Assassi-What?!, Stace + Artemis

[Atomic Salsa]

"How many times must I tell you, Reyna?" The girl's father's voice rang through her head. It echoed and the disappointment flowed freely from the words. She sighed and looked at her studies. The books were full of strange symbols. They were not English, but an ancient language used by the gods themselves. That is what Reyna was taught anyway.

She placed a slender hand on the top right-hand corner of the page. She began to speak the words of a spell, and conjuring some wine. "This is just a parlour trick," she said. Her words were cold. She resented her job. She didn't want to become a sorceress. Well, she didn't at first. When she realized the power that was held within her body, she couldn't learn fast enough.

Her father didn't know that though. His idea for his daughter was to marry her to a prince. She would rather stay in the musty library. There were more friends here in the books than anywhere she could find outside. She was one of the few educated people in the whole country.. and certainly one of the only women that could read.

Reyna put down the book. "How many times must I tell you, Reyna? You will be attending this banquet. The nobles from Gelderland will be here. The prince you are to marry..." Reyna had stopped listening. The prince she was to marry... Great. She had no idea what her objection was. It was not like she had any better offers. She didn't want the two countries to break out in a war, her father's would lose.

Two hours to the banquet, and she had nothing to do. She had to get dressed and that would take a good hour. She had to bathe, and find some sweet smelling flower. She sighed heavily. She loved to dress up, but hated the parties. Reyna packed up her books and went back to her room, leaving the extensive library empty, devoid of life. Not even the bookkeeper stayed in there with her that day. He was preparing, just like the rest of the world.

Once Reyna was upstairs in her bedroom, she placed the book on her desk. It was a plain kind of desk. The only plain thing in the room. The rest of the room had fine fabrics decorating it. Her bed was soft, and plush. She had nothing to complain about, everything she could ever want was in the room. She complained anyway.

Reyna found something to wear, with a great amount of difficulty. Her light green eyes trailed over the fine dresses she had in her room. They were all of them, lavish and beautiful. They made Reyna's features pale in comparison. The woman chose a deep brown dress wth gold trim, and then changed her mind. The one she ended up with was green with a silver trim. It fit her body nicely, skating out away from her hips as it got there, but nice and fitted to her girlish torso.

She pulled a few strands of her red hair back, away from her face, and secured them with a leather strap. She was ready, and finally, she would leave her room. There were already many guests in the banquet hall when she arrived. She hid her hands in the sleeves of her dress, not wanting anyone to bow or kiss them. She knew that it would happen.. she just wanted to prolong the inevitable.

The hall was decorated in both her country's colors and the colors of her betrothed prince's country. The two sides mixing, as if melding together. Reyna could feel a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. She couldn't bare to think of marrying this prince. She didn't think that the man would understand her need for books or her need for silence.

Reyna plastered a smile on her face and went to find her place at the table.

[Stace]

Potatoes. Again. What the Hell was it with this nation's nobles and potatoes? It was as if the meat was the side dish. The starchy diet made for a few more plump ladies than the neighboring countries seemed to have. Or at least Reston seemed to think so. But he spent a lot of time looking at the ladies, often managing to attract their attention. Although, that wasn't really too hard. Reston was unconventional for a nobleman. He did things all wrong. He often came off as impolite and altogether rude. Of course, no one every really stopped to think that a commoner had any chance of being recognized as a nobleman.

It wasn't exactly a common thing to do, but with the right amount of money, anything could be accomplished. Reston just so happened to pull the right amount of strings on the people that would miss their money the least.

And so he was moved into the castle. He was still young, but he had worked quickly enough to make a reputation, not to mention that he still did things strangely including the way he dressed himself. Well, the clothes were perfectly normal, but he didn't seem to care to make his hair stay in any certain way, and he never let it grow past his ears. His brown hair was getting shaggy, though; he'd have to fix that soon.

But back to the potatoes. Was it really necessary to center every meal around the damn thing? Of course, the reason for serving that specific dish this night was due to the foreign guests. They also seemed to have a potato-y culture, although Selara seemed to be unique in its "OMGPOTATOES! 8DDDDD" culture. Reston rolled his eyes as he took a seat and read the menu card that lay in his spot on the table.

It was a little early to be taking his seat, but no one was all that fond of talking to the, in their eyes, strange man. Nah. He would sit down and start early on the wine, eager for the end to come so he could go to bed. He wasn't particularly interested in Selara's international politics. His only interest at the moment was the woman that had also decided to take a seat without first mingling. Her clothing choice was similar to Reston's as far as color was concerned. He too wore green, though his trim was all in a darker green. His sleeves were long, and he felt comfortable. It was great to live in a place where his clothes were tailored to fit him perfectly. That was considered a luxury in the village; the nobles found it to be a necessity.

That wasn't something that Reston really cared to complain about. He enjoyed his life as a noble. For the most part. It was true that he hadn't really made many friends since his move, and he wasn't exactly able to go hang with his buddies from before. That might ruin the mission.

But... Let's not talk about the mission. For now, let's talk about the girl. She seemed familiar enough, but for whatever reason, Reston couldn't place her. If he remembered correctly, she didn't exactly show up to the less important gatherings. Reston, on the other hand, was busy establishing himself and flirting, so of course he attended every social event he could.

She was pretty. That was a thought that ran through Reston's mind as he started taking his first drink of wine of the night. He was already being unconventional. He stretched his long legs out as he sank somewhat low in his chair, his green eyes intent on the ruffles of the green dress. Someone behind him bumped into his chair, giving him a dirty look as they walked off. That got him to sit up, reaching through his short, light-brown hair to scratch his head and lean forward. His eyes watched the girl for a bit longer.

If only he could remember who the Hell she was. And... Judging by her build, he assumed she didn't care for the potatoes nearly as much as the other people that would be soon taking their seats at the table.

[Atomic Salsa]

Reyna's eyes surveyed the table. There were only a few people seated. She looked back at her hands. There was nobody interesting, as far as she was concerned. She thought of her books and the musty library. She wanted to advance her skill level, not sit here on display. She sighed and looked around again.

She saw a man stretch out, as if he were in his own room, lounging at the table. Her eyes narrowed, but she looked away before she let anyone see her displeasure. Some people are very strange. She thought to herself. Reyna watched the man sit up as the other bumped into his chair she smiled at the man.

The one who bumped into the chair walked to where she was sitting. He bowed to her and took her hand to kiss it. Really? was all she could think. And it starts... Reyna put on a fake smile. It was positively revolting how much her hand was kissed.

"It's a pleasure, Alared." she said to the man. "It's always a pleasure." she nodded to the man.

"Reyna, are you ready for the evening?" he asked grinning. "I would be excited, if I were you. You will be mending the country's political stance. You will be the bridge built to save the country..." The man had a whimsical smile on his face as if she was a gift from the heavens.

"Ah, yes. I am excited," she said, though her tone suggested that she was not in the slightest bit interested. The man got the hint, finally. He left her too herself.

Reyna wished that she brought her books with her. Though, she did remember to bring a small scroll, It was not much to read, but it was something. A small piece of paper was withdrawn from her bust. She unraveled it and read the ancient words to herself.

[Stace]

Reston watched as the stuffy, chair-bumping gentleman approached the target of Reston's staring. She seemed altogether unimpressed. And then she produced something from inside her dress. Reston smirked, cocking an eyebrow. He glanced around quickly, grabbing the card with his name on it and standing up from his seat. It didn't look like many others would be taking their seats too soon. So he made his way over to the lady, still unsure of who she was. He stopped at the chair next to her. Looking down at her from where he stood, he smiled. "Got anything else in there?" he asked, referring to her magical bosom of paper storage.

Before getting a reaction to his question that was probably way out of line, he turned his head to the name card at the chair he stood in front of. He picked it up in his fingers, reading it aloud. "Percivald Henshire--" he looked over at Reyna "I don't suppose he'd mind a change in seating arrangements." With that, he tossed the namecard over his shoulder and set his own in place, taking a seat and taking a glance at Reyna's namecard.

Ah. The Princess. No wonder she was familiar. But for some reason, Reston seemed to be unfazed by this discovery. He probably wouldn't have treated her any differently had he known, although he may have decided not to approach her at all.

Maybe it was those damned potatoes driving him to do irrational things. Yeah. Definitely.

[Atomic Salsa]

Reyna's attention was split from her parchment. She looked up. The strange, slouching man from before was sitting next to her. He didn't even ask to sit or bow or kiss her hand, which she appreciated... greatly. "Unfortunately, no," she said grinning at his words. They were rather abrupt and not expected, but she liked that the man didn't treat her different than anyone else.

Not even the King - her father - treated her like a normal woman. She always had to be "Princess Reyna" in his eyes. Reyna sighed and looked at the man once more. "I would gladly share, if there was anything else, but I only thought to bring enough for myself..." she paused to look at his name tag. "Reston."

Reyna kept her eyes trained on the man. There was an oddity about him, but she didn't seem to mind it. She rolled up the parchment and replaced it in her bosom. She didn't tell the man to leave, she rather enjoyed not having to be Princess Reyna, even if it was for a few short minutes. The man looked like a noble, but his actions were far from what she would expect from most of the other men who were considered noble. None of them had done a thing in their lives to prove anything. She placed her hands in her lap and turned so that she was facing Reston.

[Stace]

Reston has a smirk stuck to his face. He leaned forward. "What? No doves or kittens stowed away? Not even a to-do list? What a boring set of breasts," he said, looking away to take a drink from the glass of wine he'd also carried with him from the last place he'd been sitting. He pulled the glass away without setting it back down and looked back at Reyna. He watched her for a moment.

After a good few seconds of observing her face, he made a decision; she definitely did not enjoy potatoes.

Once again, he changed the subject before she could react with any words. "I don't know about you, but if I see any potatoes tonight, I might just leave before the plate sets down in fronta me." He shrugged and took another drink.

[Atomic Salsa]

"I'd rather like to think all that needs to be in my top are my breasts to keep people interested," Reyna said, chuckling. She grabbed her dark shaded wine and sipped it. It was true, women didn't really need to do anything other than their breasts in their tops.. Men were only interested in how much breast was tucked away in the dress.

She sipped the wine a little more. She had no idea why this man came to talk to her, but it was a relief that she could just speak with someone without having to go through the formalities of her country. She sighed. "Yes," she said. "Potatoes are the blight of my dinner table. My father knows this, but he refuses to let anyone grow other crops. I find it rather revolting. There is nothing in the rules that say we cannot eat other... more nutritional foods... at least not last time I read them."

Reyna settled into her seat as a few more guests were standing. Her father expected her to find him immediately, but she had forgotten all about him. She would rather be comfortable at the moment.

[Stace]

Reston chuckled. "I think it's a matter of tradition and culture. Known for our potatoes, I think. And as for your top, it might be found most interesting if it were missing. And if you're looking for more interesting, I can certainly help you out," he said to her. He took a look around. Not much movement was happening yet. The night was going to take forever, but it looked like he may be in good company. That was a plus.

"Speaking of your top. It looks as though we match tonight," he said, pointing toward Reyna's dress. The shade of green was remarkably similar, the only difference, once again, being the color of the trim. "You planned this, didn't you?" he teased, that smirk still hanging to his face, threatening to turn into a full-fledged grin. He definitely would have been out-of-line had anyone overheard the way he was talking to the princess. Was he coming on too strong? It wasn't something he put thought into for very long. Worst case scenario, he moved back to his old spot to sit between Lady Pogram and Sir Yannel of Leccerine. He was surprised he remembered those names.

His eyes were focused on Reyna once more as he emptied his glass.

[Atomic Salsa]

Reyna did not react badly to his brash comments. They were almost refreshing. Not many people came up to the Princess of Selara and told her she would be better without the top of her dress. This was certainly more interesting than she thought it would be. She didn't know how to answer that comment though. Her mind worked it though, and she finally decided to just grin at the man. Maybe, had she not been betrothed to the prince of wherever-land, she would have gone with the man. She couldn't tell.

"Oh yes." she said chuckling. They did wear practically the same color. She felt the fabric. It was probably made by the same tailor as well. She smiled, and took her hand away from his arm. She almost blushed, but managed to keep the red coloring off her face. It retreated to the back of her neck. "Yes, I planned to dress in this shade, just to impress you. Is it working?" she asked, draining her wine glass. "I guess this just means that we shall have to dance later, once the music starts up. We would look wonderful on the dance floor in matching garb." she said decidedly.

[Stace]

Reston looked over Reyna's dress quickly. "Hm... I'm much more impressed by the capacity of your top," he said. He flagged a server over and soon the server was refilling both glasses. He took a drink and then returned to the conversation.

"And dancing is manageable assuming you don't mind your toes stepped on occasionally. But I would have to agree that we would look altogether astonishing next to each other on the dance floor," he explained. He chuckled as he watched a man circle the long dining table, reading name cards. Were assigned seats really all that necessary?

[Atomic Salsa]

This Reston fellow was rather forward. "Mhm," she said. She wanted to tell him that if he played his cards right that he might get a glimpse of what is held tightly underneath the fabric. Maybe even take him to see it right then... but she refrained. She sighed lightly and sipped her now full wine glass. Instead of saying what she wanted to she just smiled and said: "I'm sure they'd be more impressive to you without this binding that holds them in place." This time, she could not keep the red coloring from her face.


"It will be me that has to stop from standing on your feet, I am probably the worst dancer this country has seen," she chuckled. She never really had taken the dance lessons that her father wanted her to. She didn't care for frivolous things.

Everyone had arrived, and the music started. There were a few men circling the table trying to find their names. They took a moment and then sat down, presumably in the correct spot... They had to know their own names right? She sighed and watched as one man circled the table twice. He looked enraged. There was obviously no spot for him. The King was not there yet to right this wrong. Reyna looked at Reston and then at the nametag on the floor. "I wonder whether that man is looking for his seat in the right place," she said grinning as she pointed to the discarded name tag.

[Stace]

The blush in Reyna's cheeks caused Reston's smile to come out of hiding. The seats had seemed to fill in almost entirely while one man was left circling the table repeatedly. Looked like that must have been Percy Henshire. Reston assumed he didn't expect to find that he was assigned to be seated on the floor behind Reston as the less royal man got chatty with the princess that was arranged to marry him. No. He wouldn't expect that at all.

Reston's grin remained intact as he turned to Reyna, leaning toward her to speak quietly. "I've a feeling I may not be seated here much longer, but I'd still like to take you up on that dance later," he said.

This move seemed to warrant a few looks from the people seated around them. Those that recognized Reston as a weirdo grimaced at him, others assumed he was the Prince that was meant to be seated there. This made him lean a little closer. "If Percy finds me out, what do you think will happen?" he asked. He wasn't sure if Reyna minded the proximity, but he wasn't exactly doing it to get close to her, though it wasn't something he minded. Reston was doing that to get a reaction, and so far he was pleased that not every face was grimacing at him. He pulled away, smiling at Reyna, leaving those around him to wonder just what he said. He sipped at his wine again, taking a moment to check Percivald's progress. He most certainly did not look happy.

[Atomic Salsa]

The closeness of Reston did not bother her, but it made her almost hold her breath. She didn't notice it until he leaned back away from her. She shrugged. "I would be more afraid of what my father would do if he found out..."

Of course because she said that, her father came up behind her. "My dear, darling daughter." he said with a low booming voice resonating loudly around her. Reyna lost her smile. She replaced it with a fake one, which was considerably different.

"Father!" she cried, standing. She hugged the man and kept that smile on her face. "I have been waiting for you," she said.

"I see you have found your betrothed..." the king shook Reston's hand. "Prince, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, I can't tell you how wonderful it will be to have our countries come together and form a truce." he bowed and a servant got his attention. He waved them away but the smile dropped from his face. "If you will excuse me, I think that there is someone who needs my assistance. Please, continue your conversation." the King looked upon his daughter once more and caressed her cheek. It was a reminder for her to be polite. This was important.

When the King left, Reyna's smile dropped. "That is what I was afraid of.." she said. Reyna clasped her hands together a little awkwardly. She looked up and saw the man circling the table. "I don't like him," she said, judging the prince before she had even met the man. She looked back at Reston. "Let's get lost on the dance floor," she said touching his hand.

[Stace]

Apparently, the king took no note of Reston's attempts at protesting the identity the king had mistakenly given him. Apparently Percy hadn't overheard. Either way, Reston had no choice but to shake the king's hand and then stare at him.

And soon, Reyna's hand was touching his. Ooh. The dancefloor. Wasn't everyone trying to sit down to eat? Or was there going to be some more mingling now that the king had arrived? Reston wasn't sure, but...
Princess' orders, right?

"As you wish," Reston said with a smile. "The only other thing I have to look forward to is a night full of potatoes, and I think I might rather dance and face the hunger no matter how many toes are stepped on."

[Atomic Salsa]

There was to be dancing before dinner. Reyna understood it. After eating potatoes... one did not always want to get up and do anything. Really the only thing that potatoes did was get people fatter. It was disgusting really.

Though Reyna was fiercely independent, she still liked to be treated like a woman. That meant she was led around most of the time. This was only one of the things that she liked.. that was a custom in her country. She grinned when Reston accepted. She stood and touched his hand until he stood with her. Once he had, she linked her arm with his. "I am sure that dancing with you is better than anything else I was expected to do this evening," she said. She had no idea if the prince's intentions were to bed her that night, or on their wedding night. She hoped that it was neither. The thought made her uncomfortable.

Once on the dance floor, she turned to face Reston. She almost forgot how she was to go about dancing. She forgot where to put her hands. Reyna closed her eyes briefly and tried to remember. She placed one hand on the man's shoulder and the other in his hand.. hoping that was right.