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✫age: 20xx✫gender: ♀xx✫wealth: ninexx✫kingdom: nearonxx✫location: gardensxx✫mentions/tags: ambrose, aretha, theo / OPENThe night had been weird, so odd that when Annalise woke up the following morning, she genuinely had a good moment where she believed she'd dreamt the whole thing. But, slowly, as she drew herself away from the comforts of sleep, everything inside of her mind seemed to flicker on their lights, blinding her with the endless amounts of memories from last night's ball. Ah, yes, so it hadn't been a dream. Or a nightmare, she supposed, though it certainly did feel like it at some points of the night. The announcement in particular. How could one rid that from their minds so quickly? Annie was convinced that the only reason she'd actually managed to fall asleep after the activities that went about during the evening was because she had been overwhelmed with colours, noise, and, well, people. She had felt drained, which was unusual, considering the fact that she was used to spending her time in places like a noisy ballroom. Nevertheless, her head felt cleared today, and she felt much more alert, which was surprising, since she absolutely despised mornings. Ironic, it was.
She wasn't too sure she was ready to face Ambrose Carter again. He had been charming with his words the night before, but in a way that made them sound real, genuine; he didn't appear to be like many of the other men, who'd clucked out as many compliments as their mind could master in hopes of wooing her. But she still felt off. She hadn't formally told him she wasn't planning on marrying him, at least not in the way the Royals seemed to hope, given the very limited time they were to spend in the Onryx as a group, and wasn't sure he was aware of that or not. She remembered his words clearly upon gently teasing him about having a line of women waiting for him back home. He'd come here to find a wife, just as she suspected a few others did, too. Did that mean he was comfortable with the announcement, willing to give it a try with Annalise? She supposed that would be rather difficult, since she wasn't as drawn to romance as he may be, and it made her feel guilty, knowing there was a great chance of having to reject him if he came too close. On the contrary, her parents' reminder burned inside of her, and she knew she was going to have to step it up and start attempting to search for a husband; she could only imagine what terrible men they had waiting for her back at home. But Ambrose? For whatever reason, Annie found it very unromantic, forcing herself to not only love someone in general, but to love someone who'd most likely had their name plucked from a hat alongside hers. It wasn't to say he was an awful man, because Annie found herself rather comfortable with him, but knowing there would be eyes watching the pairs at all times now and the stakes were high for marriage, it just seemed like an awful lot of pressure to fall in love. She didn't wish for marriage for wealth; far too many people had that, and if they were to stay side-by-side until death, she wanted someone she could at least tolerate. It seemed challenging, falling in love within a week, but maybe she could do it. Or, at least find a friend she could tell her parents about. Maybe that would buy her some more time.
Her mind wandered onward, skipping towards Aretha and Theodore. She hadn't been able to get a glimpse of Theo since they were practically forced apart (she was practically positive she had a small bruise on her arm from that man's tough grip) and wasn't too sure how he'd found the rest of the night. Did he like his match? He had said only hours earlier he didn't wish to find a woman to court, but maybe things had changed? And Aretha. Aretha, whom she just so happened to be sharing a room with. She also hadn't said much to her friend, for she'd retired to bed before Aretha had, and only realized they were roommates because she had woken in the middle of the night. She knew the man who was eyeing her friend couldn't be very wealthy (he had long hair!), but Aretha was less stubborn when it came to making at least friends than Annalise was. Who knew, maybe her friend would walk away with a ring on her finger. Annie practically shivered at the thought of that. Change. She didn't like that very much.
Sighing quietly, she slowly removed herself from the silky sheets, tip-toeing across the floor so that she didn't disturb her sleeping friend. She was still in her off-white cotton nightgown, but unfortunately, the woman's dressing room was down the hall. Praying no man opened the door as she was walking down, Annalise sped-walked to the room, offering a polite though fatigued smile towards one of the maids. She was older, with caramel brown hair that already seemed to have gained a few silver streaks. She inquired Annalise's name, then headed to the closet and pulled out a dress whose main colour was a beautiful, grey-purple; it reminded Annalise of the lavender stems in her mother's fields, the shade similar to what they looked like on a slightly cloudy day. The woman, who introduced herself as Lorraine Bell, helped Annie into the dress. She hadn't worn this one yet and wondered just how many new dresses her mother had purchased for her for this experience. She'd have to write to her later.
She thanked Lorraine and grabbed her hat, unwilling to yet put it on. She was told they'd be heading to the marketplace behind the Onryx later that day for some fun shopping, so she'd secure it then. For now, she kept it tucked under her arm, bid Lorraine farewell, then departed from the room, heading down the stairs. Few people were up yet, which surprised her even more; Annie was always the last to wake in her family. She felt even more pressured to remain quiet as she floated down the stairs. A young woman not much younger than Annalise was in the kitchen, evidently preparing something, but Annie didn't stop in. Instead, she headed out the back doors, leaping off the last step from the porch. A cobblestone pathway was connected from the eggshell steps, breaking off into three different directions. She chose the one to the right, the one that led to the gardens. It was huge, filled with blooming flowers and shrubs of every colour and breed imaginable. She didn't dare stray too far in, given its size. She found a cute wooden swing that was attached to a thick tree branch and carefully took a seat, her fingers latching onto the rope handles. She didn't swing, just listened to the early birds and their cheers. This was something she could get used to.
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♚age: 22xx♚gender: ♂xx♚wealth: fivexx♚kingdom: arkleyxx♚location: back roomxx♚mentions/tags: effie / OPENLauren was exhausted, completely wiped from last night's event. Never the one to attend parties often, he hadn't really realized just how much energy it sucked from a guest until the following day. The curtains were still closed, and although the sun's blaring rays were desperate to slink into the room he was in and light it up, the curtains won the battle, and the only thing the sun could manage was to make the floral material glow. He let out a soft sigh, flipping onto his back, fingers drumming against his bare chest. He wasn't too sure he had the motivation to get up and go downstairs, greet new people and put on a happy face, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice. Once again, he was desperately wondering why exactly he'd given in to Rhonda's request. That woman knew how to play with his buttons, that was for sure. Not quite a push, but enough for him to squirm.
His mind traced back to Effie, one of the few people he'd actually had a conversation with. The pretty, quiet girl in pink had managed to plant a spot inside his mind, though out of respect, not lust or rage. He knew he had disappointed her, that went without a doubt, and wasn't too sure he wanted to see her again today. He was surprised to admit that he did enjoy her company, but he felt guilty. Guilty knowing he couldn't give her what she wanted. She was innocent, sweet, and Lauren's calmness was only a thin sheet, a disguise, for the monster that clawed at his insides. He didn't need her to see his anger, his pain, his frustration. She was far too naive for that, and he didn't wish to scare her off. He had figured he'd done a good enough job at remaining fairly neutral for most of the ball, unwilling to give away too much. Hopefully that attitude was enough for those he'd conversed with to leave him alone. He didn't need to feel any more conflict than he was already dealing with.
Running his palms lightly down his face as his insides turned redder, Lauren quickly left his bed and changed. He wasn't sure how hot it was, but he decided to go without a jacket for the time being. The raspberry-coloured velvet was surely enough to keep him comfortable. His dark eyes quickly flickered towards Theodore, his roommate, making sure he hadn't woken the man, then slipped past him, carefully closing the door behind him. The hallway was much brighter, and Lauren had to take a second or two to adjust his eyes to the light. Then he headed downstairs in total silence. One of the maids greeted him with a shy smile, and he accepted a tea with a smile of his own, carefully carrying it to one of the back rooms, where he could read the paper in peace. He wondered how long it would take before the others woke up, though, in all honesty, he wasn't sure he was ready for the city events that were to soon go down.
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☇age: 21xx☇gender: ♂xx☇wealth: sevenxx☇kingdom: nearonxxlocation: upstairs hallwayxx ☇tags: OPENVincent had been bummed to realize he wasn't going to make it to the infamous masquerade party the Royals had put on at the Onryx. He'd received his invitation just as everyone else had, but due to some confusion in the addresses, it hadn't arrived on time. In fact, the only reason it arrived at all was because someone in town just so happened to know of Vincent's father, and crossed paths with him on the way to work. He'd assumed the young woman was just going to deliver it to the post box, especially since she had written in large, bubbly letters,
"Wrong address!" on the back, but luck had been on the Sinclair's side that day, for the only place that letter went to, other than the woman's house, of course, was into the hands of Vincent. He had been absolutely ecstatic when he read it. He was to attend such a place, and for more than a few hours, too? He had a
room there. Who could believe it? It was his perfect chance, he decided, to find himself a lady to court. His parents had been on it for quite some time, and his grandfather, too, since he was of age. Of course, men didn't have it nearly as tough as women did, for if women weren't married by twenty-three they were considered far too old, but Vincent was no rake, and he surely didn't find pleasure in such scandalous acts with women he barely even knew. His friend Joaquin, twenty-seven, hadn't ever courted a single woman, and given the acts he'd performed, Vincent wasn't sure he'd ever settle down. Vincent was different. The only person he was to give himself away to was one woman, the woman he would marry. Vincent hadn't lived in Nearon for nearly enough time to get a decent idea of the women around (he was no animal, he'd befriend as he did with everyone!), but he made a promise to his grandfather that if he didn't find anyone suiting around by the time he turned twenty-three, he'd return to Versailles. That wasn't exactly his ideal choice, for Versailles was a bit
much for him, so he hoped things would work out in the end.
He didn't want to seem desperate, but Vincent wanted a family. He wanted to love and cherish and support someone and the children they were to have together. It was unfortunate, how many men his age tossed that aside until they were older. Vincent did suppose work often came first in the minds of men, but it didn't help Vincent much; he was a teacher for younger students, he was practically living with young children at all time. It had to have been a sign, no? He thought that was a bit funny to think about, but his mother was convinced he had a good point there. His father had rolled his eyes at his wife's enthusiasm and gave Vincent the
"ignore the crazy lady" look, a look Vincent and his younger sister Yasmin knew all too well.
When he'd arrived at the Onryx, it was late at night, nearly midnight. Because he'd received his invitation so late, there hadn't been enough time to get an outfit purchased and tailored for him and a masquerade mask sparkled and cut to perfection. Thankfully, those who had also received the letters joined him only an hour or so later. Beside his bed was an odd note that told him that the reason for his presence was actually for marriage, which made his heart leap, both in shock and in joy. So this
was a match-matching event... How thrilling! Of course, Vincent couldn't help but feel bad for the woman whose name was listed below, Emmelyna, for now she was forced into something. And, truth be told, Vincent wasn't sure he was cut out for an arranged marriage. He came here to look, not to be tied down to the first name that popped into the writer's head. He told himself he'd explain that to her when he met her; she'd surely understand.
He'd had an awfully brief chat with the two men he was sharing a room with, June and Lucien. Both seemed like pleasant people and Vincent was sure they'd get along fine. He'd ended it with a quick "good-night," eager for the following day's events.
When he awoke, a fresh wave of nerves rolled over his body, something unfamiliar to him. He supposed his week at the Onryx had officially begun. He was eager to meet everyone, but also a bit nervous, too; would he be the outsider because he arrived late? He had a good reason for it, but people liked to judge. He hadn't met many people from Nearon or Arkley and hoped they were nice enough. He had to get along with them, after all; they were spending the next few days together.
Vincent decided to change in the spare room because June and Lucien were both sleeping when he awoke. He grabbed hold of the clothes he'd set down the night prior and departed the room. Shirtless, and awfully cold, despite the season, he hurried into the extra room to change into today's clothes. Though he decided on a chocolate brown coat, Vincent was sure he'd rid it later that day. For now, though, it was alright. Taking in a deep breath, he quickly combed his hands through his golden curls, then turned and left the room, eager to explore what the day had to offer.