Tatara was in his bedroom, still checking himself in the mirror, and checking again, playing with the folds of his suit and moving them over and over again.
A ball.
It's just supposed to be a ball. But he can't shake the feeling that he shouldn't be there, with so many people of higher status. Even if he was given a personal invitation. But if felt out of place, like he was demanding a higher status than he deserved.
He fusses with his collar some more and sighs.
It's okay. It's just a ball. No one will even pay him any mind, right? Right. He's lowkey and if nothing else, he can try to blend in with the servants (not dressed like that, you can't, Tatara).
He wears something with red accents, still continuuing to fuss over if it might just be too much.
Maybe he should bail. Can he bail? Would anyone notice if he didn't show up?
....Amery probably would. And if Carina was there, probably her, too.
Another sigh as he surrenders to thought.
Okay then. He takes a deep breath, straightens his posture, and wears his trademark smile as he leaves his quarters and heads to the ballroom. But the overwhelming number of people as he arrives has him feeling out of place again. Maybe he really should have bailed afterall.
Oh, well. He's here now. He makes his way to the punch table as he watches the crowd, as if waiting for something. Or maybe someone.
“Well, you look happy to be here,” Adriel crooned as he sidled up to Tatara, making sure their shoulders were touching. The blonde looked out of his depth, so Ade was trying to get him to relax.
He sipped his punch and nodded to a door.
“He will be coming through there, when it’s time. Carina will be with him. Until then, it’s just a bit of mingling.”
Tatara just gives Adriel a smile, not bothered by the close proximity of the other man.
"Well, I'm not used to such a... formal gathering, I suppose. I'm used to casual parties, with presents for a little girl. Though I suppose she could be called a Princess."
Tatara looks at the door as Adriel notions to it. His eyebrows give a slightly amused raise.
"Ah, I've arrived before them, then." Odd. He hadn't expected to, for how much he was fretting over his appearance. But if they're coming together, it must be something about the ball itself.
“Oh, it’s tradition that the prince and princess are the last ones in. It’s so that all eyes are on them,” Adriel responded, comfortable and casual. “Anyway, Carina will be fussing over Amery, making sure every thread is in place.”
This was her element, after all.
“I would like to meet your princess. I’m sure she’s very charming.”
"Well, then, I'll have to look forward to it." Carina probably has a fantastic fashion sense, so he wondered what that would mean for Amery.
"Well, she certainly captured the hearts of everyone under the Red King."
Another smile, as he remembers how much her eyes light up around reds. Especially Mikoto's.
"You don't feel out of place in a ball, though?" he asks a little curiously. Though maybe that's a strange question for the Princess's personal aid and escort, though.
“Not one bit. When she was younger, Carina used to throw parties every season. These days, she doesn’t have the energy.” He sighed and leaned against Tatara, confiding “She’s pushing herself too hard. She knows something we don’t.”
But he didn’t get much more time to dwell on that. The doors that he had indicated opened and the prince and princess were announced.
Carina entered, holding Amery’s arm like a proper young lady and looking like an angel in her white and purple dress, her long hair down aside from some ornate braiding to keep her hair out of her face. She was beaming in joy.
Amery, on the other hand, had a blank look on his face and was drawn up regally. His suit was black with some red trim, since it was the national color.
The entire crowd was silent.
Carina broke away from her brother to step forward, folding her hands together in front of her.
“Welcome, everyone, and thank you very much for coming…” she began, making the introductory speech of the night.
A mutter was audible among some of the older patrons; it was terribly uncouth for the princess to be doing her brother’s job! A woman was not meant to be making speeches!
Tatara shoots a sideways glance at Adriel at the mention of Carina knowing something they don't. He wonders if that was supposed to be as unsettling as it came acrost. But before he can ask, the doors open.
Tatara's mouth drops open a bit at the sight of Carina, and how beautiful she is. And he has to resist chuckling at Amery's face. Oh, no. It looks like Amery isn't enjoying this very much, if at all. At least the Prince looks nice.
Tatara thinks nothing of it when Carina steps forward to make the speech. At least not until the crowd seems to disapprove. And he doesn't like what they're saying. He turns to the nearest one he heard, giving a smile that seems warm on the surface, but anyone who knows better knows it's something much more eerily chilly.
"Excuse me, but could you perhaps keep it down? Some of us are here to enjoy ourselves."
And he'll continue with other nearby ones as well, trying to politely put them in their place.
Carina, for her part, kept on with her speech as if she couldn’t hear the mutterings of the crowd, a peaceful smile on her face even as Amery’s expression turned dark.
“You two aren’t from here at all, are you?” the woman continued, turning her glare toward Tatara and Adriel, deepening it as she noticed how close they were standing. “It is not a woman’s place to make speeches. This family has spoiled the princess to absolute ruin. She’s a disgrace and it’ll be a relief when—“
“Now, Effie,” her husband scolded. “Have care how you speak and follow your own rules.”
The woman huffed and turned away from Tatara and Adriel, doing as she was told, but the muttering did not stop.
As the speech finished, Carina curtsied carefully and turned to Amery, who looked absolutely livid, but before he could say a word, she murmured something quiet.
His face went blank again and he nodded and reached out to his sister to start a dance. His hold on her was reversed from the traditional waltz, which was noticed and pointed out immediately by Effie.
After a few turns, Effie’s husband pulled her away to dance, the rest of the crowd joining in.
“They are lovely, aren’t they?” came a feminine voice on the other side of Adriel, a girl with long red curls appearing at his side. “Especially that prince.”
“Oh definitely,” Adriel purred in response. “I could almost eat him up. What do you say, Tatara?”
Bless Carina, able to keep herself tall and proud, despite the closed minded onlookers. Tatara would have loved to continued telling Effie about how her far-dated ideals are out of place, and if the family wants to permit her to give the speech, that in the end Effie's opinion of the matter hardly means anything. Even if she is above him, she is still below the Prince and Princess, and the King and Queen.
However, before he gets to do that, it appears Effie's husband has his own words to contribute to the matter. Whether it's in favour of what Tatara's saying or against it, he can't tell. But it seems to get Effie to back down. And he won't push it further.
And then Carina's speech is over, and Tatara applauds for her. He'll be her own personal cheerleader tonight if he has to. And then smiles as he watches her and Amery join for a dance. What he isn't expecting is the question that comes next, and he has to steady himself before he drops his drink.
“The prince,” the girl supplies. “Or is he not your type. I’ve heard he has a thing for blondes.” She smiles mischievously and leans forward to put herself in Tatara’s line of sight.
Tatara gives a nervous smile in return. Why is she asking him this? Was it the incident in the hall that happened long enough ago to out the secret that he'd tried so hard to keep? For both of their sakes? That's some very specific prodding after all.
"Erm... It's not that."
He's trying to skirt it. When it doubt, give neutral answers.
“Oh, I understand.” Perhaps this wasn’t the guy she’d heard about.
Oh, no, Amery never actually came out and said he and Tatara were together, but the way he fawned over…
Oh well. She smiled charmingly at Tatara, kissed Adriel on the cheek, and slipped off into the crowd. It didn’t take her long to find Amery and Carina.
She kissed Carina on the forehead as the girl laughed and slapped at the redhead, then turned to Amery.
Amery kissed the back of her hand and invited her to dance, smiling a little as he kissed the redhead on the cheek.
Tatara watched quizzically as she wandered off. What was that abou-- oh.
He blinks a little wider, with the way she greets Carina, and Amery greets her in turn.
Right. Well... he probably shouldn't be able to expect to dance with Amery at all, much less have the first one, outside of Carina. He tries to shrug it to the back of his mind, remembering just how well his last jealous assumption went. Nope, not falling for it this time. Or so he'll pretend.
"Well, then," he turns to Adriel with a smile. "Care to share a dance, since the others are busy?"
Amery was pressed close to the redhead woman, murmuring in her ear as they danced. She laughed and spared a glance to Adriel and Tatara, then said something back which made the prince smile softly, just a bit bittersweet.
Adriel beamed at Tatara, excited and thrilled. “Absolutely! I’d love to dance with you,” he trilled, grabbing Tatara’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor. It was nothing to him to wind his arms around Tatara and start dancing.
Tatara's eyes go cold a little as he sees Amery whispering in her ear. He's just going to give an almost-equally cold shoulder and focus all of his attention on Adriel for now.
Apparently, Tatara plays, I'm not jealous, you're jealous.
Adriel smiles and nods, but his smile turns a bit sad when he sees Tatara go cold. He spots the reason why on the next turn, and promptly leans in to kiss Tatara on the cheek.
“That’s just Annabelle. They’re old friends, and they haven’t seen each other in a while. They’re just catching up,” he murmurs, even as he guides Tatara through the next steps. “She’s more interested in the princess, the poor soul.”
“Unfortunately, yes, and she’s very much not interested. It’s been a sad affair all the way around.” Adriel chuckles a bit and scoots closer, pulling Tatara along. “Amery used to have a little crush on her when they were kids, to hear the princess tell it, but he’s long over it. He’s spent more time trying to get them together than he has spent pretending to be courting Annabelle.”
"Unfortunately, no. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that it's her role in life, she wouldn't even be married. She's not really into any of it."
Which unfortunately complicated things for the princess' marriage, but at least the king she was married to seemed to understand.
"But poor Annabelle is so hung up on her. She hasn't really been able to get over her, but at least she isn't constantly harassing Carina. It's more of a running joke. And today's Annabelle's birthday, so she might get a kiss today."
Adriel laughed, then paused to shake his head. "We work for a very strange family."
Annabelle's birthday? During the ball? He wonders how Annabelle feels about that, as he thinks about his own Princess' birthday being so close to Christmas. It's not exactly the same thing. But it has enough similarities, in his opinion.
"I suppose I'll have to wish her a happy birthday, then," he responds with a smile. He can't tell if it's misleading or a genuine pleasure for Annabelle to potentially receive a kiss from the one who will never return her favour.
"The Princess would make a rather powerful Prince. Perhaps we should crossdress her and hide her identity." Tatara chuckles half-jokingly. Although, it is such a pity to see her stuck in situations she has little-to-no power over, if only because she is a lady instead of a gentleman.
"I have a feeling she would love that. She does seem to enjoy a bit of cross-dressing," Adriel said with a slightly mysterious smirk. It had been a while, and...
He shook off the thought and returned his attention to Tatara.
"Though, admittedly, she is particularly fond of lace. I believe lace cuffs are in, though!"
And they were. Several of the gentlemen at the ball had lace cuffs peeking out from under their jackets.
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timeasmymeasure
Closed to Amery; the night of the regal ball
Date: 2018-06-20 02:53 am (UTC)A ball.
It's just supposed to be a ball. But he can't shake the feeling that he shouldn't be there, with so many people of higher status. Even if he was given a personal invitation. But if felt out of place, like he was demanding a higher status than he deserved.
He fusses with his collar some more and sighs.
It's okay. It's just a ball. No one will even pay him any mind, right? Right. He's lowkey and if nothing else, he can try to blend in with the servants (not dressed like that, you can't, Tatara).
He wears something with red accents, still continuuing to fuss over if it might just be too much.
Maybe he should bail. Can he bail? Would anyone notice if he didn't show up?
....Amery probably would. And if Carina was there, probably her, too.
Another sigh as he surrenders to thought.
Okay then. He takes a deep breath, straightens his posture, and wears his trademark smile as he leaves his quarters and heads to the ballroom. But the overwhelming number of people as he arrives has him feeling out of place again. Maybe he really should have bailed afterall.
Oh, well. He's here now. He makes his way to the punch table as he watches the crowd, as if waiting for something. Or maybe someone.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 03:04 am (UTC)He sipped his punch and nodded to a door.
“He will be coming through there, when it’s time. Carina will be with him. Until then, it’s just a bit of mingling.”
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 03:27 am (UTC)"Well, I'm not used to such a... formal gathering, I suppose. I'm used to casual parties, with presents for a little girl. Though I suppose she could be called a Princess."
Tatara looks at the door as Adriel notions to it. His eyebrows give a slightly amused raise.
"Ah, I've arrived before them, then." Odd. He hadn't expected to, for how much he was fretting over his appearance. But if they're coming together, it must be something about the ball itself.
"Hopefully you're at least enjoying yourself."
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 03:32 am (UTC)“Oh, it’s tradition that the prince and princess are the last ones in. It’s so that all eyes are on them,” Adriel responded, comfortable and casual. “Anyway, Carina will be fussing over Amery, making sure every thread is in place.”
This was her element, after all.
“I would like to meet your princess. I’m sure she’s very charming.”
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 04:10 am (UTC)"Well, she certainly captured the hearts of everyone under the Red King."
Another smile, as he remembers how much her eyes light up around reds. Especially Mikoto's.
"You don't feel out of place in a ball, though?" he asks a little curiously. Though maybe that's a strange question for the Princess's personal aid and escort, though.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 04:23 am (UTC)“Not one bit. When she was younger, Carina used to throw parties every season. These days, she doesn’t have the energy.” He sighed and leaned against Tatara, confiding “She’s pushing herself too hard. She knows something we don’t.”
But he didn’t get much more time to dwell on that. The doors that he had indicated opened and the prince and princess were announced.
Carina entered, holding Amery’s arm like a proper young lady and looking like an angel in her white and purple dress, her long hair down aside from some ornate braiding to keep her hair out of her face. She was beaming in joy.
Amery, on the other hand, had a blank look on his face and was drawn up regally. His suit was black with some red trim, since it was the national color.
The entire crowd was silent.
Carina broke away from her brother to step forward, folding her hands together in front of her.
“Welcome, everyone, and thank you very much for coming…” she began, making the introductory speech of the night.
A mutter was audible among some of the older patrons; it was terribly uncouth for the princess to be doing her brother’s job! A woman was not meant to be making speeches!
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 05:09 am (UTC)Tatara's mouth drops open a bit at the sight of Carina, and how beautiful she is. And he has to resist chuckling at Amery's face. Oh, no. It looks like Amery isn't enjoying this very much, if at all. At least the Prince looks nice.
Tatara thinks nothing of it when Carina steps forward to make the speech. At least not until the crowd seems to disapprove. And he doesn't like what they're saying. He turns to the nearest one he heard, giving a smile that seems warm on the surface, but anyone who knows better knows it's something much more eerily chilly.
"Excuse me, but could you perhaps keep it down? Some of us are here to enjoy ourselves."
And he'll continue with other nearby ones as well, trying to politely put them in their place.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 05:21 am (UTC)Carina, for her part, kept on with her speech as if she couldn’t hear the mutterings of the crowd, a peaceful smile on her face even as Amery’s expression turned dark.
“You two aren’t from here at all, are you?” the woman continued, turning her glare toward Tatara and Adriel, deepening it as she noticed how close they were standing. “It is not a woman’s place to make speeches. This family has spoiled the princess to absolute ruin. She’s a disgrace and it’ll be a relief when—“
“Now, Effie,” her husband scolded. “Have care how you speak and follow your own rules.”
The woman huffed and turned away from Tatara and Adriel, doing as she was told, but the muttering did not stop.
As the speech finished, Carina curtsied carefully and turned to Amery, who looked absolutely livid, but before he could say a word, she murmured something quiet.
His face went blank again and he nodded and reached out to his sister to start a dance. His hold on her was reversed from the traditional waltz, which was noticed and pointed out immediately by Effie.
After a few turns, Effie’s husband pulled her away to dance, the rest of the crowd joining in.
“They are lovely, aren’t they?” came a feminine voice on the other side of Adriel, a girl with long red curls appearing at his side. “Especially that prince.”
“Oh definitely,” Adriel purred in response. “I could almost eat him up. What do you say, Tatara?”
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 02:27 pm (UTC)However, before he gets to do that, it appears Effie's husband has his own words to contribute to the matter. Whether it's in favour of what Tatara's saying or against it, he can't tell. But it seems to get Effie to back down. And he won't push it further.
And then Carina's speech is over, and Tatara applauds for her. He'll be her own personal cheerleader tonight if he has to. And then smiles as he watches her and Amery join for a dance. What he isn't expecting is the question that comes next, and he has to steady himself before he drops his drink.
"I, uh..." he's definitely flustered. "What???"
Where did that come from?
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 02:31 pm (UTC)“The prince,” the girl supplies. “Or is he not your type. I’ve heard he has a thing for blondes.” She smiles mischievously and leans forward to put herself in Tatara’s line of sight.
And Adriel? He’s not going to be any help.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 02:40 pm (UTC)"Erm... It's not that."
He's trying to skirt it. When it doubt, give neutral answers.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 02:52 pm (UTC)“Oh, I understand.” Perhaps this wasn’t the guy she’d heard about.
Oh, no, Amery never actually came out and said he and Tatara were together, but the way he fawned over…
Oh well. She smiled charmingly at Tatara, kissed Adriel on the cheek, and slipped off into the crowd. It didn’t take her long to find Amery and Carina.
She kissed Carina on the forehead as the girl laughed and slapped at the redhead, then turned to Amery.
Amery kissed the back of her hand and invited her to dance, smiling a little as he kissed the redhead on the cheek.
All the better to keep up appearances.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-27 12:19 am (UTC)He blinks a little wider, with the way she greets Carina, and Amery greets her in turn.
Right. Well... he probably shouldn't be able to expect to dance with Amery at all, much less have the first one, outside of Carina. He tries to shrug it to the back of his mind, remembering just how well his last jealous assumption went. Nope, not falling for it this time. Or so he'll pretend.
"Well, then," he turns to Adriel with a smile. "Care to share a dance, since the others are busy?"
no subject
Date: 2018-06-27 01:56 am (UTC)Amery was pressed close to the redhead woman, murmuring in her ear as they danced. She laughed and spared a glance to Adriel and Tatara, then said something back which made the prince smile softly, just a bit bittersweet.
Adriel beamed at Tatara, excited and thrilled. “Absolutely! I’d love to dance with you,” he trilled, grabbing Tatara’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor. It was nothing to him to wind his arms around Tatara and start dancing.
“Have you done this one before?”
no subject
Date: 2018-08-20 01:39 am (UTC)Apparently, Tatara plays, I'm not jealous, you're jealous.
He gives Adriel another smile.
"Ah, not really. Care to teach me?"
no subject
Date: 2018-08-20 04:11 am (UTC)Adriel smiles and nods, but his smile turns a bit sad when he sees Tatara go cold. He spots the reason why on the next turn, and promptly leans in to kiss Tatara on the cheek.
“That’s just Annabelle. They’re old friends, and they haven’t seen each other in a while. They’re just catching up,” he murmurs, even as he guides Tatara through the next steps. “She’s more interested in the princess, the poor soul.”
no subject
Date: 2018-08-20 05:18 am (UTC)"Does Princess Carina know?"
Still... old friends just catching up. Tatara's tension instantly loosens and he becomes more fluid in the dance that Adriel's teaching him.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-20 07:31 am (UTC)“Unfortunately, yes, and she’s very much not interested. It’s been a sad affair all the way around.” Adriel chuckles a bit and scoots closer, pulling Tatara along. “Amery used to have a little crush on her when they were kids, to hear the princess tell it, but he’s long over it. He’s spent more time trying to get them together than he has spent pretending to be courting Annabelle.”
no subject
Date: 2018-11-05 02:54 am (UTC)But then, he becomes curious and flicks his attention back to Adriel.
"Wait, does Princess Carina even like other women?"
Is bisexuality a regular thing in this family?
no subject
Date: 2018-11-05 01:24 pm (UTC)"Unfortunately, no. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that it's her role in life, she wouldn't even be married. She's not really into any of it."
Which unfortunately complicated things for the princess' marriage, but at least the king she was married to seemed to understand.
"But poor Annabelle is so hung up on her. She hasn't really been able to get over her, but at least she isn't constantly harassing Carina. It's more of a running joke. And today's Annabelle's birthday, so she might get a kiss today."
Adriel laughed, then paused to shake his head. "We work for a very strange family."
no subject
Date: 2018-11-05 05:08 pm (UTC)"I suppose I'll have to wish her a happy birthday, then," he responds with a smile. He can't tell if it's misleading or a genuine pleasure for Annabelle to potentially receive a kiss from the one who will never return her favour.
"The Princess would make a rather powerful Prince. Perhaps we should crossdress her and hide her identity." Tatara chuckles half-jokingly. Although, it is such a pity to see her stuck in situations she has little-to-no power over, if only because she is a lady instead of a gentleman.
no subject
Date: 2018-11-05 06:41 pm (UTC)He shook off the thought and returned his attention to Tatara.
"Though, admittedly, she is particularly fond of lace. I believe lace cuffs are in, though!"
And they were. Several of the gentlemen at the ball had lace cuffs peeking out from under their jackets.