#closed.starter

"oh, well- wild roses, snapdragons, poppies, and bleeding hearts are my favorites. that is if we aren't speaking grand fields of wildflowers which would, of course, be largely impractical for a wedding venue I feel." nuptial planning had only just begun and through asking all the standard sort of questions. dovey turned her face upward to welcome the sunshine on it; serene in its golden warmth. a day so beautiful invited nearly every person in the ton to promenade before the weather turned cool. "do you have a preference? what about colors? what about activities? should we plan something that you usually like to do?" dovey paused, remembering a comment the brother of her affianced made when they met. "how do you enjoy spending time?"

It had been exactly one week since the Roman Ball and Eros had been waiting curiously all day to see if a certain councilman would show his face at the Pointed Fang. After all, he’d been given an order by the vampire and while it may not have been a promise per-say, he did say he’d see him in a week. Eros was a bit excited at the prospect of receiving more attention from the nobleman. The slave liked serving the nobility though he knew he was hardly appropriate to do so most times. He’d thought about Michael’s promise for most of the day as he worked, his eyes casually scanning the crowd to try and find him occasionally. But, with his searching fruitless, it was quickly forgotten after a long night of work and the pleasant distractions from customers. That is, until he was retrieved from the Hive for a rental.  

Honey mustard or ranch? Honey mustard or ranch? Honey mustard or--... Riley was in a conundrum of options. Sure, she could easily throw both of these random flavored nut bags in her cart, but she was at least attempting to restrict herself from indulging too much on food. It was always a struggle when she was so fond of any and all types, so there she stood. “Hm.. Which of you will please my tummy most?” She hummed aloud, rereading each label for the Nth time, totally unaware of any other presence around her in the snack aisle of a rather busy grocery store up the road from where she lived. 

Aflyn looked after his parents as they left him alone in the living room with the stranger. Well, not entirely, he did know her name. He turned to look at her as she brushed her short blonde hair behind her ear. He sat down in the nearby recliner and sighed, "For real? A betrothal! That's so stupid!" He stood up and cocked his head at Elsa. "I'm not complaining about you," he smirked, "I'm just complaining about the circumstances. Why would someone decide this while drunk, then go through with it?"

     it  was  arduous  to  cognize.  the  sensitivities  of  ladies;  brisk  to  exasperate,  though  nonviable  to  compromise  or  please.  a  mere  slip  of  the  tongue  or  words  taken  out  of  context  was  unsanctioned  as  though  it  may  be  sacrilege.  as  though  it  violated  the  sanctity  of  marriage  in  the  same  manner  of  adultery.  a  few  hours  had passed  since  francesia  had  nearly  spat  between her  teeth  to  condemn  nikola  of  his  indiscretion.  choice  wording  that  at  the  time  held  no  substance  other  than  to  discredit  her  involvement  with  his  affairs.  for  every  time  she  peered  over  his  shoulder  to  read  the  contents  of  confidential  agreements  or  for  every  time  she  offered  an  unwarranted  opinion  before  his  audience,  the  subject  of  his  competence  was  brought  into  question  by  his  peers  who  witnessed  her  steadfast  influence.  it was emasculating.

‘  you are  a  woman.  acquit  yourself  of  meddling  in  my  affairs. ’

     he  hadn’t  meant  to  sound  so incredibly draconian.  and  not  to  her  of  all  people.  but  to  take  back  the  word  when  it  was  already  said  was  not  something  even  a  king  could  adjure.  and  not  from  a  woman  so  ungovernable  as  his  beloved.  her  words  back  to  him  stung  like  cold  ice  against  his  skin,  but to  say  he  did  not  deserve  it  was  erroneous.

     the  walk  to  the  private  chambers  she  acquainted  herself  with  was  far.  she  made  certain  to  distance  herself  the  most  she  could,  but  it  could  not  dissuade  nikola  from  his  objective  of  seeing  her  to  atone  for  his  calloused  remark.  coming  upon  her  quarters,  he  placed  a  gentle  knock  that  was  still  certain  to  alert  either  her  or  one  of  her  maids.