#gloomcat

The court is walking through the forest, close to the castle, but far enough for a lovely picnic. Even the Queen has made an appearance. An hour into the peaceful little event, MC realizes that animals have begun to surround them. A bear, a snake, even a raccoon among the many...

MC hops up and wanders toward the animals, eager to show them a bit of love. "Well, hello there sweet creatures," MC says as they calmly approach a bear standing on its two legs, watching with a tilted head.

James: The Prince's eyes widen as he watches his twin come to a stop in front of a massive bear. Mouth agape, he feels torn between running and tackling them before it swipes with its paw and watching to see what magic unfolds before him.

Vivian: The Queen keeps an impassive face as she watches her youngest child approach dangerous, wild animals. She takes in a subtle breath, wondering what Percival would think. MC reaches out and gives the bear a gentle caress on its head. Vivian's lips twitch as her child softly compliments the animal on its fur. Pride swells through her at the actions: both kind and strong.

Constantine: Constantine slowly but surely moves to MC's side. Just in case. His heart is beating wildly and he wonders how MC can continue to impress him with their hidden abilities. MC gestures for him to pet the bear. He hesitates but does so after a moment, a goofy smile finding its way onto his face not long after.

F: F watches in wonder as MC interacts with the animals, their quiet voice calming the creatures. MC's gentle laughter works its way into F's mind, sending butterflies throughout their body. F shakes their head, amused. Then, a rabbit darts across F's legs on its way to where the other animals are with MC, and they cannot help but join in on the quiet laughter.

Margaret: A bird flutters past Margaret's face and lands on MC's shoulder, eliciting a rare and true smile from the guarded woman. If MC can affect animals in such a way, I look forward to watching them bend the nobles to their will without even trying. Margaret watches MC with soft brown eyes, filled with fondness.

Felix

"Felix."

Felix freezes at your tone. but he places a grin on his face as he spins around to face you. "Missing me already? I haven't even left yet."

You narrow your eyes. Felix swallows. "You can't go around insulting nobles to their faces," you growl at him. "Do you even realize how much work you're making for me?"

Felix takes a step forward. "You're not really, mad, right?" He winks at you.

You take a deep breath and then smile sweetly. "Of course not." He lets out a relieved sigh. "But I'm thinking a night in the dungeons would serve you well."

He gasps and shakes his head. "No, no. This body belongs in a bed, not a dark hole." You shrug.

Constantine

"Don't test me, Dimas." You glare at Constantine with gritted teeth.

His eyes widen. You've been on edge for a couple of days and he didn't mean to upset you but it's easy when you're so overwhelmed.

Constantine lets out a sigh, unsure how to make you feel better. "I'm sorry, perhaps I should go." He turns to leave but your voice causes him to freeze.

"No. You're staying put." He glances at you over his shoulder. Your arms are crossed and you're staring daggers at him. He nods his head and steps away from the door, resigned.

Margaret

You storm into Vivian's office, furious gaze landing on Margaret. She raises an eyebrow at you. "Margaret Sophia Rosi!"

She recoils at the use of her full name and glares at you. Vivian clears her throat. You both turn to look at her. "I'm going to get a snack." The Queen quickly exits.

"Well? What's this about?" Margaret asks, arms crossed.

You hold up a now crumpled letter. Her face pales and you let out a huff. "You should know better than to keep me in the dark."

F

F is stacking shelves in the library when your footsteps come to a stop behind him.

"Fre."

F's hand freezes and a shiver goes down their spine as they have a flashback to your 14th birthday where you used that same tone with them. Slowly, they turn to face you, a nervous smile on their face.

"H-hi."

Constantine sits on the edge of your bed, a brow raised. "What do I need to do again?" he asks.

You grin, pulling a vanilla lip balm out of your pocket. "Just sit there and look pretty."

He chuckles softly and leans back, both arms stretched out behind him, propping him up.

You apply the balm to your lips.

"I hate vanilla," he says, scrunching up his lovely face.

"I know," you reply laughing. "But you'll like this," you smirk.

His blue eyes watch in amusement as you rub your lips together. And when you're close enough for him to feel your breath on his skin, he doesn't let his gaze leave you. First a kiss on his neck, then his jaw, along with a gentle touch of your nose to his cheek. Finally, your lips hover just above his. "You didn't think I'd really subject you to the torture of vanilla, did you?" you ask teasingly.

"Some things are worth a little pain," he whispers, before moving closer to capture your lips on his. You’re not ready to pull away but you’ve got a lot of flavors to get to…

So, after a moment you pull back and clear your throat. "Well?" you ask.

"Next," he commands.

You quickly dig the next flavor out of your pocket. Strawberry.

He licks his top lip. “My favorite.”

“Perhaps I should save it for last…”

“No.“

You chuckle and apply it. Then you climb onto the bed, straddling him, a hand on his chest.

Your lips brush his nose, then his eyebrow. You trail kisses along his forehead, before moving down the side of his face. His eyes flutter closed and you kiss them, too.

Finally, you push him back until he’s laying flat on the bed staring up at your lips which are inches from his. You press yourself closer, your hand still on his chest, where you feel his heart racing.

Soft pink strawberry kisses litter his jawline until, at last, your lips mingle with his. Both your lips tingling. Neither of you wanting to stop.

Just then the door bursts open, Anna rushing in “MC, there’s -“

She stops, mouth open, eyes darting back and forth. You separate from Constantine, who looks annoyed.

Anna gives him a pointed look. “You, uh, you got some..” she motions all around her face with a finger.