#vxnidicus

A quiet sigh escaped her lips. 

“Excuse me father, I need some air to myself.” 

She stood from her chair, curtsied her leave, and walked down the hall away from the dinner party. The guests consisted mostly of nobles from the royal court and their suitors as well as generals from the kingdom’s army and their sons. Her father had planned this particular party for her to mingle with the scions of wealthy families within the kingdom. But, she had no interests in finding a suitor for herself just yet; however her father insisted on prattling on about her eighteenth birthday being soon. Hanalea didn’t see the connection of her crowning age to having to find a suitor. 

Another restless sigh escaped her lips. 

As she walked further down the carpeted hall, the sounds of music, idle chit chat, and heels clicking on a dance floor faded out from her ears. She was left to her own thoughts and the sound of her gown dragging on the floor behind her. A small creak brought her out of her musings.

“Is someone there?” She called out to the empty hallway. “There’s no use hiding, I can feel your presence.” Perhaps she was just paranoid. There had been talk of a war brewing between them and the neighboring kingdom Crucia. Apparently they were targeting members of the royal court and family. She had good reason to be paranoid. 

Shaking her mind clear of such thoughts she continued to her room at a brisker pace. It took a few minutes for her to finally reach the doors to her chambers, but nonetheless she was happy to be away from the social constraints of the dinner party. Upon entering her room she closed the doors behind her and made her way to her bathing quarters. It was time for her to wipe the makeup off and slip into more comfortable clothes.

This...was definitely a problem, and out of all the problems he had ever faced, this was the one that Vince never would have even imagined happening. Actually, this was the exact reason why he never enjoyed going anywhere. Unexpected plans called for unexpected situations, and in this unexpected situation, he just had to be stuck in a closed space, with Veritas of all people. 

At least the other seemed just as displeased with this turn of events as he was. If the fact that Veritas was avoiding contact with him wasn’t enough of a clue, then the violence he used towards the door finished it off. He ducked his head slightly to avoid being knocked into despite sitting on the floor. What kind of room was this? They could hardly stand without still being close! Then again, this room most likely wasn’t built to fit two boys that were unfortunately locked in. 

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, genius.”

An irritated Vince was not a nice one, and one to be avoided. Of course, it was nearly impossible to avoid someone in this situation. As long as nothing led to any injuries, things should go fine. And by should, he meant wouldn’t. Unless they just sat in silence, one was bound to piss off the other. Now, he could just keep his mouth shut. He could just ignore Veritas. He could do a lot of things, but none of them seemed any good. As if what he was about to say next was any better. 

“You’d think that with the way you are, you wouldn’t have been shoved in here so easily.”

The same could be said about you, you idiot.

Send me “/)///v///(\” to see how my muse would talk about yours, to another person. 

“So I met someone the other day.”

Vince leaned far back as his friend Heather dropped her pencil. This was probably not a good thing to bring up in the middle of the public library. “No way! Who was it? What were they like? Were you nice to them?”

“Well…” Vince kept his eyes on the French textbook in front of him. “He was a stranger, and a total jerk.”

“Vince!”

“It’s true!” The teen ducked his head as a passing librarian glared at the two of them. “He was absolutely horrid, and he couldn’t even apologize for something that was his fault. He had bumped into me, but he pinned the blame on me, and that started a stupid argument of sorts.”

He leaned against his hand and sighed. “He seems selfish to me. Selfish, bossy, and cruel. He made the argument look like a game in the beginning, but when I wasn’t ‘playing’ it his way, apparently I was the bad guy! It was stupid, he was stupid.” 

Vince glanced around the library while Heather patiently waited for him to continue. She knew he wasn’t finished with his words, and he knew it as well. “Despite all that, though...he seemed like a cool guy. Someone I’d like to hang out with one day. That would be something, now wouldn’t it? Me, befriending someone?”

“I see what you’re saying, but the important question is...were you nice to him?”

“...No, and I kind of regret that.” He scribbled a little dot in his textbook with a heavy sigh. “No point in staying stuck on it, though. It’d be great if we saw each other again one day. I’d like to get to know him better, if possible.”

“Sheesh, Vince, haven’t you heard the phrase ‘Curiosity killed the cat?’”