i got you dreaming.

"is the sky... situation something we should be concerned about?" more like, is it something atlas should be concerned about — he knows his brother sort of has to be concerned about everything that goes on as the high lord, "that was a bit scary." atlas wasn't quick to fear or anger or pretty much any emotion besides excitement, but this seemed like a time where fear was appropriate. whatever's happening is very clearly out of the ordinary. "is there anything i can do? to help?"

there was a beast in each high lord, every fae knew that, or at least he thought they did and it was taking every part of him right now to not introduce the new high lords beast form to the rest of the citizens of prythian because what in the cauldron was that? letting his breathing settle for a moment he avoided looking at his brother for a moment, until he could do it was a level of neutrality on his face. "well i'm not unconcerned." he offered his expression tight as he spoke. "don't like that one bit...can you check on our sister, i haven't seen her and i want to find the other high rulers."

sunan   looked   down   to   their   clothing   and   back   up   to   their   sister's   emissary.   "that   was   not   a   compliment,   was   it?"   sunan   asked   the   other,   and   not   completely   sure   if   he   was   offended   or   not   at   the   words.   did   it   not   make   his   ass   look   good?   a   tragedy   if   it   did   not.   in   truth   they   were   lucky   sunan   was   even   here,   and   dressed   up.   in   truth   he   would   have   rather   kept   to   himself   in   his   rooms   but   he   knew   he   needed   to   make   an   appearance,   though   did   he?   after   being   isolated   for   so   long   it   was   hard   to   know   when   and   where   he   was   needed   and   not   needed.   

"when have you ever known me to be harsh sunan, it certainly wasn't an insult." rhani mocked softly as she looked back at the male. really she wasn't sure that sunan was capable of looking bad in anything but it was fun to ruffle the feathers that were so readily available. "are you surviving being out here among the people?" she knew it was a rare occurance and not everyone was as capable as she was of just sliding herself into any situation that she happened to find herself in.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐀𝐘 was highly intent on making up for the last ball that was interrupted. he thrived on parties and soirees and especially so that lately their own court had not seen much of any either. not too long into the ball and dec had several ladies approach him for a dance, and really who was he to turn down dance partners? the atmosphere in the palace since the coronation certainly left much to be desired; he understood the gravity of the situation, and aided his high lord wherever he could, but he was a firm believer that remaining burden every moment of the day would not achieve anything. dec excused himself after several dances he became a bit parched, but it seemed another read his mind and before him stood lady rhani offering a glass to him. now running into his ced's ex-fiance was no less awkward ( perhaps more awkward for his brother ) but the lord was never less than a gentlemen, and frankly, he had felt bad about how things had ended between her and ced. he takes the glass with a smile, "lady rhani, thank you, it's as if you were reading my mind." he lifts the glass before taking a generous drink of it. his gaze returned to the summer's emissary, news which dec was quite impressed with and pleased for her. despite the engagement not panning out with his brother, lady rhani had done quite well for herself. "i'm inclined to agree, you don't need to convince me to have fun. i do believe you and i maybe be the very few who are enjoying themselves. i trust that you're having a pleasant night?"

whilst it would be easy for the emmisary to hold the younger lord to the same standards and distaste that she did for his brother, it would be entirely unfair and rhani was more than capable of being a rational fae around anyone that wasn't the high lord of a certain court. she could offer declan easy smiles and friendly conversation and mean the compliments she offered him without a trace of judgement. a marvel to her really but here they were. "as emissary i pride myself on being useful to more courts than my own." she joked with her fellow fae softly, raising her glass to her lips for just a moment as she took a drink, eyes bright behind her mask before she was back to being busy and observing the room around her as she often was. "i have been able to speak to many of my friends with us all in the same room and the wine has been generously offered alongside the celebrations of us, i think it would be rude to the traditions of the spring court if we did not enjoy ourselves would it not, at least that's what i'm telling myself, maybe we simply need to convince others of that too."

"i  make  an  exception  for  our  court,  and  i  am  not  above  admitting  the  right  kind  of  wine  can  aid  this  commander  as  well."  he  wasn't  opposed  to  all  festivities,  he  only  had  an  inclination  to  celebrate  their  own,  and  starfall  was  one  of  them.  it  was  impossible  for  the  commander  to  ever  be  entirely  drunk,  aside  his  high  tolerance,  he  would  never  be  out  of  his  senses,  he  simply  could  not  afford  to,  especially  not  around  his  comrades,  whom  he  had  the  most  complicated  relationship  with  him,  although  entirely  unbeknownst  to  them.  losing  himself  in  any  sort  of  manner  was  not  something  kalore  could  ever  do,  even  if  he  had  wished  to  on  rare  occasions.  he  had  still  broken  that  rule  he'd  made  for  himself  just  days  before  this  ball.  there  was  a  gleam  of  amusement  in  his  gaze  as  it  rested  on  the  general,  "hmm,  i'm  not  certain  how  much  black  flowers  would  qualify  as  a  spring  attire.  the  spring  court  might  have  an  opinion  or  two  on  it."  kal  can't  help  but  remark,  "as  covered  as  you  night  ladies  can  manage."  it  was  something  he  was  so  used  with  the  women  of  their  court,  "i  would  say  enjoy,  but  it's  tolerable,  and  being  outside  certainly  helps.  are  you?"  he  knew  just  how  restless  some  of  the  night  fae  were  becoming,  himself  included,  this  party,  the  very  least  would  serve  as  a  temporary  distraction.

"well our court should consider themselves lucky then shouldn't they?" siri mocked easily as she rusteled her wings a little, settling into her spot. their court was lucky, exceptionally so and they were a well kept secret that siri would do anything to protect. she loved their home, adored it even and despite what the outside may think of them there wasn't anything she wasn't willing to do for it or her high lord. she longed for the time that she would be able to winnow home to her favorite roof top and enjoy the views of velaris that the capital could not compete with even if it tried. "flowers are flowers, not even spring can argue with that." no doubt they would try but siri would do as she always did and ignore them in favor of not getting herself banned from any courts. "do you see how much fabric i'm wearing right now kalore? i look practically virginal. its a sham."

siara  had  been  locked  away  in  her  chambers,  and  not  quite  doing  what  she  meant  to.  she’d  been  far  more  reserved  than  usual,  something  she  was  certain  siri  would  pick  up  on.  finding  her  friend  was  easy,  women  of  the  night  court  standing  out  amongst  the  flowers  and  stars  like  beacons.  when  she  approaches  the  general,  a  sly  whistle  slips  from  her  lips.  “  beautiful,  siri.  ”  compliments  the  spymaster.

she felt the others presence before she saw her, a warm smile appearing on her face that she was sure many among them were unused to seeing but she didn't care to hide her enjoyment at seeing her friend for the first time in days. "where have you been." she sighed with relief as she nudged at her shoulder, reserving the hug she was tempted to give her when there were no prying eyes around the night court pair. "i was beginning to think you'd found a way out and failed to tell us all."

“  another  party,  another  questionable  evening.  ”  cedrian  greets  when  he  leans  in  next  to  ambrose.  it  was  hard  not  to  notice  people,  masks  doing  little  to  conceal  their  identities,  especially  when  you  spent  any  amount  of  time  with  another.  the  high  lord  of  dawn  was  likely  as  easy  to  pick  out  as  he,  not  that  ced  minded.  the  masks  were  a  cute  idea,  but  it  did  little  to  distract  him  from  the  fact  that  this  was  not  his  home.

"i'm surprised they allowed such a thing to happen, it almost feels like we're tempting the magic." and whilst he had agreed that their people needed something to take the edge away and ease the tension that grew each passing day they were trapped, the high lord could do little to ease the worry it caused at his core. eyeing the others attire he offered him a warm smile with a sip of his head. "spring formal suits you."

it’s  easy  to  find  her  high  lord,  and  desmera  slips  through  the  crowds  gracefully  until  she  finds  herself  at  his  side.  des  slips  her  arm  through  his,  allowing  her  hand  to  barely  brush  his  own  in  case  he  wished  to  say  anything  not  to  be  overheard.  “  our  masks  almost  match,  though  i  must  say  mine  is  far  better.  ”  greets  the  commander  to  the  high  lord.

"one day you're going to learn to talk to me like i'm your high lord." ambrose sighed as he looked back at the female he saw far more as a friend than subject. he was her high lord, but it was her ability to treat him as anything but in the moments that mattered that meant he kept her by his side when it came to running his court. with their hands brushing he nodded as he kept his gaze forward. "no trouble tonight here at least, have you seen or heard anything?"

everything  about  lux  may  scream  confidence,  the  perfect  mask  crafted  from  her  years  being  raised  as  a  princess.  except  none  knew  that  was  her  history,  other  than  the  lord  of  spring  that  caught  her  gaze  far  more  often  than  he  should.  lux  glances  down  when  his  gaze  turns  her  way,  but  she  knows  she’s  been  caught  and  whether  she  chooses  it  or  not,  her  heels  click  as  she  moves  towards  the  lord  who  broke  her  heart,  even  if  he  doesn’t  know  it.  too  bad  the  masks  only  do  so  much  to  obscure  a  face,  cylas’s  was  one  she  memorized  far  too  well  not  to  notice.  “  lord  cylas.  ”  she  greets  softly,  a  small  curtsy  out  of  respect,  acting  as  if  they  were  perfect  strangers.

for every ability that he held, it seemed cylas was always going to fall short when it came to not finding the firey haired fae in any room he entered. over the years since he had left her behind he had hoped that some of the effects she had on him would ware off but even with time and a mask hiding most of her face, she had still drawn him in and he had found himself moving his feet till they came to a stop in front of her. "lady lux." he offered with a nod, questions already flowing through his mind that he no longer had a right to ask her. "are you enjoying the festivities?"

divinya is admittedly a bit on edge today. their nerves are frayed and exposed, eyes wary despite their normally aptly trained neutrality. it had been quite a while since they'd faced an armory alone, in quiet reverance; longer still since they'd let off some bottled up steam. their senses have always been on high alert, but with their recent lack of sleep, it had increased tenfold. it's with that anxiety that they react on instinct when they notice someone following a bit too close down a mostly empty street. without turning, they place a hand on their hip, a stance that isn't so much threatening as it is a quiet warning. "if you intend to follow me, you'd do best to be a little more subtle."

a smirk fell across the males face as he looked back at the other. he wondered if they were aware of who they were calling out or if they simply didn't care. it was risky, with tensions so high at the moment and every single fae, regardless of status or power, trapped in one giant bubble. then again, maybe that had been the very reason for the others warning but cylas let it roll off of his shoulders with ease as he looked back at them. "i can assure you if i wanted to follow you, you wouldn't have known i was here." he shrugged, with no ego in his tone, it was simply fact. "i'm merely heading in the same direction as you are."

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 of the ball came around once more, kalore had to suppress a groan half expecting a bothersome dress code to follow as the last one. to his surprise there was none, but due to the reason of the celebration, he supposed it was expected that most would show up in spring appropriate attire. well, everyone but the commander himself, who had opted for his signature color of black, but this time allowing for some silver embellishments on the coat itself. a brow arches at siri's remark on his attire to which kal smirks just a bit, "ah, general, when you have you known me to be the festive sort? i've entertained one ridiculous dress code, and it's not happening again." besides, it was not a celebration for the other courts, this was done solely in favor for the spring court, "i'll leave the festive attires to our fellow spring faes. while we're on the subject, i don't believe what you have on falls in the category of spring." there is a hint of amusement lining his gaze, but he's not surprised to see siri and siara in their attires simply because night court ladies seem to favor these types of gowns.

"oh i've seen it happen a time or two in the last hundred years, especially when you get into the right type of wine." and some of the festivities of velaris were unable to be ignored, it was different when they were in the safety of their own home. he was right though, even then she hadn't ever seen kalore truly lose himself like some of that others had, he did the best at keeping himself in order, even more so than timur. at the mention of her own dress, if it could be considered that, siri simply shrugged at her shoulders, wings fluttering at the gesture. "it is entirely festive, it's full of flowers is it now?" she asked as hands swept over the fabric. "i'm practically covered from head to toe." this was so much fabric, not her usual two drapes at all. "are you at least enjoying yourself?"

  alina  was  not  a  woman  of  sentiments,  they  all  were  aware  such  words  could  not  fall  from  her  lips,  but  they  also  knew  how  valued  and  cared  for  they  were  by  their  high  lady.  when  rhani  appeared  in  the  summer  court,  working  her  way  to  her  position,  alina  had  found  much  to  admire  of  the  elder  woman.  it  had  not  taken  rhani  long  to  earn  alina's  attention  nor  her  respect  and  then  her  trust,  and  as  the  high  lady  joined  her  emissary,  she  had  caught  the  way  the  other's  normally  stoic  hues  soften  at  her  presence.  in  some  ways,  that  token  of  a  gesture  never  failed  to  surprise  her.  her  worries  extend  to  her  siblings,  it  also  extended  to  this  woman,  felt  the  other's  worries,  even  if  she  would  never  reveal  it  to  alina.  "it  is  a  great  blow  to  my  pride,  but  I  have  not  given  up,  one  way  or  another,  I  will  get  all  of  us  out  of  there."  alina  murmured,  "  it  is  as  unsettling  and  frustrating,  but  brute  force  will  not  work  on  this...entity."  her  gaze  remained  on  the  woman,  "this  thing  is  ancient,  and  its  something  previous  high  rulers  for  some  generations  have  not  dealt  with.  do  not  worry  that  you  nor  our  scholars  are  able  to  provide  much,  rhani,  at  the  risk  of  sounding  rather  crude,  I  don't  expect  answers  soon."  this  was  not  reflective  of  their  abilities,  after  all  it  withstood  the  high  rulers,  so  how  would  her  inner  circles  know?  "the  mother  queen,  she  might  have  the  information  in  her  hidden  archives,  but  she's  yet  to  offer  that  to  our  scholar."

"it isn't just on you, this…this magic whatever it is, it's terrifying." a sentiment she didn't mind sharing with her high lady. rhani wouldn't allow just anyone to know the level of terror that had fallen through her when they realised that they were all trapped, first in the throne room and now here, but really she would be more terrified of anyone that was unconcerned with being stuck. those were the kind that she had been keeping an eye out for. "frankly i'd have found a daemati and asked each of the high lords that had a hand in undoing our first entrapment to be submitting themselves for questioning." neither of them would and she knew that, they did not live in an ideal world that would make all of this easier. but the high fae could wish for just a moment. "i feel rather…redundant in my role that i can't provide anything of use to you." since the day alina had taken a chance on her, she had fought tirelessly to prove that she was worth the time and attention of a high ruler, that she was in fact, a good choice. "does that worry you, the mother queen keeping secrets from you all?"

  "i  would  argue  in  these  uncertain  times,  opportunities  can  present  themselves  in  the  oddest  manners."  the  glamour  magic  summer  faes  carried  was  not  the  measly  sort,  it  was  not  of  guising  objects  with  a  pretty  curtain.  when  utilized  to  it's  full  potential  it  was  capable  of  extraordinary  things  -  both  good  and  terrifying.  of  course,  alina  herself  as  high  ruler  could  tap  into  the  most  of  it,  but  her  court  held  high  faes  who  had  the  ability  conjure  one's  desires  with  it.  "i  am  not  certain  what  you  know  of  the  glamour  magic  that  runs  along  the  summer  court,  granted,  i  do  not  allow  that  sort  of  information  to  run  free.  not  without...proper  incentive."

"i want none of your physical things." the dawn court was more than capable of providing for itself, they had trades where they needed, that wouldn't be enough to tempt him, not even if she were offering free access to her court, he simply didn't seen it. but given she was desperate enough to come to him in general, something he had no doubt wounded her pride given how similar they all were at their core, ambrose was inclined to, bargain. "but we can talk magic, secrets even, a favor to call in when i need it in return."