“Really… To limit me so… The choice…” She frowns in frustration before waving a hand dismissively. “Then again I would rather not think of such a depressing idea at all. The whole idea is ridiculous at best.” She turns away and crosses her arms, clearly annoyed for the moment.
A heavy sigh, not turning back around. “My husband. I would tell him the same things Leon told me as he died. That he should live his life to the fullest and find happiness again even after I’m gone.”
She laughs merrily for a moment before smiling. “Well then. I guess this has already answered itself for me. Well not for the one asking the question. Yes I would depending on how I felt about that person upon meeting. It has proven… Beneficial if I find the person to be comfortable enough to speak to. Nate was just a stranger once. A guest who had stopped by the Order’s house. I don’t open up to everyone. Some just… Seem to have that air about them that I find I can trust them even with the darkest parts of me. Nate was one of those. An it has led to a very wonderful friendship between us.”
“Truthfully? Probably not. A deep conversation yes. An most of my feelings I tend to be open an honest about. However… There are parts of who I am that I keep secret from even those I am close to. I am supposed to be the knight. The protector. A man hiding behind a mask and keeping people at a certain distance.” A wry laugh escapes him before he shrugs casually. “However with the right person? Maybe. Though I’m not sure if I would recognize the right person. So many years trying to be an do what my family thinks I must do. My attempts to be who I want to be instead of who they want. Maybe I am best being married to my life as a knight.”
“Not right away no. Maybe not at all.” She crosses her arms, tail swishing behind her casually. “I’m not ready to discuss certain parts of my life. I’d rather forget they ever happened. Besides! Who wants to know about the past ya? The past is the past. Forget about it.”
“Greatest accomplishment…” She muses quietly as she gets up from the sofa to pace about the living space of her house. She pauses an sighs heavily. “I’m not sure I’d call it a great accomplishment. Not like achieving the rank I have among the Flames. But… I’d have to go with realizing I don’t want to die anymore. It took me time to get to that point in my life after so many years. Something I might not have managed without those in the Order. Yet I also still have so much room to grow and heal. So I’m sure I can find something else to top that with time.”
“I have no greatest accomplishments. Not yet. At least not in my eyes. I have survived the fall of the Steel Vigil while others did not. My job has become my life. Surviving the day to day dangers of Coerthas is about the best I can say. Yet that does not mean I have given up trying. I am still young with much life left to go unless Halone calls me back to her hallowed halls. I am putting my life to as much use as I can to help Haillenarte and those I care about. Maybe someday I will have an accomplishment worth calling my greatest.”
“Pastel. I think. I might be a bit confused maybe. But I do like pastel colors. Most of my color choices are towards more lighter shades. Lighter shades have always appealed to me more then darker shades.”
“Hmm…” She looks at the fire a moment as if it was more interesting then the question. “That I tried to kill myself. They would be disappointed. Even when I tried to reason that I was killing Garlean soldiers in the process. I know they would be disappointed in my choice. I am still disappointed in my choice.”
“I try to hide many things from my parents. I guess the biggest thing I don’t want them to know is that… I don’t care if the person I fall for is a man or a woman. I’m most concerned with who they are as a person. Not wealth or sex or anything of that sort. My parents still try to pair me with eligible ladies of their choice. I merely do what I can to escape from those pairings. I just keep waiting for the person I am going to love heart and soul. They only see it as I should be keeping the bloodline strong with a match of their choosing.”
“I…” Her ears droop against her head at the thought of her father. She shakes her head vigorously before crossing her arms. Her expression having gone from melancholy to angry. “I don’t worry about what my pops thinks anymore. I quit worrying the day I ran away. So even if he found out it won’t matter. So why bother.”
“Three wishes? Too bad such things do not exist. Though I will humor you an pick three things. However… I think I will avoid any involving things already passed. I’ve come to realize I sort of like where I am in life. If I changed the past I might not be where I am now.” A soft smile and shrug of her shoulders as she makes herself comfortable on the sofa near the fire inside her house.
“First I would pick… Hmm. Okay so staying away from past things is harder then I thought now that I think about it… Ah! A library all of my own. Between my house and my room at the Order I am about out of space for more books. For a second…” She frowns an bites her lower lip while thinking of an answer. “Okay this might seem corny but happiness for those I care about. Especially Nate. He’s become someone very important to me an I wish I could fix things for him. So I guess my third wish could directly be a wish for Nate. The second could be for everyone else. Yes that seems simpler. Especially since Nate’s problem is more complicated.”
Lance hung off towards the side of the room. These parties were exhausting. So much socializing to be done. Reputations to be upheld. He runs a hand through his dark hair as he looked out over the various pairs of dancers.
There was only a small sparking of longing. He wished he had been able to at the very least invite Miu to attend with him. It might not have worked out between them romantically but at least they were still friends. Then he would not be at yet another party alone. At least someone to speak with that was not seeking an easy way into the graces of his grandfather.
“I don’t think we’ve met yet.”
Lance slipped back into that calm and charming demeanor he usually wore when dealing with people at these parties. His eyes settled on the woma… No that was definitely a man. A very feminine one at that. Shorter then himself. He had to mentally scold himself for mistaking the man for a lady at first glance.
“No I do not believe we have. Well then it is an honor to make your acquaintance. Lancefer Aurifore of House Haillenarte at your service.” He gave the man a polite bow, keeping a charming smile on his face until he knew if the man just wished to be pleasant or if he was after something. Though he had a feeling this was more to just be nice then anything else.
Lance let out a heavy sigh as he looked into the room of people gathered for the ball. He had endured so many of these over the years. Well balls. Not really Masquerades. So thankfully even if he had to endure yet another party for the sake of appearances, he was hidden behind a mask of black and gold.
Sure this was yet another way for his family to try an get him situated with a bride. He wasn’t interested in the ladies they tried to pair him with. They were all so fake and weak. Not to mention none of them had really caught his eye. If he was going to take a mate, he wanted someone who could stand beside him. Not someone who would cower behind him. Twenty eight an still unmatched. No wonder his family considered him unfit to be the heir. That was fine with him.
He spotted his mother in the distance speaking with a lady in red. He grimaced. Probably another attempt at his family to make a match for him.
“Have we met before?”
Lance quickly forgot his thoughts as he was spoken to. Sky blue eyes looked out from the mask to the elezen woman who had spoken to him. His head tilted in thought as he tried to remember if they had ever met before. However it was hard while wearing masks.
“I’m afraid I can not say with these masks everyone is wearing this evening. It is quite possible we may have met in passing yet not actually ever met in person.” Lance told her as he bowed politely. His eyes caught his mother an the lady in red moving their way. Lance gently took the arm of the viscountess with an apologetic smile. “Pardon my forwardness. You may have just become my saving grace. It seems my mother have taken it upon herself to try an pair me off again. I do hope you don’t mind playing along for a moment for the sake of this poor knight?”
Karigan couldn’t remember the last time she had been made to wear a dress. Oh wait she could. It was back before she had left home. It wasn’t that she hated dresses… They were just not very suited to her choice of profession. Thankfully she had found a way to strap at least one of her favorite daggers to her leg under the fabric of the skirt. As if she would go anywhere unarmed completely. Even a party.
Though she did feel sort of out of place at such a party. Even hidden behind a green mask with gold accents. Her dress was in similar tones of green. The dress and mask had been gifts from a mystery person. Only a note came with them. It had been vague at best. Not even handwriting she recognized. Part of the reason she came armed with a hidden dagger.
“These skirts make it so hard to move.”
Karigan’s ears twitched at the sound of someone speaking to her. Her tail swished back an forth gently. Her eyes looked the elezen woman up and down with interest. A bright smile forming on her lips.
“Aye. Can’t say I’m a fan either. When ya used to dressing in clothes for movement, dresses feel so… Restrictive.”
I wasn’t lying when I said Dest has a Nate problem. XD These two are near inseparable. If it’s anything to do with the Order one is not far from the other. But it’s good. 😀 I enjoy these two to pieces.
Spirit of the Warlock 