Princess Rasa Sofija Kavaliuské

A summer bash was something Rasa could easily get behind. After the cruelest of winters, the idea of being out in the sun, sipping mimosas, and enjoying the high temperature sat well with the Lithuanian. And she was pretty sure she could avoid what she might not have felt like partaking the same way she dodged most things.

Throwing a periwinkle dress over her head, Rasa decided she liked the contrast between the background and flowers embroidered in a softer tone. She only needed a small favor. Heading over to Eamon, she held an arm out towards the man. "Can you help me tie these up?" she flicked her wrist in a way that made the loose ribbons on her sleeves swish in the air.

Val chuckled at her jest, though it did bring a half-smile to his face. “Challenge accepted,” he told her. He knew he can come up with more words other than what he had just said just now-he wasn’t known as the research prince for nothing back home. But as he listened to Rasa, nodding at certain times, he did shrug a bit when she said that he’d go through the effort of hiding. “Sometimes you have to-other times I get caught. And it’s never pretty. But I guess I just gotta be a bit smarter when that happens.”

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"Oh, I like the sound of that," for whatever reason, a challenge, or a dare, always made everything seem a lot more enticing to the princess. "I've always thought getting caught was part of what made the whole thing hotter. Better. Don't you think?" she wondered. "Sometimes the smartest move is also the boldest one. Invite the spouse for a threesome. If they say yes, can they really get mad about the idea of cheating?" she tutted, and her head moved from side to side in a negative. "Besides, sometimes, the more, the merrier."

Against his better judgement, Frédéric smirked. The Lithuanian princess was, at the very least, not boring. The ineffable air of tragedy she’d once worn like an overwhelming perfume had faded somewhat, leaving behind something he could only describe as ‘not giving a fuck.’ As controlled as he was, the prince could enjoy and even encourage chaos in others, as long as it didn’t mess with his carefully crafted image and plans.

“My crime would never be something so common,” he scoffed in return, another little joke with himself - although he hadn’t exactly been punished for that particular crime all those years ago. “And you mean to tell me that you don’t believe we were gathered here for our own safety?” Frédéric raised an eyebrow, the mocking evident in his tone. Safety in numbers was bullshit when the entire future of most monarchies could be wiped out with one targeted attack. “What was your crime, then?”

"Ah," Rasa smiled derisively at the words. "Never something as pedestrian as that," she shook her head, and a heavy exhale surpassed her lips. Pushing a book far into a shelf, the Lithuanian stood to her full height and smoothed out the skirt of her black dress. "No. With you, it must be something far more egregious," she teased, and light footsteps made their way towards the surly Swiss man in a chair.

Her life had been punctuated by bad decisions, this might only add to her list. Plucking the book from the prince's fingers with a hand and set it down on the end table closest to them. "So, what is it? What have you done to tarnish your flawless reputation and end here?" she wondered, eyes slightly narrowed towards him as she sat across his lap, pulling her legs up the chair's arm. "I don't know about you, but I came here to avoid having to hear my parents pitiful whispers behind my back when they thought I wasn't listening. I got tired. And don't be foolish. We all know you think that is beneath you. Safety is nothing more than an illusion.

“I feel…” she started, slowly twirling around again. She took in every detail she put into the dress, along with little, tiny things she missed, but they were all fixable. “I feel like cinderella.” she whispered softly, feeling the tears coming to her eyes. “Now I just need some really hot shoes to go with it and I’ll be good to go to a party.” 

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"What shoe size are you?" Rasa asked. Maybe she could play this whole 'fairy godmother' role for a while. And if they just happened to be the same size, it wasn't as if the Lithuanian would mind sparing a few pairs. "May I?" she outstretched her hands towards the brunette's hair but refrained from touching the dark tresses until she said anything about it.

“Understable,” Val agreed with a nod. He didn’t want to think about the coming months, including the three days before Christmas and the month of September. “Sounds like a really good plan,” he agreed. He tuned to the party, where it was getting really loud…and started to rethink his plan. If he goes back in there and just drink and be merry, he’ll probably wind up in a ditch somewhere or his head stuck in a toliet. “I miiiighr want to….rethink the plan in my head….because if I go back in there…I will possibly fall in a ditch, flat on my face.”

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"There's nothing wrong with that if it's what you want," the princess hiked up her skirts all the way up to her mid-thighs and hooked a leg over the fence she had been leaning on. "Next time you want to take me to something like this, I'll avoid the heels," she announced, trying as best as she could to ground her foot before she put her weight in it. "It might be a good moment to watch a movie under the blankets. At least I think it could be distracting," she shrugged. And it might have been better than her usual activities or that time of the year for her.

She nodded as she talked, though her eyes widened just a bit when she said she grew around the corner. “Honestly? I have no idea if they do canalize tea, but if they did, then I would’ve drank from the gallon.” Though after drinking enough tea for one day, she would be going crazy and would want something else do drink. “Maybe I’ll wait till I get home to drink, and just deal with tea. Which I have to say, it’s much better than the way I make it.” 

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Seeing Lilliana's eyes widen, Rasa swept her hand across the air. "I'm Lithuanian. It's not really around the corner, but I suppose I was born closer to Russia than many of the other people here," she explained. "Besides, our countries have deep running ties," she crossed her fingers as she spoke of how tight they were. "To be fair, I've never thought much of tea. Unless I'm nurturing a bad hangover, I've always thought I could do without. But I thought they had that here...?" the dressmaker's words made her wonder about the contents of the many dishes and pots on a service table.

She shrugged-she never had any answer for questions like that. “I rarely wear anything I make,” Lilliana admitted, more to herself than to her. The offer made her smile just slightly before her head snapped up when she asked her to put on the dress? “Sorry, what?’ she asked, as if she had grown a head or two. But if she wanted her to try it…”Oh…why not?” Lilliana took it from the mannequin and nearly ran towards the back to change. 

It took her a while, but once she finally got the dress on, she walked back out and went to the huge mirror she always had, so her clients can see how they looked-and her mouth dropped. “Holy shit,” Lilliana gasped softly, twirling around. “I might just fucking keep this dress and not sell it.”

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"Well, you should," Rasa spoke with finality. Moving behind the woman, Rasa placed both hands on her shoulders and leaned in to whisper. "Go put it on," she thrust her head forward indicating the dress, and when the brunette was propped into action, she gave her a little push in that direction. "That's the spirit," she coaxed.

The Lithuanian waited, sipping the champagne from earlier that evening, but once she heard the rustling of fabric, her eyes turned in that general direction and she smiled. Moving over to where Lilliana stood, Rasa brushed dark tendrils of the woman's hair behind her shoulders. "How do you feel?" she asked, gazing at the other one's reflection in the mirror, taking her in.

“A new form of torture, no?” Poppy mused with a wry smile. Speed-dating was all well and good, but so little could be known. A form of networking with these types was another theory; after all, what was that among friends? Country relations rose and fell every day. 

Though Poppy had initially regretted her clothing choice, the compliment had her feeling lighter. “I…debated back and forth for about an hour before picking it. I bought it on a whim ages ago and didn’t think I’d ever have an excuse to wear it, but thank you.”

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"It would only be torture if I had to exercise restraint," which she didn't. Leaning closer, Rasa flashed the other woman a smile. "I like to look around and think I could have any pretty or handsome person I want. If only I can find the right words," which was another matter entirely.

The smile gracing Rasa's features only grew wider. "I could give you a more expert opinion if you wanted to stand up and turn around for me," she said while making a circle with her index finger in the air. "But I shouldn't embarrass you that way. I will wait for the bell to ring so I can watch you leave," she smirked.

“Ahhhh,” Niamh replied, catching on. And it was because she caught on, she didn’t ask for the other to elaborate further. It seemed like the sort of conversation to be had when they knew each other better and weren’t still on a light conversation basis. There would have to be some built up trust for that sort of conversation. “They might be. Though I don’t truly understand why he’s staying with you when he’s being offered a new room,” she admitted. “Nothing against you two spending the time together, I think that’s a good idea,” she added quickly. “I just meant having your own space is nice. It was always my one way to escape with seven siblings,” Niamh explained.

“I’m lactose intolerant,” she chuckled. “Not that it ever really stops me,” she admitted.

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Rasa's unique condition made sure no one would have thought that tidbit of information a secret. Not perse. And Eamon had already heard about it from her, she didn't believe there would have been secrets between the twins. Niahm's following words caused the Lithuanian's eyebrows to furrow slightly. Cradling the lemonade glass in a hand, she directed her gaze towards her future sister-in-law. "You don't think Eamon can take advantage of my scintillating presence?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm as she laughed. Pushing a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, Rasa smiled softly. "I don't mind sharing. And when I'm not feeling completely wretched, I'm not a terrible company either," she shook her head. "I suppose you can say this is our wedding prelude, where we will live with one another's quirks and learn what concessions we will have to make. Although I'm sensing your brother isn't overly fussy when it comes to many things."

"Believe me, I know what it's like to nurture bad habits," she had many. "So, I'm guessing you won't mind if I call dibs on the granola berries yogurt parfait, right?"

Listening to Rasa as she talked about a lighter, his lips turned up into a little smile. “Hey, anything can be beautiful, but you’re right.” Val said, watching her put it back in her pocket. It just occurred to him that he didn’t have nothing of his betrothed, and it didn’t bother him as it should. “You’re right,” he nodded. “I just felt like I did because of my…stepmother. But she’s not here, now is she?’ he released a breath as soon as he mentioned her. “Can we just…get out of here and do something else? Please?”

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Rasa offered him a small smile in return. "I suppose I've just never thought about it that way," she shook her head. The admission, however, caused her brows to furrow, even if just slightly. She couldn't see the correlation between the two things, and it was one of those rare occasions when she wasn't sure she should ask. Pushy as she might be, sometimes she could still find boundaries. Instead, she focused on the question. "Sure. What would you like to do?"

“Moving right now sounds exhausting honestly.” It really did. Rebekah knew things like a natural disaster took a lot out of everyone and that was before adding that many of the royals have been going down to the village to give a hand in the clean up efforts. “If you don’t want to move, I can sit and chat with you for a bit. I’m feeling a little stiff so moving isn’t in the cards right now.”

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With a sigh, Rasa agreed. "More so than it normally does," she had her reasons to say such words, but for those who might not have intimately known the Lithuanian, it might have rung as if she were just the lazy sort. She didn't care enough to explain, though. "Sounds fair to me. I mean, I'm not always great company, but I'm not feeling wretched, so it probably won't make you want to run." She said with a chuckle.

Val just barked out a little laugh and a nod. “Well I’ll come out with more words than ‘okay’,” he told her. “I don’t do this-” he gestured between them as well-”Neither. But hell, it’s much better than asking ‘who are you again’ after the sex, or you get kicked out of the bed before the folks come home. Trust me-that happened to me once. Imagine the surprise on the father’s face when he found me under the bed, trying to hide.” he chuckled. “But honestly…you’re both. I need to know more words to describe you. Like…amazing, talented…someone I can talk to about almost everything.”

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"And I shall expect all the loquaciousness of a future king," she jested. "Although sometimes empty repetitions might be in order," Rasa didn't dismiss them altogether. "My secret is: I don't ever ask," she shook her head, a smile lingering on her face. "And there are quite a few things about the past seven years I can't remember," her shoulders traveled up and down with a shrug. "At least you go through the effort of hiding. I wouldn't have. And in one occasion I have asked someone's husband whether he wanted to join what we were doing," she recalled the situation. "I won't help you with that. It's up to you to come up with those expletives. And maybe next time I do you, you'll have something new for me."

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“Oh…well then…” Eamon murmured, blinking slowly at her. It made sense he supposed, but he wasn’t really used to arguing outside of his siblings, and he had certainly never been blackmailed for sex before. With the deodorant comment though he couldn’t help but smile.

He had to admit he hadn’t been expecting the response from her. When he asked he presumed she would either say go ahead before her, or that he could take a rest while he waited his turn. “O…oh.” Turning away as Rasa dropped the robe he felt his face heating up. He wasn’t a stranger to casual sex, in fact he had probably been naked around his fair share of the castle residents. But there was something so unexpected about it, and casual, she wasn’t doing it to seduce him. She did have a point though, one day they would have to see each other naked, after all they were expected to create heirs. Besides, if he stopped and waited now there was no chance he wasn’t falling asleep. With a nod half to himself and half at her he began to shed his clothes, careful not to focus on her as he moved to the bath to join her. “Thank you, I guess? Not everyone would share their bath water.”

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