Drake Goldsworthy's Story

Drake rose in his bed from the usual less-than-restful night of sleep. If he'd had to guess, he'd been fitfully sleeping and waking up for he past six hours before finally giving up on the effort now. His roomed was kept dark, in fact were it not for a vampire's night vision he wouldn't be able to see at all. It was something of a measure for staff safety, in fact his right eye was still covered with the usual eye-patch that doubled as his protection against daylight. He rubbed the sleep from his left eye, to get to his right eye he'd need to have someone else unlock it. Despite the inconvenience, he had to go through such motions if he didn't want to give away the fact that he had obtained the key about two years ago. After exiting the bed in more of a fall than anything, Drake walked out his room. His hunger dictated he head to the dining room, the staff would know what to do in terms of food preparation.

He winced as his left eye adjusted to the light in the hallways, and began the trip...cursing his weakness to waking up with every step. There was more noise than usual coming from the direction of the room belonging to the elder of his two sisters...and the general hallways around it were rather damaged as well. He made a note to inquire about that later, he wasn't awake enough to begin truly functioning yet. For some reason, he chose the more roundabout method to getting to the dining hall, which brought him to a sight that did wake him up. He immediately brushed his hair from his face and opened his left eye wide. The other occupant of the room, his sisters guard...with arms no less- albeit in their sheaths was locked in place since direct contact had been made.

"I'd ask what a beast is doing with tools," his voice came out in a nearly disgusted tone. He continued his trip across the room, which unfortunately broke eye contact and caused the former victim's body to slightly partially go limp before Vincent caught himself. "But I'd rather see what a more civilized civilized entity would provide as an answer," with those words he exited the room. When he finally entered the dining room, he felt as if Christmas arrived early when his half closed eye spotted none other than Opal.

"Sis, what's your pet doing two rooms down with weapons?" It took all of his self control to keep his voice from sounding sarcastic. He tried to keep his step as close to a glide as possible before sitting in a chair next to his sister. "While he's got everything under wraps, I must ask why an animal is walking around...collarless, without a leash." At this point, staff arrived with his own breakfast. Though he ignored their arrival to continue his questioning, " so what made the lil' fella get so twitchy because I doubt that he's gotten authorization so soon. Oh and I'd like this thing off, it interferes with my mornings and for some reason I can't just take it off myself." He made a point to sound annoyed about the eye-patch, after all only the guards or one of his siblings were supposed to be able to authorize its removal.

She heard him coming before he even entered the room. It was Drake, of course, and in all honesty, no matter how uncomfortable he made her at times, he was still her brother. It was through an amazing force of will that she still managed not to jump when he entered the dining room, even though she had heard his footsteps. He couldn't help how frightening of an aura came off of him; it was a natural thing. And after years of his ... Problems ... He had managed to harden himself to being hurt emotionally, and instead came off as sarcastic and an asshole.

"Sis, what's your pet doing two rooms down with weapons? While he's got everything under wraps, I must ask why an animal is walking around...collarless, without a leash."

Opal moved her eggs around on her plate for a moment, mentally steeling herself before she answered. In all honesty, she was probably the only family member that he really looked, well, 'up to', in a sense. And if he ever discovered that she thought that ... Well, she didn't really want to know how he would react.

Finally, she looked up from her breakfast, stifling a sigh.

"I really wish that you would stop talking about them like that. Werewolves aren't mangy mutts that need to be detained and on leashes; humans aren't merely blood bags to be used on a whim; and vampires aren't an almighty race that should be worshiped as Gods," she said softly, her voice calm, almost like a kindergarten teacher that was telling a child right from wrong. "You need to start treating them for who they are - the people that are willingly putting their lives at risk to ensure our own safety. If it weren't for them, we would be dead by now. So stop it, Drake, before I lose my patience with you ..."

"So what made the lil' fella get so twitchy because I doubt that he's gotten authorization so soon. Oh and I'd like this thing off, it interferes with my mornings and for some reason I can't just take it off myself."

She set her fork down, her rare appetite gone at this point.

"The visiting dignitary that came to see our sister attacked me in my room. He wasn't there to defend me, and therefore blames himself, even though I wasn't hurt. We ended up fighting, and now he's mad at me," she said quietly, her eyes slightly downcast. "I don't blame him though. I said ... Some things, and I suppose that I hurt his feelings," she mumbled, more talking to herself now than to him.

Shaking her head, she looked up at Drake. "You know that that isn't allowed, Drake. I'm sorry. I wish that I could ... But I can't. It's too dangerous," she said gently. She rose and moved over beside him, dropping her fingers just below the eye that wasn't covered. "I love you, but it isn't allowed. You could hurt someone, and would regret it immensely. It's for your own good, Dray," she told him. He may have been older, taller, heavier, and basically just bigger then her in every sense, but since their mother's untimely death, Opal had basically taken over the roll of the mother for her siblings. It went without saying that she had to grow up pretty quickly in order to do so.

"I should really straighten things out with Vincent. Enjoy your breakfast, Drake," she smiled. With a slight pat to his head, she turned and left the large dining room, her footsteps light and quiet on the tiled floor.

When she reached the room that Drake had mentioned Vincent was in, she leaned in slowly, lightly rapping on the door frame.

"Vincent?" she said quietly, moving so that she stood entirely in the doorway. Her hand were clasped in front of her, her skin slightly pale, and her eyes were on his. She had never been the type to look everywhere at once when speaking to someone, no matter how serious or lax the situation was. Instead, she held their gazes steadily and never once would look away, throughout the entirety of the conversation.

"I ... I wanted to apologize for my ... Explosion, earlier. I didn't mean, well, most of what I said. I was angry ... I was just recovering from being scared half to death ... And you just ... You irk me," she said in a soft mumbled, finally looking at the floor. She was quiet for several heartbeats, her own heart thundering in her chest - so loudly, she doubted that he couldn't hear it.

"I just ... You just ... You're so thick-headed, and stubborn, and just ... Stupid sometimes. It ... It ..." Her cheeks were slowly turning red, her anger slowly boiling up again. "It pisses me off, Vincent," she said lowly, crossing her arms. "I'm going to be frank with you. Why are you such a stupid asshole most of the time? Do you even care about how I feel?" she asked, lifting her eyes to his again. "Or are you just doing your job?" she demanded, taking another step into the room - and that much closer to the man that stood in it with her. "Because I am so sick of being on the receiving end of all these mixed signals. Ever since we were little ..." She trailed, memories obviously rushing through her mind. "... And it hurts. It hurts me, Vincent. In all honesty, I don't know how much more I can take of you disliking me as much as you do. So stop ... Stop being so hostile and plain with me. I don't deserve to be treated in this way."

She felt good. Extremely good about herself. With that weight off of her shoulders, it was one less thing causing her unnecessary stress.

---

It was quiet in the study. Her charge was still sleeping, and that therefore gave Zates some time to herself, during which she had taken advantage and chosen to read, in order to learn more about the history of the family.

Out of all of the guards, she was the newest, having only just recently been assigned to Drake - three weeks prior to today, in fact. His old guard, a man of about fifty, had found that he was unable to protect the prince as he had before. Having been training Zates to take over anyway, he decided to retire, and with the full support of the entire guard unit, he had gone ahead and done so. He and his wife were now busy traveling the entire Southern hemisphere. She, however, had been on her toes since being assigned the mule-headed boy that was Drake Goldsworthy. He was stubborn, rude, crude, obnoxious, and extremely hard to keep up with. Not to mention how he treated her co-workers, as if they were mutts that were beyond expendable.

She didn't really know what he thought about her and her witch state. Actually, her own species was a bit odd. Her mother, a witch, had mated with a male vampire, and therefore had produced a hybrid offspring - her. She was not deterred by the sun, but did not have uncanny super speed and strength. She did, however, have enhanced regenerative abilities, and would never age. Her normal witch powers were heightened along with both of those, and it wasn't tiring for her to perform spells, incantations, or the like. She was extremely agile, and despite the fact that she wouldn't burn in the sun, the bright rays did hurt her eyes. She was forced to wear sunglasses during the day, but they didn't affect her duties as a guard of one of the princes.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she snapped her book closed as her sense prickled. The prince was awake. Having cast a spell upon Drake, she had created a bond between the two of them that could only be severed by herself or a more powerful witch - which was extremely unlikely. The bond would tell her everything she needed to know about the prince. When he was hurt, when he was afraid, when he was in danger; if he was sick, hungry, or upset. It was an invasion of privacy, but she hadn't told him about it. She was, in all honesty, afraid to.

The prince scared her at times.

But it was her duty to stay at his side, and that she would do. Besides, she couldn't let Demetri down.

It didn't take the green-haired hybrid long to reach the dining hall, in which the young prince resided. A quick look down the hall told her that the Princess Opal had just recently been in the room and was now retreating from it. She turned back and made her way over to where thee prince sat, stopping just to the left and behind him.

"Good morning, Prince," she said, her normally soft voice a bit lilting, her Greek accent betraying her roots. "How did you sleep?"

Katherine hadn't said much and simply nodded at Brinley's words. Of course she listened to her but didn't have much to say in reply. She had never seen an interrogation before mainly because they didn't happen quite often and because her father did have some humanity within him. Katherine had made it into the room where the interrogation was to take place but off in the distance had her loud crashing within the foyer probably. "Hello my darlings! Guess who's here!" by the sound of the voice she knew exactly who it was and felt excitement bubble up in her. Katherine suddenly ran off in her inhuman like speed, into the elevator and quickly made her way to the foyer.

Amaya had pulled up in front of the mansion and practically leaped out of the limo and into the house. Once busting open the doors and succesfully startling the maids she yelled out to her grandchildren. "Hello my darlings! Guess who's here!" she yelled as loud as she could so that everyone in and around the mansion would probably hear her. Amaya was soon greeted with the sight of two maids bowing to her. "Welcome back your grace." they said in unison. "Thank you very much now you may return to her daily affairs." she said and was suddenly grinning at the sight of Katherine. The two females had hugged each other tightly equally missing each other. Amaya had been gone for so long taking care of her son and temporarily subduing his powers.

Amaya had soon let go of Katherine and took hold of her hand. "Now where is Opal and the others?" she asked not allowing a word in from Katherine before she had run off into where she had picked up Drake's scent easily. Once she saw Drake there and ran up to him enveloping him into a hug briefly and letting go. "How are all of you doing?" she asked him wanting to know as fast as possible what was going on currently as she had picked up the scent of an unknown male and since Katherine had actually used the elevator that went into the interrogation room she deduced that not all was right in the Goldsworthy household.

"I really wish that you would stop talking about them like that. Werewolves aren't mangy mutts that need to be detained and on leashes; humans aren't merely blood bags to be used on a whim; and vampires aren't an almighty race that should be worshiped as Gods."

Drake was plenty accustomed to Opal talking to him from her moral high ground. Truth be told, a part of him wished he could pretend to agree with her…sadly that was beyond him. There was one thing about her statement though that struck him though. For a moment he viewed his beliefs, did he really think his race or even himself as something akin to gods?

"You need to start treating them for who they are - the people that are willingly putting their lives at risk to ensure our own safety. If it weren't for them, we would be dead by now. So stop it, Drake, before I lose my patience with you ...” In partial answer to his internal questioning, he didn’t find vampires as gods. But it’d be deception if he didn’t believe his kind above the lot of humanity, something of a chill formed at the base of his spine when a comparison to werewolves began. His jaw clenched a bit at Opal’s refusal to free his right eye, stranger still, he wanted to recoil from her touching his face. As for her issue with Vincent, he’d look into that after he had some fun of his own with the would-be assassin.

"How did you sleep?" A simple yet polite question delivered in a Greek accent caught him entirely off guard. He managed to avoid choking on the first bite of his breakfast, but a flash of anger flared at himself and the speaker in question. He quickly regained his composure before supplying what he deemed to most appropriate answer.

“Sadly sleep is something I’ve never been on good terms with,” he tried to keep his voice casual, yet tinged with melodrama. The intent was for the answer to be honest, prevent the same question from being asked again yet sound like one optimistically familiar with the condition. “Go ahead and sit, help yourself- call me Drake if you feel like it, but I’ll settle for handsome.” The friendly tone and deliberate puppy eyes with the finish wasn’t planned. He’d long learned to adlib when he began to function on this somewhat intuitive autopilot. While he’d never admit it, he was horrible with names and deliberately kept his sentences from requiring the name of his new guard…which he couldn’t remember. “Speaking of sleep, how was- yours?” A certain voice echoing through the place caused his face to pale and words to falter. Beads of sweat began to form on his palms and he felt his heart jump to nearly quadruple speed. In his experience, his grandmother was unpredictable to the extreme and capable of causing destruction that’d make a natural disaster jealous. Faster than he could detect, he was wrapped in a hug by the very person in question…his body stiff as a bored- one could say he feared her on a primal level.

“Irritated by being unable to properly wash my face, otherwise grandmother…yourself?” Try as he might, his voice squeaked during his answer despite his quick release. His words were true enough; the eye-patch was nagging at his sense of order and neatness. This was something of a last resort play for him; hopefully she’d provide a solution…and an excuse to use his eye with the right presentation of news. “I was also thinking of visiting Opal’s assailant… and maybe send a gift to court with my regards,” He’d set the bait, hinted at his intentions and found himself holding his breath until his grandmother reacted- right eye still shut from habit.


Vincent felt the axe fall heavily from his hands as the younger Prince passed. His breathing may have been normal but the werewolf could hear his heartbeat in his own ears. Monster that was the only word that appeared in his mind after that encounter with the Prince. He’d been used to the young man’s dismissive tone regarding others and now he knew the reason. When he’d realized Drake had entered the room, Vincent had tried to drop the axe. His body had failed to respond, and as the royal had run his ever-so-irritating mouth, he’d wanted to respond but his body refused to even budge. The exact nature of Drake’s power was unknown to Vincent, but from what he’d seen… the boy’s attitude seemed justified. An enemy was entirely helpless if the prince could steal their body with a simple gaze.

He’d managed to recover enough to catch the tail end of Opal’s conversation with the demon. Something about her voice struck him, his already numb legs finally lost their strength and he felt his back slide against the wall. Familiar footsteps headed in his direction forced his limbs into action, a quick scramble to his feet just before a rapping on the door told him he’d been too slow to escape. The Opal before his eyes caused something to stick in his throat and a strange desire to well up, though he felt it as an urge to move his arms around her…something he denied himself. The roaring beat of two hearts, one of which was his own, nearly drowned out Opal’s words. His stomach got fluttery as her face reddened, her eyes felt like they were drinking him in and his body felt as stone despite his desire to move away when she drew closer.

This wasn’t covered in basic, nor in any manual or training. That one thought held him rooted as his mouth opened and closed foolishly, his eyes like that of a helpless deer staring in a car’s headlights. “Sorry for being so stupid,” for the first time in years Vincent spoke words without some form of veil known as station. He felt his face burn and color grow equally hot; he unconsciously tugged on it while he found himself looking towards the corner to Opal’s left. An instant of silence felt infinite in length and even more uncomfortable, forcing him to take the plunge to end it. He felt his left hand grab Opal’s wrist; in his current form the amount of strength he could exert could probably be compared to that of a child’s for her, but it was with everything he could muster.

“Like you said, I’m stupid and I’m not good at expressing myself. But I am good at following orders, and am smart enough to know one when I hear it.” He felt something of a tearing in his chest as he continued, but a deep breath steadied him a bit. “I obsess over what you think- constantly afraid that I might come off clumsy, stupid or uncool.” Like a dam giving way to sudden flood, words spewed from his mouth nearly faster than he could say them.“I find myself worrying constantly; when I wake up, sleep- all the time I run everything I’ve been taught about you through my head in an attempt to impress you or something. I don’t even know why, but when I look at you my heart races, when I smell you my brain gets fuzzy and simply holding you like this makes me want to smile like an idiot.” He finally got the strength to look Opal back in the eye, the pain he felt in his chest exponentially growing.

“Today was the first time I've genuinely felt fear. For some reason, hearing you were attacked caused the world to shake and my response numbed with the world around me. I don’t know why, but my life and my clan’s reputation didn't even occur to me. My only thought was…you and the feeling that I’d lost something that meant more to me than anything else.” His voice grew quiet towards the end, his words slower and his grip began to loosen. He was aching to say more, but the words wouldn't come. His frustration at his training, the punishment he’d endured for an emotion he couldn't identify- all he could do is look at Opal and pray she understood until the words came, or pull them from him like a Muse.

Amaya giggled a bit. Despite her abscense or rather abscenses she knew how Drake was. After shaking her head in rejection to his offer she eyed him. "I wonder Drake do you think your own grandmother is a fool?" I know what you can do with your powers and I won't allow it besides from the looks of it Opal's assiliant is being interrogated as Katherine had come from that area to greet me. I'm insulted that you honestly think I'm ignorant enough to fall for such a trick." she giggled once more walking past him. "You can make it up to me though by helping me set up a celebration in honor of my return and the suspension of your uncle's abilities." she stated happily.

"I suggest you begin with that and alert your siblings of the celebration." she added and made her way out of that room and into another. Amaya was one of the eldest royals in existence now and she knew some of her grandchildren may fear her and rightfully so but truly she wouldn't harm any of them without reason and even with a reason she'd think twice about it for some. Drake was one that would only need to give her the slightest reason and she'd react. He was a reminder to Amaya about her late son-in-law. This is what made her more alertive of him and quickly decipher his intentions. With that in mind she'd keep her eye on him. Amaya soon made it to where Opal's scent was but stopped when she heard another voice. Amaya didn't pay attention to what was being said as it wasn't any of her business.

Amaya quickly hurried out of there making sure not be heard as she wasn't seen yet. She instead headed towards the elevator and down to the interrogation room where she was sure Brinley was if not Markus. She knew the guards as she had met them years before and approved of their abilities to protect her grandchildren. Amaya wasn't too fond of Markus' behavior but she had yet to say anything on that matter. She liked Vincent and was glad he knew how to behave and protect so she has no issues with him. Brinley was the one Amaya had known the longest as she used to protect Victoria. Amaya was a bit more closer to Brinley than she was with the other guards. Speaking of which when Amaya had eyed her she smiled up at her. "Hello Brinley, it's been a long time."

It was normal for the red-head to eat all of his meals in the large kitchen of the Goldsworthy mansion rather than taking his food to his room or to the dining room if it was empty. At least the maids in the kitchen were better company than his co-workers or the other guards. Right now was the perfect time for Markus to snatch some food since the kitchen help were all finishing up with preparing breakfast for the royals. He was quickly acknowledged by the older women, most of them in a friendly manner wile a few sighed and shook their heads as they went back to work.

"Don't you have something better to do?"

Markus stopped at one of the counters where a few women were chopping up fruits, most likely already getting lunch ready, and picked up an apple. The woman who had spoke was a tad short with her thin brown hair pulled back into a bun under a white bonnet. "A man's gotta eat, doesn't he?", he said, hopping up onto the counter to sit. The apple nearly reached his mouth before the woman stole it from his hand and set it down on the other side of her.

The woman, whom Markus knew as Yuma, let out a small chuckle. "You're not a man until you stop acting like a child." She then took her left arm and gave Markus a shove to get him off the counter. Of course there was no way she'd have the strength to cause him to fall over, but he let himself slip off anyway. "Hey, a cook should show a guard some respect." He said after he leaned himself against the counter. The apple nearly reached his mouth before Yuma stole it from his hand and set it down on the other side of her. "What the hell? Markus turned towards her and gave her a harsh glare. "C'mon you hag I'm hungr--!" Something small but hard hit him on the back of the head and he spun around, realizing that one of the younger cooks, a blond named Taffa, had raised her fist and conked him one.

"That food is strictly for their majesties! If you want something to eat go sit over there and we'll make you something!" Taffa ordered as she pointed towards the wall were a few chairs sat. "If you can't be patient then you're not getting anything, got that young man!?" She continued to stare at him with stern eyes before he finally sighed. "F-fine.." he replied reluctantly before heading over to the wall and sitting himself down. What a pain in the ass... Damn women..

---

---

It was approaching the late morning when the jet touched down and Alric was finally able to collect his things. The wait for the limo wasn't very long, but he was tired and all he could think about was getting home to see how things were doing. He was worried about his siblings, but at the same time knew that they were left in good hands and it would be wrong of his to doubt the strength of Brinely and the other royal guards. Right, they were fine and perfectly safe. He was just letting his paranoia get the best of him is all. He hadn't been gone for very long, but the trip was a busy one and he didn't get a lot of rest so he was probably just tired. A good night's sleep in a familiar bed would have him feeling better in no time.

When the limo arrived, he instantly noticed that his assigned guard hadn't come along. It wasn't like Brinely to skip out on her duties and surely she wouldn't miss the opportunity to make sure he was alright after leaving the mansion without her with him. This only made him start to worry again. "Excuse me, why isn't Brinely here to escort me?" He questioned the guard, who was putting his suitcase into the trunk of the limo, before he made any move to get into the car.

The guard who was holding the door open for him took the liberty of answering, saying that they'd been issued by Brinely to pick you up instead because she had business to attend to. He wasn't very specific and in all honesty Alric couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. "Oh, I see. Thank you." He said before sating his seat and waiting for the car to leave the airport.

The drive was about an hour long, definitely longer than the flight, but that was understandable. He was just relieved to be home when the limo finally reached the gate to the mansion. Surprisingly there weren't as many paparazzi as usual, likely due to one of his siblings scaring most of them off. Normally Alric would have the driver stop the limo and he would give them a few good statements to satisfy their curiosity, but not today. Instead he just waved from behind his rolled up window as the gate opened and the limo entered the driveway. It came to a stop near the front entrance and he quickly got out without waiting for his door to be opened for him. "Just put that in my room please." He said before hurrying into the house.

After the doors closed behind him he stood still and took in a deep breath, bringing up his arms and cupping his hands around his lips. "I'm home!! Where's my welcome back hug!?" He shouted, not giving the two maids who were waiting for him any chance to greet him. "Uhm, welcome your majesty One managed to say with a small smile "Your siblings are in the kitchen eating their breakfast.

Alric gave the girl a smile. "Right, thank you." He then approached the dining room using his speed. He was too impatient to see everyone to just walk there at a normal pace. However when he opened the door to the dining room there were only two other people in there, his younger brother and his new guard. He was a tad confused at first, but then gave the two of them a friendly smile. "Goodmorning Drake, Ms. Harwal." He stepped in and ruffled Drakes hair as he walked by before taking a seat.

"I was told that Opal and Kath were in here too, where is everyone? Also has grandmother visited at all? I'm pretty sure I can smell her, but I'm so tired who knows how well my senses are working." He chuckled sheepishly, tapping his index finger against the side of his head a couple of times as he sad the last sentence.

“Sorry for being so stupid ...”

Opal turned her face upwards, just in time to see him move forward. His fingers curled around her right wrist and, although she could have easily overpowered his efforts, she didn't want to. She let him grab her. And she let him pull her forward, so that she stumbled slightly, her hand raising to grab his right arm with her left hand in an effort to steady herself. When she was finally steadied, she blinked and looked up, only then realizing that he was speaking again. She wasn't held in his arms like she so desperately wanted to be, but being as close as she was was enough. Her wrist was held by his hand, her own hand limp with surprise, and she was close enough that they were toe-to-toe.

“Like you said, I’m stupid and I’m not good at expressing myself. But I am good at following orders, and am smart enough to know one when I hear it ..." His next words were obviously going to be hard for him, and for a moment, she felt a flash of regret combined with guilt. She didn't want him to be in pain because of her orders, for she knew that he wouldn't tell her anything if she hadn't told him to.

I obsess over what you think- constantly afraid that I might come off clumsy, stupid or uncool ... I find myself worrying constantly; when I wake up, sleep- all the time I run everything I’ve been taught about you through my head in an attempt to impress you or something. I don’t even know why, but when I look at you my heart races, when I smell you my brain gets fuzzy and simply holding you like this makes me want to smile like an idiot.”

Funny, because that's exactly how I feel ... How I've felt for the past decade or so. If only you knew how often I've felt that way, then you wouldn't have been so afraid to tell me.

Having felt the same way for so long, she completely understood how he was feeling. Obviously, he couldn't put it into words, or else he would be rambling. Even she wasn't ready to even think the words, for it was too surprising that he could possibly care about her as intensely as she cared for him.

It would be fair if she rejected him. He had done so enough over the years that it would be his just desserts. But at the same time, she couldn't do such a thing. She wasn't mean enough for it, and she cared about him far too much to hurt him in such a way.

God, what a predicament.

“Today was the first time I've genuinely felt fear. For some reason, hearing you were attacked caused the world to shake and my response numbed with the world around me. I don’t know why, but my life and my clan’s reputation didn't even occur to me. My only thought was…you and the feeling that I’d lost something that meant more to me than anything else."

It was then that he managed to look at her, and when their gazes caught, her heart jumped into her throat. Her cheeks turned the same color as her hair, intensified, and turned a crab-red color.

"You ... You're ..."

A gulp.

A frown.

Her heat almost seemed to burst from her chest, for it was thundering so intensely.

"... Vincent ..." she mumbled, looking down and at his chest. There was a stirring in her stomach, and as tears sprang to her eyes, she lifted her free hand to her lips, where it dropped over them. Several tears escaped as she took a step back, uncertain of what she would do in that moment.

Your hand ... It's on my wrist. It's on my wrist!

Such typical teenage thoughts, for an untypical, highly-ranked vampire girl. In that moment, she felt almost ... Normal. No high-class, royal situations to worry about, and no foreign dignitaries trying to kill her.

It was an amazing feeling.

Her eyes closed, her lips turned down in a grimace, and she shook her head. "You ... It's just ... It isn't ..." Her hand lifted, the heel of it pressing against her closed left eye. Pulling her wrist from his grip, she sniffed, and it took her only one step to close the distance between them.

Her arms locked around his neck, her face burying in his chest and her tears dripping to his shirt.

"You ..." I can't say it ... I can't get the words out ...

But I have to. I have to say them, because if I don't, then he won't.

She lifted her head and tilted it back, her eyes and nose-tip tinged pink from crying.

"You're actually in love with me?" she whispered, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

---

---

“Sadly sleep is something I’ve never been on good terms with.”

Zates nodded, moving a bit forward until she stood between his chair and the free one beside him. Noting the dark circle under his visible eye, she shook her head a bit. "That's a shame. Sleep is healthy for you, and without it, you could become ill," she said softly, her concern for his well-being evident in her troubled gaze. "I'll see what I can do about mixing a medicine or a spell for you, okay?" she offered with a small smile, yet remained regal and composed all the same. She frowned a bit at his next words, however.

“Go ahead and sit, help yourself- call me Drake if you feel like it, but I’ll settle for handsome.”

"I couldn't do something so unprofessional," she murmured uncomfortably, shifting her weight a bit. She blushed slightly and her hands flew up, for she was obviously frazzled by his words, and she rounded on him, her odd eyes wide and her palms facing him. "Not that you aren't pleasant upon the eyes, Prince! I would never say something as crude as that to you!" she insisted. When the Hell was she going to get this guard thing down? He was so ... Intimidating, to say the least. She would undoubtedly get better, however, as she grew accustomed to the unfamiliar feeling of fear.

His voice jerked her back to reality, causing her to blink and focus on his face once more.

“Speaking of sleep, how was- yours?”

She shifted a bit and looked away. Whether or not she had chosen to answer, she wouldn't have had the chance to anyway. Instead, the Royal's grandmother danced in at that time, completely ignored Zates's presence, and threw her arms around her grandson, who appeared rather uncomfortable. Her hair prickled and threatened to stand on end, her natural protective nature threatening to explode upon the woman, despite her having every right to hug her own grandson.

It will fade ... Just don't do anything stupid ...

Finally the woman left, and she moved to sit in a chair that would give her a view of every entrance to the room, along with one of the Prince. Her hand slid into her pocket, and she removed her spell-book, which she dropped into the table with a soft thump. After a moment, she snatched an apple, polished it on the front of her uniform, and took a small bite. She wasn't very hungry, but it would be rude to merely brush off her charger's offer.

In an attempt to return to semi-normal conversation - for he was obviously still recovering from his random show of a grandmother - she turned her gaze to the Prince.

"I ... Don't sleep very often. It's a side-effect of what I am. But when I do, I sleep for quite a while, which is why I have a substitute on the side for whenever I finally sleep. I love sleeping though," she said, taking another small nibble. She straightened and pointed at his plate, her brows drawing together slightly. "You should eat around the peel of your fruit. It's the healthiest part," she said, motioning to the peels scattered on his plate. "Besides, if you swallow it before you finish the delicious part of the apple, you won't even taste it," she said with a small smile.

Turning, she dropped her gaze on the eldest prince as he entered.

"Welcome home, Prince Alric," she said, rising and bowing slightly. She remained so until he had seated himself, before returning to her own chair. "How was your journey?"

Vincent’s struggle for words had at first left him oblivious to the actions of his charge. But as he waited, hoping she had some kind of insight he didn't- certain changes happened. Opal’s face became increasingly red and eventually she averted her face, this is…embarrassment? Vincent couldn't help but wonder that, after all Opal’s action didn't match anything from her typical anger habits. But the question was what embarrassed her- his current behavior was certainly shameful from a professional standpoint. However, he knew enough about Opal that the violation of professional protocol wasn't it either. Vincent was even further confused when Opal’s hand approached her face, this action wasn't in her records. What did catch his attention though, the husky smell of water tinged with salt- tears. This really confused Vincent, he couldn't think of having done something to make her cry. It wasn't until he felt something around his neck that his thoughts violently returned to reality.

"You're actually in love with me?"The question had come out as merely a whisper, but there was no mistaking her question. The implication had caught Vincent entirely off guard, am I actually in love? From a professional standpoint the notion was absurd, his clan trained its members against emotion. According to legend, the Shield Wolves had an overly powerful connection to their motions that had nearly wiped them out. In response, the current brutal training was used to repress those connections. The princess in front him was so unlike herself; frail and seemingly frightened shadow that trembled against his flesh with pinked eyes and nose, but silently demanding an answer all the same.

“Love,” he said the word out loud, trying it out…almost tasting the word itself in an effort to answer her question. “I think… that might be correct.” His words lacked true certainty, and his face was screwed in its usual ‘confused yet thinking’ face.
“It’s hard for me to truly be sure; it’s severely discouraged back home- no offense Highness, but it’s hard for me to give a straight answer.” He grimaced as he gave the most honest answer he could, but he found himself leaning closer until his cheek was nearly touch hers. “While I don’t mean to dodge the question, tonight’s a new moon,” he found himself whispering now, “a perfect time for a certain old wolf’s tale and I think you’ll understand what I mean then.” While he didn't want to have to rely on old, unwritten wolf tales, the story he had in mind was something like the book of Genesis. Traditionally, it wasn't shared among non-wolves, and wolves only spoke it during the new moon. But once more, Vincent could only speak for his pack, and subsequently for all the Shield Wolves.




Drake felt his eye twitch and his grandmother’s answer and further insinuation. So the Calamity Queen will condone her own actions AND those of her son- albeit to a lesser extent. The belief bitterly voiced itself in his head and echoed in his heart. But apparently it’s too much to hope for her to spoil a grandchild with the same treatment- no… it’s only me she’s against. In his mind a bit of gender favoritism was to be expected, after all the woman had a reputation for being a black widow. As such, the fact his grandmother seemed a bit softer towards his sisters was something he could ignore. What really burned his insides, was apparently his elder brother and even his wretched uncle got more of her blessings than himself. He wished to ask how even a man she allegedly hated seemed closer to her heart than himself. Experience on the other had taught him silence, his father had sought to blind him for merely possessing his eyes…he didn't need to lose his own tongue- or worse.

“Of course grandmother, and sorry for my unintended rudeness,” the woman in question had already been out of the room by the timed his mouth opened. Guess I both lack the proper genitals, and came from the wrong matron too…wonder how Alric does it. The offensive musing quickly flitted through his mind, causing his visage to darken somewhat. He vaguely heard the Greek accent in the background but it was the sound of approaching footsteps that really got his attention. A slight flare of the nostrils was all the sarcasm he could muster against the advice against the advice on fruit consumption- he lacked the concern for a true response.

"Welcome home, Prince Alric, how was your journey."His attention was brought to his brother by his guard before too good a view of his phase should have occurred. It also let him coherently listen to his brother’s questions and respond with playful yet happy smile he usually used for his brother. In truth the hair ruffling was something he somewhat enjoyed, though fixing his hair afterward could be annoying. Luckily, he hadn't yet done his hair so the concern wasn't a factor this time.

“Your nose isn't lying, the old lady just got here,” the usual upbeat voice came from his mouth out of habit. “Opal is probably a room or two down with the Randal and I've no clue on Kat.” He gave an exaggerated shrug while he continued, “Gran told me to gather everyone for her welcome home party too. Excuse me while I go get started on just that, alert the staff for me?” The latter half of his second sentence was asked as a question when he stood up to leave. Without even waiting for his brother’s response he left the room, at this point is brain was working at full tilt…this morning forced him to ‘wake up’ far faster than usual. His curiosity resulted in him giving voice to a question he found rather uncivil.

“So Harwal,” he directly addressed his guard using the surname his brother had used- oddly enough in the cheery yet innocent voice he used most often. “Crude question, do all Dhampyr have an interesting quirk from the mixture- or is it circumstantial?” Mostly from personal preference, he stopped to hear her answer. He liked seeing a person when having a conversation and that resulted in him turning for his left eye to spot her.

Katherine had forgotten all about the interrogation as she was sure Brinley was more than capable of taking care of it. Katherine had instead run off to the kitchen instead of back to the interrogation. She saw Markus there but said nothing about it and instead turned her attention to the maids and chefs. "The Goldsworthy family's last remaining matriarch is back and I'm sure she wants to have a celebration in her honor so please I'm asking fo all of your assistance in helping to prepare the meals for it." Katherine was happy when they each nodded but frowned hen they bowed and said, "Of course, Princess." in unison. "I've told you all time and time again you can all call me Katherine." she stated with a sad smile and a ind tone. They verbally obliged with a simple yes but she knew they'd still call her princess.

Katherine waved to them and ran off. She wasn't sure where her grandmother had gone off too but she was sure it was to cause trouble. She had made it to the room Amaya was in previusly and once seeing Al she had ran up to him and embraced him tightly. "Al! I've missed you, how was your trip?" she still held onto him tightly whilst speaking. Much had happened in his abscense and so she was very glad to see him again.

Amaya had followed Brinley into the elevator and nodded at her question. "I've temporarily suspended my son's power thanks to a very powerful witch but he's still a problem to my grandchildren and it seems Drake may be following in the same path. We need to fix all of this Brinley as I'd hate to have the Goldsworthy family be once again torn up and at war with each other over the damned crown. It'll oly end in a bloodbath." Amaya stated lowly. Her son was of course causing trouble because of jealousy and his downright sociopathic tendencies. No matter what Drake had thought for her rejecting to give him back that ability it was for his own good and the good of his siblings.

She loved all of them equally but was more protective of Katherine and Opal because she knew what it was like being their age and having to deal with all this chaos. Alric and Drake were more than capable in her eyes of taking care of themselves in her eyes. Amaya knew she must've seemed cruel in the eyes of others for thinking such ways but that was far from the truth when it came to her grandchildren. She was sure Briley was moe than capable of handling those type of situations as she was more informed and experienced with her son than the other guards. Her son was a problem and as much as it killed her she knew that she'd possibly alongside Brinley and the others would have to vanquish him once and for all and pick up the pieces from there. Amaya knew there was a way to stop fighting and a war from occuring for the fight to the crown between her grandchildren and she knew in order to do so she'd have to get rid of the threat itself whom was stopping her from going through with her plan. The rule over vampires would be shared between sibling for the first time in the history of the vampire race and it would be split four-ways which was another thing done before.

He couldn't seem to wrap himself around the idea of him caring so intensely about her that it could teeter on the ledge of love. On one side, hatred; the other, love. In the center, neutrality. On the edges, distaste for one that leaned towards hatred, while care on the edge between neutrality and love. He was obviously attempting to scurry back to her perfect little resting point that he had found, directly on the line of neutrality - or so he had thought he had been.

Then realization had been shoved into his arms and he was forced to face the facts.

And it was her fault that he was so confused.

In all honesty, she regretted nothing. She had to know where she stood in his life. Because of that one time when they were little. He didn't remember it, but she couldn't forget.

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"My name is Vincent. Vincent Randall. Are you alright?"

Of course I'm alright.

Because you're here.

A pink fluff of hair was annoyingly tickling her nose, and behind the fluff, deep blue eyes peered out, attempting to see through the mass of pink curls. Small hands lifted and parted the mass, the stuffed dog dangling precariously in a small grip between pinky-finger and palm, and they focused on the boy that stood before her. He was only a couple of years older than her, but he was a savior in her eyes.

Of course, she had been running through the halls without a care in the world, when she had slipped and nearly cracked her skull open - nearly impossible for a vampire, but as a child, she tended to overreact, and it still would have hurt quite badly. The small boy had appeared through a doorway, shouting at someone inside of the room that he had slid from, and had somehow managed to catch her mere inches before she came into contact with the hard-tiled floor. He had set her down to catch her breath and returned her stuffed puppy to her, but she was a bit rattled, to say the least.

Her free hand moved out and accepted his offered one, allowing him to pull her upright. Even then he was taller than her, by a few inches at least, but she didn't mind. In fact, it made her heart flutter in her small chest.

"I'm okay," she said quietly, holding her puppy up in front of the bottom half of her face, moving her foot across the floor shyly. She peered up at him through surprisingly long lashes, a light pink color tinging her cheeks. "My name's Opal. It's nice to meet you," she introduced herself, her voice shy and her eyes half-closed.

It was then that Claudius appeared from the room, panting and obviously in distress.

"Princess! You know that you shouldn't have been running in the halls, especially after the maids just cleaned the floors! Are you injured?"

Opal turned her head and beamed up smile up at the elder man, who had to be in his late forties at the time, and was like a second father to her - in fact, he was more of a father to the five-year-old than the king himself was.

"I'm okay, Clau-Clau-Clau-" she moved her tongue slightly, having never been able to roll the name off of it, but instead her tongue gaining a slightly-cottony feel to it. "Clau-"

"Oh, stop it, munchkin. It's okay if you can't say it right now. You'll be able to eventually," he grinned, dropping his hand onto her hair. He ruffled it slightly before smoothing it down again, one of his contagious and silly grins on his face. "Next time be more careful, okay kiddo? We don't want Vincent here having a panic-attack at seven because his future charge is already severely injured when he could have helped, now do we?"

Opal's mouth dropped open in the typical 'O' of a child who just couldn't believe what they were hearing - as though it were a myth of some sort. She shook her head quickly, her puppy swinging back and forth. "No! That'd be ba-ad!" she drawled out, a worried look on her face. This gained her only a chuckle from the man, which escalated to a full-blown laugh, despite the confusion that had appeared on her face.

"Oh yeah? And what's so funny, Clau!?" she demanded, her small fists thrusting against her hips and her lower lip jutting out in a slight pout. He downed his laugh to a chuckle once more, his head shaking slightly. "You are, pipsqueek. You're very funny."

"I'm not a pipsqueek!" she insisted, rounding on Vincent and pointing in the direction of Claudius. "Tell him, Vincey! I'm not a pipsqueek!" she demanded, darting quickly to his side and shoving her face in his. "Tell him I'm not! You're not too much taller than I am, so if I'm a pipsqueek, than ... Than ... Than you're a midget!"

A light suddenly dawned in the little girl's face, and she rounded back on Claudius. "Can Vinny come play with Nom-Nom and me?" she asked, a puppy-dog look appearing on her face as soon as Claudius began to turn down her question. "... Pretty please, Clau?" she asked, tears welling up and threatening to spill in her eyes.

Unable to resist the large, ocean blue pools that were peering up at him, Claudius whirled away, grumbling. "Fine, you two can play. But you have to make sure to behave and have him back within two hours, or your father will have my head. Literally ..."

Opal's entire face bloomed with light, and she spun, throwing herself at Vincent, easily tackling the boy to the ground. She sat on him, looking happily down at his face. "Hear that, Vinny? We get to play! And you can play with Nom-Nom, as long as your careful, okay? Nom-Nom's my bestest and only friend, so you gotta promise to be careful, okay?" she insisted, holding up her prized stuffed animal. "Isn't that right, Nom-Nom?" she asked, looking into the puppy's face, her own holding a suddenly serious expression. "We can't have you getting hurt, because Mama gave you to me, and you're my only friend. You'll always be my friend, right Nom-Nom?" Her hand moved the head so it looked like the stuffed dog was nodding, and she beamed into a smile, before gasping and whirling back to Vincent. "Will you be my friend, Vinny? Will you be my best friend?" she asked, holding up Nom-Nom directly beside her face. "We can all be best friends! Best friends forever, Vinny!"

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Opal smiled a bit, her head lowering slightly as she stepped back, freeing her wrist from his hand.

“Love ..." There was a long, intense pause, his brows drawing together due to the intensity at which he was thinking. "I think… that might be correct.”

He was so ... Naive. It was hilarious, to be honest, and she found herself fighting back a giggle at the screwed-up look on his face. He could be so silly at times, and she just couldn't help but laugh.

“It’s hard for me to truly be sure; it’s severely discouraged back home- no offense Highness, but it’s hard for me to give a straight answer. While I don’t mean to dodge the question, tonight’s a new moon."

What did a New Moon have to do with anything? Of course she knew that a New Moon would occur that night - her following of the stars and night sky told her exactly that. So why was it so important to him that it was New Moon that night? He just didn't make any sense at times.

He was whispering, and she jumped in just as he began to do so, her enhanced hearing allowing her to catch the better parts of his mutters. “... Time for a certain old wolf’s tale and I think you’ll understand what I mean then.”

Her confusion evident, she tilted her head back to look up at him.

"You know, you never make any sense when you start muttering like that," she said with a sigh, moving a few more steps away. She was closer to the door at that point, her hands moving forward to clasp together before her.

"I should more than likely go now. I thought that I heard Grandmama Amaya, and knowing the old lady, she'll want some sort of luxurious party thrown in her honor. You're ... More than welcome to come, Vincent," she said, pausing in the doorway, one hand on the frame as she spoke. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder at him, a small smile on her face. "As a guest, not a guard. The rest of thee royal guards are invited, also; Markus, Zates, and Brinley. Would you mind passing along the message? Thanks so much, Vinciny!" she sang, one of her many childish nicknames for him escaping her lips before she could stop it. She blushed slightly and giggled, stepping back into the doorway, having taken a few quick steps out of sight at the end of her 'thanks'. "And Vincent?" she began, in an attempt to catch his attention once more. "It's alright to love a person. Because I love quite a few people," she said, locking gazes with him, "And one of them happens to be in this room," she smiled. With that, she spun out of the doorway, dancing into the hallway.

Her heart was thundering, and there was nothing that she could do in order to stop it. Why was it hammering so loudly and powerfully? If it didn't stop, it would burst.

But she wouldn't mind that.

For once, she was happy.

---

The interaction between the young Prince and his grandmother was interesting to watch, to say the least. The elder woman - who most certainly didn't look to be so - was a bit disconcerting, to say the least, and to be honest, she felt a bit bad for the prince. The woman didn't seem to take too kindly to the young man, and it hit a bit home for Zates, who was all too familiar with the outsider feeling that the prince was undoubtedly feeling in that moment.

When the woman had finally departed from the room, she moved her attention once more to the two princes, blinking slightly as she did so. She snatched her spellbook and held it beneath the table cloth, fingering the smooth cloth that was wrapped around it.

The exchange was that of a normal one between brothers, and as soon as the younger prince rose to leave, she followed in suit. A slight bow to the prince and a murmured farewell sent her hurrying after Drake in a hasty attempt to catch up with the fast-paced young man.

He was quiet for a few moments, but it didn't last long, which was unsurprising to her. He tended to talk quite a lot about the most random of things, but she didn't really answer him very often. Undoubtedly he only spoke because she was there, and didn't really expect any answers.

“So Harwal ..." It wasn't often that she was called something other than Harwal these days. Due to her profession, most people had taken to referring to her as 'Harwal' or 'Guard' - not that it was a problem to her, but she did tend to miss hearing her given first name at times.

“Crude question ... do all Dhampyr have an interesting quirk from the mixture - or is it circumstantial?”

It wasn't surprising that the prince had the balls to ask her a question like that. In fact, he so obviously wanted to hear the answer that he had actually stopped and turned to face her in order to hold the conversation.

She didn't really want to answer the question, but seeing as it was asked by a member of the royal family, she really had no choice. So, after fidgeting uncomfortably under his gaze for a few moments, she sighed and met his eyes with her own.

"It's merely circumstantial. Most Damphyrs are a mixture of a vampire and a human. The likelihood of a vampire-witch crossing is one in a million, but it obviously can occur nonetheless. A mixture of a vampire and a human can result in either a strong Damphyr or an extremely weak one. If you want to know more, I can always tell you myself, or you can read about my kind," she said, clasping her hands together behind her. Her eyes moved slowly around the interior of the hallway, her spellbook a comforting feeling against her right thigh. "Do you have any other questions about me? I suppose that it's only natural for you to be interested in learning as to who your new guard is and what they are like," she shrugged.

Opal’s confused face told Vincent that he must have made even less sense than he had expected. Her answer, which was more sigh than anything confirmed the fact. However Vincent could only flashed an apologetic smile in response; his job had left him giving Opal half answers more often than he had expected. As his charge walked towards the doorway, he intended to return his arms to his rooms. Opal’s pause in the doorway put something of a delay on his plans.

"I should more than likely go now. I thought that I heard Grandmama Amaya, and knowing the old lady, she'll want some sort of luxurious party thrown in her honor. You're ... More than welcome to come, Vincent." As if trying to beat even his own thoughts to the question, Opal became more specific. "As a guest, not a guard. The rest of the royal guards are invited, also; Markus, Zates, and Brinley. Would you mind passing along the message? Thanks so much, Vinciny!" A nickname he hadn’t heard for a while was sung to end Opal’s sentence and he felt his face redden in response. At this point, she ducked behind the door and out of his view. But he’d barely begun to move before she reappeared, almost making him wonder if she was playing peek-a-boo despite the lack of an infant to play it with.

"It's alright to love a person. Because I love quite a few people," at this point her gaze held him in place just as assuredly as the younger prince, "and one of them happens to be in this room." This time, a smile was used in her departure. His ears picked up a rather rhythmic sound to her steps as she left. His heart was still beating his chest so hard it hurt, but training and a steadying breath brought him somewhat back to reality. He clicked his comm to the frequency exclusively reserved for the royal guards.

“Princess Opal has extended a guest invitation to the four of us. It’s to the party she’s expecting to be held in celebration of the Royal Grandmother’s return.” At this point he was glad that he was alone in the current room, he didn’t want anyone to see the goofy expression on his face. Just in case his voice didn’t sound right, he switched off his mic and finished picking up his weapons. The long walk to his room allowed for some thought to be put to his conversation with Opal. He knew there had been no one else in the room when she had said the final sentence. But she’d been in the doorway, so which room had ‘this room’ refer to; for that matter, was any part of her in the other room at that point? The weapons were returned to their usual place, and a painful reminder of his wardrobe was made. Vincent switched his mic on again after a sigh, and leaving his room in search of another scent.

“Brinsley, Zates- could I trouble the two of you with also covering the Princesses? I need to take care of something and also need to borrow Markus- that is if you’re ok with that man.” The fact that he’d actually run through halls had allowed him to say that final bit directly to the man in question. To prevent feedback, he immediately switched off his microphone again. Vincent hoped his address would clue Markus into his need of some ‘guy time’. Besides he seemed a bit more likely to know what he’d need to buy in terms of clothing, and perhaps explain a bit of what just happened with Opal.



Drake was slightly disappointed by the answer he received on Dhampyr, but it was closest to what he expected. In truth, it meant he’d have to actually look into Dhampyr as a whole before making in plans that hinge upon that crowd. There was still one bit of satisfaction he found, something he felt obligated to address after a moment of contemplation.
“Thanks for the answer; it’s rather hard to find one factual and unbiased these days.” The silence that should have taken place after his answer was instantly interrupted by a question he hadn’t expected. “So what do you intend to wear tonight? After all, until a theme is stated, dress is rather free reign and you will be in attendance- ah no telling though.” He knew his question and follow through were a contradiction, but Drake honestly had no intention of attending, though he had no choice in the matter. If he was lucky, he’d be able to duck out of the party unnoticed and hopefully even sneak off the premises for some fun of his own. If anything, his words would either be deemed rhetorical or playful and thus unanswered. A nearly dancelike foot step drew closer to his back
“Opal,” he turned to address his sister…who seemed almost like a new person to his eyes. There was something about this version of his sister he didn’t think he’d seen before. A slightly distorted voice over Harwal’s headset gave him an interesting condition on the evening. “Could you convince grandmother to go with a masquerade, or at least allow my nonattendance? You know I have a hard time with her and…well-this,” he pointed to his left eye, which was currently hidden by his bangs. “It’s kind of inconvenient if someone accidently makes eye contact on the dance floor.”
To disguise the unintended sincerity in his words, Drake did a quick stretch, continuing to speak before waiting for an answer. “Any ways, I’m going to finally take my shower. Zee, unless you want to join in I’d suggest sticking with my sister for a while, maybe even grabbing Kat and Bre (note: long ‘e’) for some girly party prep. I’ll drop some calls and who knows- there might even be a boy that catches your eye, unless you already have someone you wish to impress.” He used his verbal harassment to cover up his tracks as he walked out of the room, hands behind his head. Since he had to go through the dining area anyways, he’d see about getting Alric to call in some guests too.