The Selection (1x1 with AnnaCat17)

[EchoOfShatteredIce]

"I think we should just have Solace go check on him bringing soup or something," Elliott muttered.
Abril brushed away Elliott's idea quickly. She wanted to see the prince, not have another person try to explain to them what was going on. "Does anyone know of anything that would cheer him up?"

[AnnaCat17]

Victory tried to think but no one knew him well enough to know exactly what they could have that he would want. "The only thing I can think of is the young Prince. Perhaps we can find him and use the excuse that we were bringing him to visit his brother because he was too scared to go alone."

[EchoOfShatteredIce]

"Yes!" Abril exclaimed quietly in excitement. "But where would we find the young prince?" What if he was in his own room? That wouldn't help them at all. Would Solace know?

[AnnaCat17]

Victory tried to think of how they might bait the young prince out. He wasn't at breakfast so what if he was already with his brother? "We will just have to look around. if anyone finds him get the other two and we can all go up together. If we are in a group it wont look like we are just trying to get extra private time with the prince or anything."

[EchoOfShatteredIce]

Abril nodded. She just hoped whoever found the young prince first would actually go get the other two instead of just going up by themselves. "Sounds like a place." She glanced over at Elliott, her eyebrow raised in a question. Elliott sighed, and reluctantly nodded in agreement to the place. She didn't want to risk getting into trouble, but she wanted to see the prince.

[AnnaCat17]

Victory smiled, trusting the girls not to sneak off with the young prince alone. "Ok. Good luck. Hopefully we see him before the report since by then they will have everything fully hidden. i just need to know he is ok." She got up and left the room, limping slightly as she searched for Matteo.

Matteo sat in one of the dumbwaiters between two of the floors, crying as he hugged a stuffed dinosaur his mother had made him when he was little. He wiped his tears on the soft fabric of the toy. He hadn't meant to get Pavel in trouble and now worried that he would be in trouble with both of them. He didn't want to see his father, only wanting to see his mother or Romeo and Pavel but too scared to leave the dumbwaiter and risk running his father or finding out Pavel was angry too.

[EchoOfShatteredIce]

As Elliott wandered through the kitchen, she thought she heard crying. She followed the sound to the dumbwaiter. A hiding spot. "Prince Matteo?" Elliott called softly. "Would you come down? I believe this little guy belongs to you," she said, holding the mouse in her hands. The mouse squeaked, sniffing her fingers.

[AnnaCat17]

Matteo head the voice of a girl he didn't recognize and didn't leave his hiding place, but once he heard the squeak of the mouse he pulled the ropes slowly lowering the dumbwaiter back to the kitchen. he slid the wooden door open and looked up at Elliott, his ace covered in tears and still clutching the dinosaur to his chest. Hesitantly he reached out and took the mouse, holding it close to him and letting it sniff his face.

[EchoOfShatteredIce]

Elliott smiled faintly at him, but her smile was sad. "Hi there. I'm Elliott." She held out her hand to Matteo. "Would you like to see your brother?"

[AnnaCat17]

Matteo reached out and shook her hand with his little one before slowly nodding. he clambered out of the dumbwaiter and put the mouse in the breast pocket of his shirt, stilling clinging to his dinosaur with one hand before looking at Elliott, waiting to follow her. He wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve, smearing boogers across it but he didn't care, just hugging his toy closer to him.