public could never know about their relationship, past or not. Even if things ended poorly, she knew how important status was in this dog eat dog world, so she would never disclose that information at either of their expenses. 

That didn’t mean she had forgiven him at all, but that’s what fake smiles were for. 

“Oh, Max! Yes, I am just delightful!” She replied, cheery as ever though, her hands grabbed fistfuls of her skirt underneath the table. “I hope you are as well!” Not really. 

The woman running this booth was exceptionally charming. Of course she was. She was Lanna. Having a pop star living on the islands made for all sorts of new ideas. Tina could be paparazzi. “Stars! Just like you! Lanna buys pasta too!”

Tina’s train of thoughts were cut off when she saw the most beautiful array of sneakers. She didn’t know anything about fashion. About the latest styles. She didn’t get that. But she did know when she liked an item of clothing and she liked this one.

“Hi, I’d like to get this pair of sneakers, please.” Tina said, being more polite than usual. She was talking to a star here.

-3,000G

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — When she sees another customer, she greets them with a smile and wave. She was at least glad to see someone took an interest in the sneakers she worked so hard on. This girl looked like someone who would rock high tops over heels anyway. 

“Sure thing!” Lanna packages the sneakers in a neat box and hands the woman a glass. “Thank you for business!”

.: ☾ — Ah, it looks like another customer– This time from someone he recognized, but didn’t bother to point it out. She must get enough people walking up to her and “fangirling” over her, he didn’t want to add on to it.

Instead, he turns his attention to her phone. A relatively simpler circlet– he’s seen much more extravagant ones in his work– highlighting a single moonstone gem. It was certainly unexpected, but maybe she had simpler tastes. “I could. It would take me about a week, the earliest– It depends on how many people ask for commissions. As for the cost… Is 10,000G fair?”

With a smile, he turned towards her. “It looks very pretty, by the way. I hope I can do it justice.”

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — When he mentions how long it may take and how much it costs, she pauses for a minute, thinking about if she were in his shoes how much would it cost. It was a good thing she had a little bit of background in this kind of stuff, thanks to working at Charde Jewelers and being a pop star also had its perks~

“Hm... Yes, that seems fair enough.” She nods and decides to go ahead and pay him. 

At the compliment, she returns a kind smile of her own. “Thank you~ I’m counting on you” 

Revenue:

[+1,500G] For working at Siren’s Song 

[+2,000G] For being the boss of Leuda Broadcast Station

[+1,000G] For working at Charde Jewelers

[+1,000G] For being the owner of Mon Cherry 

Expenses:

[No living expenses] Lives in a house

[No travel expenses] Owns a boat

[♫] — To Max’s delight, his teasing has the desired result. Lanna may have been flustered, but it was much preferable to whatever discomfort or anxiety she might have been feeling earlier. Assuming she had, of course. If so, the girl was certainly good at hiding it, but Max liked to think he had a special sense for these sorts of things.

“Ah…” He drawls, twirling her again. The motion is swift, fast enough to hopefully distract her from what had been very intentional finger tracing on her back. Her form felt so small, so slender, against his. “What ‘thing’? I don’t have the sliiiiightest clue as to what you might be referring to~!”

She was much too easy to tease. It felt nice. Exhilarating, even. Rarely ever did he get the chance to act in such a carefree manner, without having to sport his usual fake smiles and practiced words.

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — When he twirls her again, she stumbles a little from the swift, yet smooth motion, but regains her balance. Instead of getting immediately flustered by his sarcastic remark, it was about time she took reign of the situation. 

“Alright, if you want to play dumb,” which this man was in no way a fool and they both knew that, “then...” 

Lanna released herself from him so her hands were free once more. Instead, she used them to loosely wrap her arms around his neck. She pulled herself closer to him and tilted her head to the side slightly to look at him. 

“Let’s play~” She teases back and her fingers began to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. 

[♫] — As Lanna spins underneath him, Max’s coat falls from her shoulders and to the ground. He doesn’t quite notice that fact, as entranced in the moment as he was, and probably wouldn’t even care once he became aware of it. Rosalind was sure to have his head for letting such an expensive piece of clothing get marred by dirt, but Max was far more interested in the charming girl in front of him. And the starlight in her eyes, glimmering like diamonds.

The giggle that escapes her is far too endearing— far too cute to be left unaddressed, and the heir gives a low, rumbling chuckle of his own as he twirls her around, pressing his hand into the small of her back to bring her even closer to him. With one last smile, sly and secretive, as if he held a secret that only the two of them were privy to, he leans forward. For a moment, it would seem that he might try to grace her with un baiser, but he gently guides her down into a dip instead.

Max remains fixed in that position, the scent of floral essences wafting from her clothes and hair, his breath ghosting over her ear, as the orchestral melody continues to play faintly in the background. And then, in a hushed whisper, he says, “I do hope you’ve been enjoying yourself so far, Miss Lanna.” 

His fingers trace along the small curve of her back as he adjusts his grip on her, holding the girl securely as he pulls her up with a smile. “That radiant smile of yours is rather promising. Could that adorable flush be because of me, I wonder~?” He says airily, with a hint of playfulness. “I do certainly hope so.”

The strange mood he sensed off of her earlier was considerably lighter now, and Max hoped that his meager gesture helped in that. At the very least, he was glad to see that he was helping in making her feel more comfortable at this party, when she was so clearly out of her element before.

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — Lanna felt her whole body shift and for a moment, her heart skips a beat, not from excitement, but from a mix of adrenaline and fear of being dropped, but he doesn’t. She would have been able to relax and trust her partner that he would keep her from meeting the ground, until he leaned closer and his breath tickled her ear. 

Even though this was just a dance, she couldn’t help but feel as though some sort of flirtation masked with intimacy and proximity was traveling through the air and between what little space between them there was. 

She closes her eyes to relish in this moment and slowly nods before whispering back, “Y-Yeah, thanks to you.”

After receiving that call, she had felt her whole world turned upside down, but dancing here underneath all the stars and a bonus, it was just the two of them, she couldn’t ask for more. It had whisked her away from the bad thoughts, even if it was just temporary bliss before having to face reality again.

As she feels his fingers dance along her back, she feels a shiver up her spine. It was silly, the way he was making her feel, after all, they were just dancing, but maybe it was the sadness covered up by the entrancement of his charms, or maybe something deeper. 

[♫] — Though it was chilly out and he had no jacket, Max found himself warmed by the tender look in his dance partner’s eyes, delicate and soft… laced with muted awe and affection, as if he was the only person in the world that mattered to her at the moment. It was a strange feeling. No one had ever looked at him with such emotion, and just the occurrence of such was enough to stir a song in his heart.

Max holds her gaze despite the slight embarrassment that began to creep in, raising her arm to pull her into a light spin, giving himself a momentary reprieve from staring into those warm brown eyes.

Once he guides her through the motion, he returns his hand to where it previously sat on her waist, shifting it a bit so that it was now at the small of her back. With the softest of smiles, Max pulls her body in ever-so-slightly, his hold on her gentle, but firm. 

♕⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚✧ — If there were any word to describe how she was feeling, it would be on cloud nine. It was like a scene from a movie, a fairy tale even, with the way the soft orchestral music set the mood, the lights lit up the night, the stars shone down on them, casting the prettiest glow of his features. 

If Max was the prince, did that mean she, herself, was the princess tonight? Or maybe she should just consider herself lucky that this royal heir bestowed his attention onto her. 

She was sort of used to being the center of attention, but never like this. 

He raises his arm and she spins under it, before being pulled right back to him. This time, a step closer as his hand rested on the small of her back.