sending a raven [royals]

[valkyrie,]

✰ --- ❝ ＫＡＭＡＲＩＡ ＤＡＳＯＳ ❞

--- seventeen, cisfemale, heterosexual, princess of timber, tagg. royals, mood. a bit uncomfortable

a another pair at added on along with the small group. great, the more people, the less ka wanted to talk. the pair was care's sister, mona and some prince named sebastian. already, kamaria has a certain distaste in the two. she know they just approached them, but she wasn't very comfortable with a gang of people. luckily, she had care and sterling by her side.

the female heard light laughs from caroline and pierce, "oh c'mon, care! he does like a old man!" kamaria pointed to her brother. the princess shrugged at pierce, "there's no need for a apology!". kamaria turned her head towards care again. the ash princess wanted to know any dark secrets about the steam prince. her friend seemed as if she was desperate for people's information. but, typically, caroline was a rather social type than ka.

kamaria looked over at mona and sebastian with a weak smile, "hello mona. hi sebastian, it's a pleasure to meet you. i'm kamaria dasos!". the girl tried to lighten up her attitude for the evening. she was going to spend months in the safe house with these people. the timber princess asked a simple question to the two, "are you two enjoying yourselves? you two do look... nice!" kamaria gave the two a common compliment. shouldn't every one look decent at a ball. in ka's mind, they should. unless you are her brother, then she tease you for days non-stop.

the frost prince asked a question about dark secrets. what was with these people and know something sacred to others. however, it would be exciting to see them say a few words. kamaria would just looked at them as if they were fools. secrets were secrets for a reason. you never want people in your business randomly.

[belle reve]

꧁ 𝐂 𝐀 𝐑 𝐎 𝐋 𝐈 𝐍 𝐄
━━━━━━━ "so that's one gold star for me" ━━━

eighteen kingdom of ash tagged;; kamaria, pierce, sterling, sebastian, mona

The stream prince admitted that he was mostly wandering thus far, to which Caroline nodded. "I mean, that's understandable. We've been here just long enough to throw our clothes in drawers and come to this ball." She hadn't much time to settle in yet, either. Luckily, she was adept at packing and unpacking from many travels, so she'd managed to get her belongings organized in her room rather quickly. "I look forward to exploring this place; I've heard there's plenty of amenities." Quite honestly, a part of her wanted to simply ditch the ball and explore. But of course, she was instructed to remain at the ball or in her room for the entirety of the night. It seemed cruel to throw her to this new place but not allow her the chance to know it yet. But maybe that was just her own curiosity-fueled perspective.

Kamaria's comments at her brother only brought more laughter to the blonde. "Old men can look nice too!" So she might've taken her friend's side, but still maybe kind of stayed neutral? She looked to Sterling. "No offense, of course." Once the teasing between the two siblings took a brief pause, the ash princess interjected, trying to further incorporate Sterling into the conversation. "How about you, Sterling? Had the chance to poke around this place yet? Or you, Kamaria?" Although it was still mostly on the side of small talk, Caroline felt content. Her close friend was by her side, and they were conversing with two charming men. Everyone was pleasant. She mostly felt in control of the situation, directing conversation and allowing it to naturally flow. For just meeting some of these people, she was comfortable.

Caroline raised an eyebrow in response to the subtle, nonverbal cue that the Okeanos prince seemed to enjoy the topic of interests and passions. She couldn't help but smile as he began speaking about music. It was clear in the way that he expressed his thoughts- quickly and with fervor- that it was something he loved, and she could appreciate that kind of passion. Her inkling that this boy was more human than royal was further confirmed. "That makes perfect sense, and sounds absolutely wonderful," she sincerely affirmed. "I'm currently working on learning the ukulele, actually. Though I doubt my music skill even begins to compare with yours." She'd been working on the instrument intermittently for a few years now, and figured she was decent enough at it, able to play a fair amount of songs. Still, though, she loved learning new chords and melodies. Pierce moved to discuss his family. "My sister is here as well," she chimed in. She laughed at his comments about dirty secrets. "I suppose you may have a point." His light humor shifted as he apologized for his ramble. Immediately, the princess shook her head in earnest. "No, no apologies necessary, Prince Okeanos. I quite enjoyed learning more about you." And she did. This Piece dude seemed like a good, genuine friend to have. He then requested to know more about herself. Taking a moment to think over what she wanted to say, the blonde happily explained, "I enjoy the ukulele, like mentioned before. I'd like to pretend I can sing, and I'm trained in dance. Those are all things I enjoy. I've also been practicing archery since I was fourteen." A few things she loved, the ones she normally brought up in conversations such as this. "I dabble in some writing, as well." She took a sip of her drink, debating if there was anything else she wanted to add. Confidently- almost flirtatiously- she concluded, "And as for dirty secrets... I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." A small wink trailed by a playful laugh followed, and then another sip of her marg.

Anything else she would have said suddenly escaped her mind. The confidence she built up dissipated at a rapid rate. All of her energy was redirected to keeping a light, if forced, smile on her face. So quickly everything changed, all with the addition of two more royals. First spotting Mona, Caroline had offered a welcoming smile to her sister. However, her blue eyes moved to the person her sister was attached to, and that's when everything changed. She still managed a short smile at Sebastian, but broke her gaze as soon as possible. He introduced himself so confidently, so proudly to the rest of them. She subtly nodded as he said some of them may already know him, accidentally catching his gaze once more. She read the tenseness in his posture and jaw as he breathed out her name. She forced herself to acknowledge him in return, breathily murmuring just loud enough for him to hear, "Prince Sebastian." His next words drowned from her hearing, the princess began to analyze the situation, gaze unknowingly transferring to the contents of her drink. Of course she knew she would have to see him here, but so soon? And moreso, what was he doing with her sister of all people? He had so warmly introduced her, called her a "lovely creature." While it could all just be pleasantries, why pick her sister? More shockingly, why did Mona allow it? She'd always trusted her sister, but something had been off recently... This couldn't have been it, surely?

Not to mention the secrets she was keeping from him, combined with the shame she felt from how she treated him and missing him... none of it made for a good situation. She knew conversation was still occurring, conversation that probably involved her, but the princess could feel the bile rising in her throat, the anxiety creeping up her fingertips. She took a deep breath, fighting to keep herself composed. Why was she so overwhelmed by this? She knew she'd have to see him, maybe even have to see him move on. But right now, it felt like she couldn't take it. The secrets, the feelings, the past... It was all rushing back at an alarming rate.

⫸ 𝐗 𝐀 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐑
━━━━━━━ "just kicking it at sea level" ━━━

nineteen kingdom of frost tagged;; cynthia

Cynthia prompted him to further speak on his apprehension involving the safe house, and he shrugged in response. Taking a moment before replying, Xav rolled the words he wanted to say over in his mind, wanting to accurately portray his outlook. "I mean, all things considered, it's almost like packing a bunch of dynamite into one barrel and just hoping and praying a match comes no where near it." Clearly, not the best plan. "We've only interacted with some the others, usually only on a professional, short basis. We don't actually have a clue how any of our personalities will mesh." He ran a hand through his hair, adding a bit of truthful humor for good measure as he said, "Not to mention, teenagers and young adults are inherently petty." Take that inherent pettiness, then multiply it by living a royal lifestyle, where many of these people are accustomed to getting what they want, exactly when they want it. That wouldn't happen here. Definitely not an optimistic outlook, but the way Xavier saw it, he was only preparing for the inevitable, saying what was probably on everyone's minds.

Almost immediately after voicing his opinion about Kamaria, he regretted it. Showing favor towards a stranger was incredibly unlike him, and Cynthia picked up on it. She repeated the traits he provided, causing him to bashfully duck his head down and laugh nervously. "I don't know," he muttered. "I haven't actually gotten to know her. Just what I've discerned." Trying to keep his cool, his mind immediately went to that comfortable state of attempting to point out something negative. While he didn't know her well enough to harp on anything about the timber princess, he certainly could comment on her friendship with Caroline. Yeah. That would be a good enough diversion to show he was still his happily harsh self. "But, she is friends with people that I am not particularly... fond of. And the company one keeps also says a lot about them." Then, Cynthia did something out of character: suggest meeting people. He knew that was the purpose of the ball, but his equally socially troubled friend proposing they meet people? A genuine laugh escaped his lips, looking to the princess as if she might've lost her mind. "Who are you and what have you done with Cynthia?" he joked, shaking his head. In attempt to combat her, he reminded, "We originally got onto this subject because you wanted to meet her, not me. Why don't you talk to her, and I'll protect that bar, hold our seats?" It wasn't necessarily that Xavier had social anxiety- he could speak to people if he wanted to- but he preferred to keep to himself. It was easier to be a sulky loner that way; he didn't have to feel like he was letting people down. Plus, he didn't believe in small talk and pleasantries.

Luckily, their conversation moved forward, this time with Little C teasing him over his lack of a beverage. "Oh, water," he teased back, "You're living dangerously there, C." With a wiggle of his eyebrows towards his friend, he gave in, then turning to the bartender and requesting a water. Seeing as the drink was as simple as turning on the tap, it was in front of him within the minute. He took a sip, and raised his brows at his friend. "So this is what hydration feels like," he drawled in good-natured sarcasm. Honestly, for someone that smoke and drank alcohol as much as he did, water was probably a smart option to begin working into his life. Would he, though? Probably not. Bad habits die hard. He followed his friend's gaze to the ever-growing group of social royals, noticing his brother, tethered to the youngest ash princess had joined. "I... don't know." Mild concern washed over him- he and Caroline in the same group? And what was he doing with her little sister? Something about that situation seemed off, but he needed to remind himself that his brother was adept at handling most any situation, this one included. He probably had a plan. "I'm curious if it's a pleasant conversation, or if we can expect a show sometime soon."

[☆ marriage maze ☆]

{ cynthia okeanos ;;; eldest princess of stream ;;; location: ballroom ;;; tagged: xavier, kamaria (mentioned), caroline (mentioned) }

she nodded along to xavier's further opinion on the safe house, taking an unfocused sip of her drink that dripped slightly down one corner of her lips. a part of her wished she hadn't furthered the subject; her usual optimistic spirit had damped considerably, bogged down by what seemed to be the inevitable bad end to the whole situation. she tapped her foot against the metal bar-stool, making a rhythmic, nervous clinking sound against the sole of her shoe. "well, i suppose we'll just have to...see how it goes." it was a mediocre sentiment, heavy and awkward in her mouth, and she cursed it the second it hit the air. she liked hearing what xavier had to say, really she did. she just wished it didn't make her so damn nervous.

the nervous numb feeling her frame of mind had taken on was shaken back to life somewhat by xavier's further speaking on kamaria. "not particularly fond of..." she repeated, more to herself than to him as she tried to piece together the inference behind the words. "oh, do you mean, um, caroline?" she offered, a half-informed guess by the closeness of the two princesses within the larger group (as well as a healthy dose of projecting). "i'm not particularly fond of her either." she spoke in a low tone, leaning in towards xavier ever so slightly as if she were imparting some deep and unspeakable secret, though she knew it was silly. it was not a crime to dislike someone, and it was not as if caroline would hear her, after all. a lifetime of jumping through hoops so not to offend (and often offending anyway) created habits that were not easily broken for cynthia.

cynthia knew full well that the joke about her suggestion he talk to kamaria was exactly that; a joke. but it didn't stop her brain from sounding the alarm: social blunder! social blunder! "i mean, i dunno, forget it. i don't know what i'm talking about." the words she said more often than she'd like fell flat from her mouth, dull and toneless. you're making it worse! her stupid brain screamed at her, and she cursed under her breath as she jolted and spilled the smallest bit of water over her lap and onto the fabric of her gown. "oops," she muttered, and her cheeks burned.

she laughed lightly at xavier's comments about hydration, the sound easing her frazzled nerves a little. "it is indeed. you'll be hooked before you know it." her laughter ended in a prolonged sigh as she gazed back over at the large group. an icky impulse was scratching at the inside of her brain, and she stood up from the stool in a somewhat definitive motion. not definitive enough, however, to know what to do next, and she turned to face xavier with a confused expression. "do you think i should go over there? is it a bad idea?" she was embarrassed by the frailty of her voice, the vulnerability, but she was at a loss. "i don't want to make things worse---er, worse for myself. or anyone. and i don't want you to be here all on your own." she was torn between what seemed like an insatiable desire to make new friends, make new connections, and a debilitating fear of doing just that. she turned to look out towards the group, awkward and stiff like a scarecrow.

[querencia]

Ｍ Ｏ Ｎ Ａ ！ ！
━━━━(age) seventeen (kingdom) ash (tagged) sebastian, caroline, kamaria, pierce, sterling!

once the pair arrived at the group of royals mona let go of sebastian's arm, her face lighting up when she made eye contact with her sister and she laughed at being introduced, "really? introductions are outdated sebastian, but i agree, i am lovely." she gave him a smile before turning back to the group. "as sebastian said, i am mona, and please just mona. no need for 'princess that and princess this' while we're here okay?" she wanted this forced isolation to at least make her feel normal, like she did whenever she snuck out. they were all stuck here anyway, they had to lose the titles sometimes. " and thank you, kamaria. i have to say," mona continued, face lighting up as she say the timber princess's dress, "that is one of the most beautiful dresses i have ever seen, you have to give me the name of whoever did it." her gaze lingered on the shining gems laced into it, she could already see herself in something similar.. maybe not a ball gown though. something with a thigh slit perhaps? rubies?

mona was particularly good in groups, she was loud, outgoing, she just thrived in them, in attention. and she almost let herself get swept up in it, gaze taking in the other royals, naming the ones she knew- pierce, kamaria now, then she noticed care looked at sebastian.. and mona could see the storm coming from a mile away. she knew her sister so well that she could see through the mask so easily. she moved closer and took her sister's hand and squeezed lightly, she kept a light expression on her face, perhaps it could be taken as mischievous to the untrained eye, "speaking of dirty secrets," she smiled, it didn't reach her eyes, "care, i have one you have to hear. come with me?" she asked, already tugging her sister's hand to try and pull her back from her emotional turmoil a little and away from the group.

[belle reve]

꧁ 𝐂 𝐀 𝐑 𝐎 𝐋 𝐈 𝐍 𝐄
━━━━━━━ "so that's one gold star for me" ━━━

eighteen kingdom of ash tagged;; mona

Caroline was deep into her head by the time Mona reached her. She was fighting back nausea, fighting back tears, fighting spilling everything on the table, right in front of everyone. She was trying to devise an exit plan. Trying to figure out where she was in the conversation. Trying to figure out how to tell Sebastian, if she should tell Sebastian. Found herself wishing she'd eaten in the last ten or so hours, maybe she would've felt a little less like passing out. Her mind was going a mile a minute, overanalyzing every little detail and coming up with every possible scenario. How had just the sight of this man sent her into such a spiral. She subconsciously brought her hands together in a subtle wringing motion. The princess was startled as she felt someone else grab a hold of her hand, a small gasp escaping her lips. Soon enough, though, she met the gaze of her sister. Her wonderful, wonderful sister that came up with the perfect escape plan. She allowed a forced smile over her face, hoping her voice didn't sound shaky as she replied, "Consider me intrigued." She looked to the group, making eye contact with every person, lingering a bit too long on her ex as she offered, "If you'll be so kind to excuse us. It was a pleasure speaking with all of you." She wanted to say more, but her voice suddenly dropped off. She used all the strength she could muster in that moment. So, before the smile fell completely, she walked away with her sister to the terrace.

Caroline didn't drop appearances until she was sure they were out of sight of their group. Shakily, she set her drink down on the ground. While she was initially grateful for Mona's rescue, the image of her arm and arm with Sebastian just moments ago had resurged in her mind. So, the first words out of her mouth involved that subject. "You're not with him, right?" As the words spilled from her mouth, she knew better. Mona wouldn't do that to her. So quickly, she tried to recover, "I don't expect that of you, I know you wouldn't do that to me- even if I did, it's not my place to be upset. I just-- Seeing how you two arrived together... I was caught off-guard." She'd broken the seal on her emotions, all she could do was hope that no one would find them out there.

The princess leaned against the wall, bringing her hands up to her face. Tears had slowly found their way down her face as she fought against an oncoming panic attack. She remained this way for a few minutes, desperately fighting against losing it. Finally, when she at least had enough strength to speak, she lowered her hands. "I don't even have a right to be upset, do I?" She spoke to her sister, though her gaze was trained above. "I'm the one who hurt him, over and over. I hate that I miss him and I hate that I hurt him and I hate that this is the first time I've seen him in two months, just after I find out that I'm--" she cut herself off. Despite how upset she was, she knew that someone could hear her if they wanted to, and she wasn't ready for that secret to get out before she was ready. "I don't even know how I should tell him. I don't know how he'll respond."

"I also don't know why I'm so worked up over a guy." Though, it had become more than just that guy. For what felt like the first time after that string of statements, the teary-eyed blonde took a breath. She didn't feel better, but she did feel slightly lighter, now that all of that wasn't just compacted into her head. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to leave everyone for me, Mona." She messily brushed away the hair that had begun sticking to her face. "You can go back, I appreciate you getting me away from that. I really do." She folded her arms over her stomach. The nausea had not yet dissipated, and she had a feeling she may need to find a private area soon. "I hope your night was going okay before this," she added with a short laugh, wiping away some of the tears that ran down her cheeks. Really, Mona didn't need to save her, but Caroline was sure glad that she did.

⫸ 𝐗 𝐀 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐑
━━━━━━━ "just kicking it at sea level" ━━━

nineteen kingdom of frost tagged;; cynthia

Xavier observed the way his friend responded to his- rather astute, in his perspective- opinions. The sudden loss of luster in her eye, in her speech, and posture. He swallowed nervously, once again realizing he may have gotten a little too negatively honest. He'd come to notice that about himself; the it came to complaining, he could talk someone's ear off. Having spoken more negatively about things that he had positively, the prince had become adept at expressing unpleasant opinions and ideas, and it appears that he'd spoken too much, in this case. Clearing his throat, he piped up, "I mean, I could be totally wrong." He doubted it, but if it offered any consolation to his friend, he could be.

Cynthia picked up on who Xavier disliked within an instant, leaving the frost prince nodding in surprise. Is it that obvious? he thought to himself. Xavier's dislike for the ash princess stemmed from personal reasons, the way she hurt his brother, stringing him along in some on and off fiasco for much too long. In spite of these strong feelings, he thought he was pretty good at keeping a poker face. After all, Xav wasn't known for his friendly demeanor towards anyone. Somehow, though, his friend had picked up on it, and he felt his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. The only people who needed to know how he felt were him, his brother, and Caroline. However, he felt some reassurance as Little C admitted her shared distaste. Maybe she assumed he hated Caroline solely because she also did. He nodded. "Glad I'm not alone in this." Caroline was clearly the type of person who attracted a crowd of people, so he didn't anticipate anyone else hating her. "May I ask why?" he also spoke in hushed tones, knowing he shouldn't speak of this at all, not in public. As his parents would so aptly remind him: there are ears and eyes everywhere. Nevertheless, he was already invested in the conversation.

The blonde did not respond well to his joke. Immediately, the prince found himself wishing he could take it back. Of course Cynthia would've taken it to heart, he should've known better. "Hey, it's all good," he tried to assure her. "I didn't mean anything by that. You can talk to her or you can not talk to her, you are perfectly fine either way." As she spilled water, he immediately reached for the napkin dispenser nearby, pulling out a few and handing them off to her. "I"m sure water-splotched dresses are all the rage in another country," he tried to joke, hoping to ease whatever embarrassment she may feel.

The next thing he knew, the stream princess shot up from her seat. Xavier straightened in his own, watching her curiously. He couldn't force down a smile as she asked his opinion, if he thought she should go over there. The question was followed by some stammering over making things worse or leaving him alone. Xavier merely waved her fears away. "I think going over there is a great idea, Cynthia. I have no doubt all of them would love to meet you." Really, if she brought out an ounce of her bubbly personality, he had no doubt the other royals would welcome her with open arms. Addressing her fear of leaving him alone, he added "And don't worry about me. I was thinking of walking around anyway, getting a feel for the place. Now go out there and let them love ya!" He gave her a light pat on the back, encouraging her the best he could.

[☆ marriage maze ☆]

{ cynthia okeanos ;;; eldest princess of stream ;;; location: ballroom ;;; tagged: xavier/open!}

"it's not even like we've had a particularly bad interaction or anything," she admitted of her relationship to caroline, hunching her shoulders slightly and leaning in so not to risk being heard. "it's just...something about her. her attitude. it makes my skin crawl." she wondered for a fleeting second if she were being too harsh, and she weighed her words carefully, understanding the heaviness each one contained. "she's so perfect. it freaks me out. i always feel like i'm messing up even more than usual." she let out a nervous laugh at her own expense, curling her fingers inward towards her palms. it felt like a release, a much needed exhale, even though she knew it wasn't the sort of thing she should have dared say out loud. who knew who might be listening in, after all? she felt inclined to ask the same question of him, to ask why he disliked her as well, but decided against it. knowing xavier, it was probably something better left unasked. a real reason, her brain chided unhelpfully, but she squashed the intrusive thought down and it went its wretched way. she briefly recalled what she thought to be some connection to the princess of ash and sebastian, xavier's twin, and that half-inference was enough to satisfy her curiosity for now.

"thank you." her breath whistled through her teeth quietly as she took the napkins from xavier, staring down at her water-spotted gown with an unhappy intensity. she continued to speak as she dried her dress off to the best of her ability. "it's fine, it's fine," she murmured, the negative buzz of her previous mindset now lifted entirely by xavier's reassurance. it was replaced now only by a somewhat lingering embarrassment: she had probably overreacted. "this old thing's just acting up again. won't let me be." she rapped her knuckles lightly against her skull to indicate her brain and laughed. the laugh was sustained by xavier's joke about water splotched dresses being all the rage. "oh, of course, of course," she crooned in a rare moment of sarcasm for her.

from her position standing, her posture slackened slightly from its tense state as xavier encouraged her. giggling a bit at his pat on the back, she looked out once more over the group. caroline had left as she was speaking with xavier, taking mona along with her: a pro and a con, cynthia supposed. she took a breath in and put her hands to her sides. "okay. i'm going over there." it took a few moments for her to actually follow through, taking a few awkward steps forward until she was standing on the very outskirts of the group. she could not think of something to say, and nervousness began creeping into her heart once again. she quickly swiveled back around to face xavier, mouthing to him with wide eyes. what do i do?

[querencia]

Ｍ Ｏ Ｎ Ａ ！ ！
━━━━(age) seventeen (kingdom) ash (tagged) caroline!

after a mischievous wink to the general group, mona left with her sister, and the moment their backs were turned from the group her mask vanished, her smile dipped into a deep frown, brows furrowed. with each step she took, each click of her heels against the polished floor, she could feel each muscle tense. she had to resist the old urge to grind her teeth, she was usually the one that needed comfort and now that she was in this position.. she was internally freaking out. but for once she had to be the adult and hell, for caroline she'd do just about anything.

mona was sure her heart broke when care asked if she was with sebastian. her plan to figure him out personally had backfired on her, and honestly, she'd just wanted to figure out if it was possible they could resolve the whole.. looming issue. but she'd gotten carried away, "no, no, no, care.." mona knew she got overly friendly with just about everyone, and she'd played along with compliments and what not and.. she hadn't thought about how arriving together would affect her sister. "i didn't- mean for it to come off like that. i was.. it's an awful explanation but i was playing along. ball atmosphere and all. i should have.. i should have thought it through better" mona wished she hadn't let herself play her usual party girl princess routine that came oh so easily.

mona moved in close, hand gripping on the railing, biting her lip as she frantically tried to figure out what to say. god, why could she never think things through.. she wanted to hold her sister but she didn't want to make things worse than they already were. she'd royally messed up, 'just like i always do,' she thought bitterly. "care.." she whispered then quieted as care started to speak. "care.. you have every right to be upset, especially now of all times.. your relationship wasn't just some fling, it was real and if you don't believe that just look at how you feel!" she paused to take a moment then continued, "this is on me and please, trust me that i was thinking about you the entire time."

"hey, hey come on. guys have that special talent of making us oh so attached, you can't blame yourself." mona tried to tease, it was more of an attempt with a weak smile behind it before she sighed, her smile stronger now, "trust me, care. i'd rather be with you than all those people out there, nobody else can keep up with me. besides, i've always got your back even if i have a really bad way of doing it." she didn't answer the question about her night, she'd only talked to sebastian really and while entertaining, her intent had been on trying to figure him out. her hand finally released it's death grip on the railing to take care's again and squeezed as she spoke softly, "and care, if it makes you feel any better, i think he wouldn't hate you if you told him. i think he'd-" her voice lowered even further, "-be freaked sure but.. i think he'd step up" mona reached up with her free hand to brush away a wayward tear and fix any mascara that had run, then stepped back only after she'd taken both of care's hands and squeezed once more. "if you need me you know where to find me, i'll check on you later, okay? sisters have to stick together." she hated how the last bit made her heart clench, she hated keeping her own secret when she knew caroline's, but she just wasn't ready to say anything. the only thing mona could think of to do with her own heart feeling emptier than ever was to reach and hug her sister tight before she moved to the terrace doors and put on a smile in case anyone was looking, "see you later, care. enjoy the rest of the night." she waited another moment before stepping back into the ballroom, she knew the smile she put on was more convincing to others but right now it felt more torn than ever.

[the 1975]

❝ ＳＥＢＡＳＴＩＡＮ❞
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
( role. frost prince ) ( age. 19 ) ( location. ball ) ( tags. caroline )

sebastian nearly sighed out of exhaustion when caroline and mona left the group. he himself went back to the bar, not even bothering to excuse himself. when he caught the barkeeps eye, he tapped on his empty glass. once it was filled, he tossed the scotch back like it was nothing. he rubbed the back of his neck. why did she just leave? what is wrong with her? he thought over and over in his head. he then realized that maybe it was his fault. everything was usually his fault, the arguments, the hurt. he was constantly apologizing because he constantly messed up, they both did. sometimes him and caroline were too political with each other, too poised and held together, sometimes they didnt show their real emotions to each other. that was a big struggle for sebastian. he always bottled things up and only ever let them out when he was working out.

the prince's jaw flexed on and off while he thought of something to say. something to ease the tension between the two, anything really. they couldnt go on like this for the duration of this time. he would lie to her. tell her that they both needed to move on, that there was nothing there anymore, that there was too much bad blood. it was the only way to ensure that something as awkward as this wouldnt happen again.

when sebastian saw mona enter the ball once more, he straightened his tie and made his way to the terrace. passing mona, he gave her an apologetic smile, only briefly. he hesitated before grabbing the door handle but pushed the door open anyways. and there she stood. everything in him shattered as he took her in, she had been crying and she looked so upset. he wanted to hold her, to apologize for being stupid, to tell her he was there and he would never hurt her again. sebastian reached for her out of habit but stopped himself before he touched her. "carebear." his voice was barely above a whisper. sebastian did not know what to do or what to say. "i am so sorry. i didnt mean to make you this upset. i... i didnt know i.." he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

finally, the prince took a deep breath. he was determined to get this out. he gently placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up so she met his eyes "i never meant to hurt you." he felt a burning in his eyes. were those tears? he quickly looked out onto the land and blinked his eyes a few times. "if me being near you is going to be a problem, i can avoid you as best to my ability." his voice was monotone and his knuckles were white from gripping the rail so hard.

sebastian didnt know what she wanted but whatever it was, he would give it to her, he had to. he wouldnt force her to join them on those walks they used to take together or the late night adventures to the waterfalls. she doesnt want that anymore he thought to himself. a lot of memories came back to him, the ups and the downs. the arguments and the makeups. they were like fire and gasoline. a flame that burned big and bright, warm and red but soon faded into nothingness yet you still felt the heat.

[belle reve]

꧁ 𝐂 𝐀 𝐑 𝐎 𝐋 𝐈 𝐍 𝐄
━━━━━━━ "so that's one gold star for me" ━━━

eighteen kingdom of ash tagged;; mona, seb

Mona was with her for an instant, gone in the next. But honestly, Caroline's younger sister had a positive impact, at least temporarily. She'd stopped crying by the time her sister was almost done comforting her, feeling a little more in control. In fact, she could almost laugh at how the roles were reversed- normally she was the one to talk her sister down from the ledge and help her out of sticky situations. Now, though, Care was the one crying and Mona was her savior. As her sister offered parting words, Caroline grabbed a hold of her hand and offered a weak smile. "Thank you, Mona. You are amazing. I love you." Three, three-word sentences were all she could fathom in order to express her gratitude for her sister's comfort and perspective. She'd made her feel a little less crazy for freaking out over Sebastian, assured her that there was nothing to fret over, and even gave her some hope that maybe, just maybe, Sebastian wouldn't hate her for what she'd done in the past or for their current predicament.

Mona had an impact. However, as previously mentioned, it was temporary. Almost instantly after she left the scene, Caroline felt the tears begin to well again. Completely alone, she allowed herself a moment of weakness, tilting her head back against the wall and slamming her eyes shut, tears rolling down her cheeks in what seemed like a never-ending stream. Her breath was shallow, her hands shaking. She forced the tears back after a moment, simply telling herself a mantra she'd heard from her parents and instructors before: Save your tears for the pillow, darling. So the blonde ducked her head, wiped her tears off, and hoped all her mascara had already been cried off, henceforth it would not be staining her face. Still, though, the shaking didn't cease.

Sometime during this moment of vulnerability, the very man that helped get her to that point stepped onto the terrace. She hadn't heard footsteps or recognized his presence until his soft voice drifted to her ears, greeting her with the nickname he once used so endearingly. She took in a sharp breath, glassy blue eyes taking a small glimpse in front of her, ensuring she was not just imagining his voice. He began apologizing, bringing an instant rush of shame over her. He had no reason to apologize to her; she shouldn't be this distraught. And normally, she wouldn't be. The girl could hold her own, could fake it like a pro. But somehow he'd gotten under her skin-- not to mention she thought of what he didn't yet know every time she looked at him.

She felt a light press under her chin, and the next thing she knew, she was making direct eye contact. His words turned her stomach into knots, and immediately she began shaking her head. After a moment, she found some of the words her mind had gone on overdrive in search of. "Seb, Seb please..." she started, managing to speak through a shaky voice, "You have nothing to apologize for. Oh my god, please don't... I'm not upset because you hurt me. You didn't." The princess closed her eyes, running her hands through her hair. How did she want to approach this? How honest should she be with him? How badly would she scare him away?

"I'm not upset because you hurt me," she repeated, this time with slightly more confidence. "I just... there's a lot happening right now, a lot I want to tell you." She couldn't just spring it on him, could she? Goodness, he deserved better than that. So, she began with the basic facts. "Sebastian, I miss you. I hate that things ended so terribly, and I hate that I haven't seen you in over two months." Her eyes fluttered out to the land, still debating how deep she wanted to go. "I've regretted ending what we had since the moment after it had happened, and I wish I had reached out." Expressing emotions had always been a difficult task for Caroline, who'd become so adept at masking them and saying what needed to be said. Henceforth, when trying to find the right words to talk to someone she deeply cared for, it was significantly more difficult. Still, he was worth the effort. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, and I'm sorry that I made you think you hurt me."

Caroline looked down to the railing, seeing the fervor with which the man gripped onto the railing. Without thinking, she fluidly moved to grab each of his wrist's gently, pulling them from the railing. Her eyes fluttered to the ground, brow furrowing as she added more. "I just-- I have things to tell you." That was true. Sebastian had every right to know the situation that tied the two of them together. "But first..." Caroline needed to know how to frame this information. It was all dependent on him. "How are you feeling? To what degree do you hate me? What are you thinking right now?"

⫸ 𝐗 𝐀 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐑
━━━━━━━ "just kicking it at sea level" ━━━

nineteen kingdom of frost tagged;; cynthia, open

Cynthia called Caroline perfect, which brought Xav to roll his eyes and laugh at the thought. "She's too good at holding up that facade, isn't she?" He'd seen nasty sides of Caroline, dealt with the damage left in her wake. He'd heard her scream at his brother, seen her pick fights, and manipulate, over and over again. She was dangerous, especially because of that perfect facade. "If you knew her like I did, you'd know that act is far from the truth." He leaned back against the bar, considering his statement. "Though, I hope you never have to experience that side of her." It seemed she didn't let people see underneath the mask unless she truly had to. Hopefully Cynthia would never grow that close to her, nor piss her off enough to warrant it.

They worked to clean up her dress, and Xav was pleased to hear her sarcasm. It was rare, but appreciated to a sarcasm king, if you will. "I think the other royals will appreciate your stylistic efforts." Luckily, the splotch was soon almost unnoticeable. Soon enough, his pal was preparing to head to the group. "At least you don't have to worry about Caroline yet," he observed as he saw her walk away with Mona. The two looked tense, and he could only speculate over the reason. Still, though, they weren't his main focus in the moment. Little C made her way over there, then shooting him a mildly panicked look. Laughing to himself, he motioned for her to continue walking forward, offering the most reassuring smile he could.

And then, he was alone. Not that he minded. The frost prince simply sipped at his glass of water, tuning the music back into his senses.

[ruui]

── ❝ ＰＩＥＲＣＥ ＯＫＥＡＮＯＳ ❞
──────────────────────────────
youngest prince of stream seventeen years tagged kamaria dasos, sterling dasos

”Ukelele?” His tone changed with a small hint of excitement and interest. “I’m sure you have great talents!” The prince insisted sweetly, before noticing another prince and princess had joined the conversation. A small panic came along inside of him, noticing the crowd was rather large already but he kept calm and composed. “Great to meet you, Prince Sebastian, and Mona, yes? As you prefer.” He nodded due to the princess’s little use of formal titles, which he respected. Pierce gave out small laughs throughout the other royals conversations, but that was just to avoid an awkwardness.

The prince noticed a sudden shift in the atmosphere to when the newly arrived royals came into the conversation, as he took time to analyze the factors. He rose his eyebrow slightly, but was unnoticeable, with curiosity as he examined Caroline - something’s a tad off. “Hm? Oh, of course, it was a pleasure speaking with you as well.” Pierce responded with a slight delay as he fell into a semi deep thought for a moment as watched the two princess walk away, excused. Never less, he felt he shouldn’t meddle in their business whether he was curious or not. Right when the two princesses left, he noticed the other prince, Prince Sebastian leave as well, with no hesistation to excuse himself. Something’s definitely going on, as it was obvious. After a moment had passed, Pierce turned to the other two siblings. “Well, that was, fast.” He gave a small awkward grin.

He himself, wanted to leave, but didn’t want to leave the impression that he didn’t like controversing with them. “Well, Sterling was it? Any occupations or hobbies you enjoy?” The boy asked with interest, giving time for him to answer. “As for you too, did you have any?” He turned towards the other sibling, Kamaria, with a slightly perky tone as he was interested in getting to know the two. Hoping he hadn’t come off too eager, Pierce took a moment to drink his water, picking up the glass before putting it back down, feeling a bit awkward. It was going just fine, but how do I fix this dry uninteresting mess? The prince was worried about his presentation and didn’t want anymore bad impression on the kingdom and his sister, as for himself as well. He would usually have his sister here to help out, but he’s on his own for now.