between us

finding  lottie  on  the  dance  floor  was  an  obvious  choice  given  that  cecilia  knew  her  better  than  most.  always  looking  for  adventure,  a  party,  somewhere  to  let  the  chaos  that  lived  inside  of  her  soul  out.  even  if  just  for  a  bit.  once  upon  a  time,  she  would  have  pulled  her  back  to  the  dance  floor.  cecilia  would  have  thrown  her  head  back  in  laughter  as  she  mimicked  the  motions  but  those  days  had  waned  until  an  almost  stranger  stood  in  her  place.  someone  that  she  couldn't  decipher  easily.  “  then  make  up  your  own  words?  if  you  could  tell  a  story  with  the  song  what  would  it  be  saying?  ”  it  seemed  so  simple,  find  the  story  within  the  melody  but  perhaps  that  was  her  living  in  the  clouds  that  often  kept  her  from  connecting  down  below.  “  with  someone?  oh,  i  was  supposed  to  meet  someone  here  but  they're  running  late.  there  is  a  lot  going  on  right  now  so  i'm  not  shocked.  what  about  you?  ”

cece was so familiar and perhaps that was why lottie was so quick to be bored of her, to be so flippant. or maybe she got too close and became a risk of attachment, close enough that one day she'd come to the realisation that lottie simply wasn't good enough. she was entitled and spoiled but she wasn't a fool. she knew she wouldn't be half as successful today if it wasn't for her connections, her father. and she was always scared that she was on borrowed time. " do it myself, i'm afraid i'm unfamiliar with the concept. " lottie spoke, her nose in the air somewhat snottily. " i have a better idea, you do it. tell me what you hear. " she demanded. and with those few words, lottie went from indifferent to very interested. she pushed cece away, didn't want her. but she didn't want anyone else to have her either. she was possessive by nature. " well that's good because why would you need anyone else when i'm right here? " she held a hand out for her. " whoever i was supposed to meet can wait, dance with me. " she said, sultry tone suggesting it would be more than a dance.

shoulders  drop  in  defeat,  arms  crossing  over  chest  to  provide  little  comfort  to  self  —  gaze  soon  lifting  to  fall  on  him.  "  what  do  you  want  me  to  say  ?  to  do  ?  "  she  asks,  frustration  simmering  beneath  skin.  walking  over  to  a  befallen  tree,  wiping  debris  off  the  trunk  before  sitting  and  then  giving  him  an  expecting  look.  "  talk  then.  "  sasha  didn't  know  where  to  start,  what  was  right  or  wrong,  and  he  seemed  to  know  how  to  lead  it.  

" fuck, i don't know sash, i thought we were friends you know? " and maybe some lines had been a little blurred but it had never become anything physical. he sat down next to her, not wanting to be towering over her in this conversation, though he kept a safe distance away. " look, maybe things went a little too far, i don't know. but i care about you. i miss having you around. "

daisy  was  a  little  overwhelmed  which  would  surprise  absolutely  nobody  who  knew  her.  these  sort  of  events  made  her  imposter  syndrome  kick  in  at  full  force.  she  had  always  been  an  outsider  to  the  world  of  fame  and  she  had  grown  used  to  the  feeling  for  the  most  part.  but  this  felt  like  it  was  just  reminding  her  of  how  much  of  an  outsider  she  truly  was  on  a  different  level.  nevertheless,  she  tried  to  push  that  thought  to  the  back  of  her  mind  and  enjoy  the  moment  as  much  as  she  could.  and  hey,  a  petting  zoo  seemed  like  a  cute  idea.  she  had  grown  up  around  farm  animals  just  by  nature  of  her  hometown  and  going  to  county  fairs.  "never  got  to  pet  a  monkey  on  any  of  the  farms  back  home."  she  laughs,  musing  to  herself  and  to  whoever  is  around  really.  

lottie glanced down at the monkey in question, her nose scrunching. " hm, can't say it's really my thing. i mean, are they sanitary? " she asked. " i've only ever really been around horses or dogs. and that's when i pay others to groom them so i know they're kept as cleanly as they can be. " though her head tilted to the side. " though they are cute, are they soft? " she asked.

the entertainment of the jousts only made underlying irritation refuse to die out, having thought he could do more than play spectator.  ❝ it's bullshit they won't let us compete. i'd even settle for foam lances. ❞   there was no way it could be more dangerous than his normal job. he would've been willing to donate five thousand dollars for that — more worth it than for a simple bet.

" i think if two participants are willing and sign waiver forms stating that any injuries grievous or minimal are of their own doing and cannot be of any fault of here, then why not? " it'd provide much more entertainment and idris would have been willing to draft the papers up himself. " it is bullshit. think they'd notice if we stole equipment... and horses and set it up ourselves? "

      "  you're  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  castle  for  that.  "  referring  to  where  the  jousting  was  taking  place  and  the  bets  on  the  knights,  the  stalls  set  up  where  people  could  buy  souvenirs  like  the  type  of  crowns  that  lottie  talking  about.  "  i'm  almost  done  with  it,  so  it's  all  yours.  "  flashes  a  smile  as  she  weaves  a  couple  more  flowers  in  before  holding  it  out  for  the  other's  inspection.  "  here  you  go  !  "  

" hm, well, i don't know if i can be bothered traipsing all the way to the other side again. these shoes are not made for walking. " she said and sat down with a huff, skirt of her dress falling around her. " amazing! hey now, you have to crown me like a true princess. " she said, bending her head so the other could place the crown on top of it.

the reaction couldn't be further from the ones she'd expected. a warm laugh tumbled off her lips, joining the melody lottie's giggles had started.  ❝ i guess, but maybe when they're not holding a sharp object. wouldn't want anything bad to happen. ❞   including anything that could alter her current outlook. foolish, perhaps, but also rare in risa's opinion.  ❝ but you're right, it can be fun in some instances. ❞

lottie considered heeding the warning momentarily before waving it off with a waft of her hand. " but then the danger would be taken away and it wouldn't be as fun, besides, you only almost got me. not even a scratch to the surface. " she gave a rare, genuine smile. " i do appreciate the concern though. i'll try to keep my head more to the ground while pointy things are around. oh ! " her hand reached into her coin purse and pulled out a handmade little pink flower bracelet. " here, a thanks for not killing me but can double as a friendship bracelet. we have survived a near death situation and laughed together, i think it makes us officially friends. "

managing  to  breeze  past,  sasha  should've  known  better  —  a  simple  greeting  wouldn't  have  taken  much,  but  truth  was  ...  she  didn't  know  what  to  say,  how  he'd  react  and  she  wasn't  someone  that  wanted  all  eyes  on  her  despite  everything  her  career  was  about.  "  don't  start.  "  she  mutters,  head  hanging  in  shame  but  back  remains  facing  him  as  she  fiddles  with  digits.  "  i'm  not  here  to  create  a  scene  that's  headline  worthy.  "

he barely glanced in her direction, knowing the outcome if he did. still, rejection for whatever reason stung. " when have i ever created a scene? we can't even say hello now? " his voice was barely above a whisper, trying to do what he could to remain unheard. his reputation he didn't care about, but the same couldn't be said the other way. " we gotta talk at some point, can't avoid this shit forever. "

exploring  the  castle  grounds,  discovering  secrets  that  the  old  architecture  kept  lurking  beneath  marble  floors.  already  lost  in  one  wing  of  the  grandiose  palace,  seeing  another  person  wandering  the  opposite  direction  as  him  made  him  wave  and  approach.  “  hey,  anything  interesting  up  ahead?  i'm  trying  to  take  it  all  in  but  i'm  pretty  sure  i  just  spent  the  last  hour  looping  around  back  there.  it's  like  a  maze  in  here.  ”

perhaps if it were anyone else asking for help, lottie would be less obliged to help out, however arlo was one of the very few lottie cared for wholeheartedly. " hmm, there's archery. we could always go try some out? though there's no guarantees that i won't aim for you. it'd be a risk you'd have to take. or if you want to be more safe and boring, there are paints out. you could paint a portrait of some kind ... orrrrr i could find us some meade and we could make this truly fun. "

Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton Bridgerton Season 4 (2026)

# scene𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗶 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀.

      "  this  is  making  my  butt  hurt.  "  always  the  reason  why  they  hadn't  enjoyed  the  sport  in  general,  pretty  to  watch  from  afar,  never  her  cup  of  tea.  "  one  more  lap  and  then  we're  done  ?  "  asks  hopefully  from  atop  the  huge  horse  they'd  chosen  because  of  looks,  and  now  regretted  the  decision.                      

" but it's a good pain, i mean c'mon, what's cooler than getting to say you have a sore ass cos you were riding a horse? " perhaps idris should connect with nature and animals more often, it was freeing. " three more laps and then i'll do whatever you want next, as long as it's not life endangering, illegal or impossible. " ever the lawyer, he tried to strike a bargain.

rich  brown  hues  find  him  —  a  figure  she  hadn't  seen  in  quite  some  time,  inactively  avoiding  him  but  aware  of  surroundings  always.  she  doesn't  say  anything  at  first,  does  nothing  to  break  the  ice  but  that  familiar  warmth  spreads  across  chest,  radiating  down  arms  and  air  became  thicker,  harder  to  swallow.  mouth  opens  to  speak,  but  words  fail  her  and  nothing  sounds...  embarrassing  she  thinks  to  self.  spine  straightens  in  an  adjustment  of  posture,  a  subtle  tell  -  tale  sign  that  she  felt  awkward  but  disguised  it  well  enough.  shoulders  settle  into  a  neutral  position,  features  a  calm  disposition  —  mind  still  blank  on  how  to  break  lingering  tension,  wanting  to  postpone  a  conversation  both  of  them  knew  needed  to  happen.  sasha  decides  it  can  be  forgotten  about  until  another  time,  maybe  when  their  every  move  wasn't  being  watched  and  so  she  attempts  to  walk  around  him,  straight  past  him  but  still  following  the  worn  trail  in  hopes  to  find  the  gardens  again.  

this wasn't truly idris's scene. the pageantry and lavishness, but he was there to socialise, network per say. after all, clientele would be booming here. still, sometimes idris just needed a break, away from the hustle and bustle of it all. a moment to collect his thoughts. the universe however, brought in a different plan. it had been a while, too long, not long enough. but there she was. he still wasn't sure what it even was between them, what was had, what was romanticised, what was undeniable... a whirlwind of good intentions. he had truly just wanted to help, at first. " not even gonna say hi? " the words came out showing more of the hurt than intended. " i see how it is. " his voice isn't loud, more of a low grumble. he shouldn't shout there, who knew what was lurking around.

merry  making  music  ricocheted  through  her  as  she  continued  being  perched  on  a  comfortable  bench  secluded  from  the  nucleus  of  the  area.  the  drink  whose  convoluted  but  on  theme  name  that  had  been  lost  to  her  as  soon  as  it  was  uttered  from  her  lips  sat  idly  in  her  hands  as  people  watching  took  her  focus.  eyebrow  arching  as  a  familiar  figure  caught  her  eye.  if  her  mind  had  been  in  the  right  place,  not  drawing  attention  to  herself  would  have  been  the  best  course  of  action.  leave  things  where  they  were  and  move  on  without  speaking  another  word  to  her  fellow  actress  but  cecilia  had  very  little  impulse  control  and  after  taking  a  sip  of  her  cocktail,  she  waved  awkwardly  towards  her  ex.  “  lottie,  hey,  are  you  enjoying  the  festivities?  ”

lottie had never been one to shy away from the dance floor, even if she was the only one on it. and a long, stuffy dress would never get in the way of her shaking her ass if needs be. she was enjoying the revelry when she was stopped by a familiar voice. she turned to look at her ex, an eyebrow raising inquisitively. cecelia was perhaps the closest she had ever come to feeling true love, but as always, attention wained and she drifted off to the next thing, never stopping to think about who was left behind. still, to appear affected by another was to give them the satisfaction of winning. " hm? oh, cece, hi. it's been fun of course, although i do miss songs having words... are you here with anyone? " because of course, lottie only truly cared when she was jealous.

openstarter   —   sanssouci    palace , midday

" oh my gosh, i hope so ! " lottie grinned. " i love secret passageways, even better when they're full of surprises. " eyes gleaming with delight while she watched the other go through the bookshelf. " let me know when you find it, you're doing great ! " she gave a little fist raise of a cheer and leaned back against the wall, there, she'd done her part, she was the encouragement.

“it’s a good thing you don’t have to brush or feed me after riding me ,” she comments over her shoulder, running a comb through her horse’s mane . “otherwise , we’d both be dead .” the corner of her mouth lifts into a smirk , enough to show she’s joking . “c’mon . don’t be scared , it won’t eat you .”

she glanced to the horse and then back to the girl. " i'd actually far rather get back to the riding you comment. because i would like to say that it is far more likely i'll be riding you than that thing with a thousand teeth. and you cannot promise me it won't eat me. unless you can read it's mind. which i'd find unlikely though not completely impossible to believe. "