[Soirée] Busted

second meeting. (Caius)

49th of Zi'da 717

The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
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Velaine Krome
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49th of Zi’da, Arc 717

As the night turned darker, more and more people turned to their wilder side. More bodies flooded the dance floor and most of them didn’t really dance as much as twitches. As they got more drunk, some began talking louder, laughing with no restraint. Velaine would have found the scene quite amusing if she wasn’t having a growing headache. It was all rather overwhelming and only served to make her head pound even harder.

To make things worse, she still couldn’t find Nathaniel even after some thorough searching. Every time she thought she caught a glimpse of him, following the figure soon revealed that it was not the man she was looking for. It went on for quite a while. Somewhat frustrated, the young woman finally decided to drift to the refreshment tables and get herself a drink. Let the Endor have the task of looking for her, while she cheered herself up with the food and some wine.

Splitting up had been a terrible idea.

A part of her wondered if perhaps he had left the party without telling her. Nathaniel had been drinking quite a lot in her opinion and he might just leave without meaning to. He could also be in the dance floor somewhere – though judging from their brief lesson together, she doubted he was much of a dancer. The distrusting voice in her head imagined the possibility of him trailing off into the night with some other woman.

Fun thoughts.

That was enough cue for the Krome to start distracting herself. Her mind is a dark place when given the chance. Velaine grabbed a glass of red wine and downed a generous amount of it in a single move.

Slowly, her gaze swept across her surroundings, hoping to see someone she recognized – any sort of conversation was a welcome distraction. And she did, though it wasn’t someone she expected to be in such an event. A certain young man with unkempt hair and startling blue eyes. The last time she had seen was in a library, both of them far too curious about the stories of ancient Rynmere.

Her curiosity peaked, Velaine decided to ask him what he was doing here. Especially since he didn’t seem to be with anyone else. She hoped to at least mildly surprise him. So, she kept her approach as quiet as possible before clearing her throat. “Caius, isn’t it? Caius from Gawyne?” A knowing smile was poised on her lips as she took in the fact that the man was clad in the purple of the house that was known for its philosophers.
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Caius Gawyne
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Caius had once again allowed himself to be separated from Darcyanna for a few bits too many, now left somewhat aimless and listless in a crowded party full of far too many faces and voices. It was only for a short time, it was true, but now that the evening had worn on, it was far longer than he really wanted. She was still in conversation, smiling and ridiculously capable of keeping everyone far more entertained than he was, and while he could have waded into the small circle of somewhat familiar nobles to stand next to her, he loathed the thought of yet another sarding explanation of how the pair knew each other. He'd said the same sentences over and over again enough already, and it was far too late in the evening for him to begin drinking to relax. He'd just end up a sleepy, goofy mess which would do his Lady Venora no favors at all.

Instead, the northern noble made a bit of eye contact with the delicate pianist, smiled shyly, and then retreated to a quieter corner of the main hall, finding himself a wall to lean against and pretend at patience. Ink-stained fingers toying with the polished silver buttons of the long violet coat he wore so formally and so well, he was somewhat taken by surprise at the sound of someone nearby clearing their throat, but it was the voice that he was not at all expecting.

Turning with a chagrined smirk creasing its way into his aquiline features, Caius' irises warmed from a sharp blue to a more amused emerald hue, unable to escape who or what he was in this particular moment, "Good evening, Lady Velanie from Krome." He countered smoothly with a curt and respectful bow, not affirming or denying her words so much as posing the same question in the tone of his voice, aware that he'd been somewhat caught actually playing himself, "I am, indeed, both from and of Gawyne."

He laughed with the admission, hands moving to rest in his pockets to keep them from messing with his ever-unkempt hair instead, "So, now that we both know each other's unspoken truths—for I doubt you're here as a commoner, given the exquisite beauty of your dress nor the obvious and undeniable colors of mine—I'm going to have to confess I'm not sure whose daughter you are, my Lady."

Caius appeared to consider, however, as if running through the genealogies of the House of Krome in the invisible halls of his mind, attempting to put together families and faces, but he still found himself at a loss, for he remembered no one by her name. She appeared alone, which made his guessing even more difficult, for he had no idea whether she was indeed unmarried or simply wandering elsewhere from her spouse. Perhaps he'd made a mistake and the woman before him wasn't at all a noble, for commoners were welcome to the Charity Soirée on equal terms. He'd even met a few.

"As I mentioned that trial in the Library, I'm an Umbridge Gawyne, second son of Baron Frederick and his Baroness Jade. But, I'm also a student."
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Nathaniel Endor
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How many drinks had she had? There had been at least one with Oliver, one with Valeria; already that was one too many. He recalled that she was a lightweight back when they first met. Having escorted her to her room the night of negotiations, he should have known better than to let her attempt to keep up with him. Nathaniel had neglected the count until they were alone on the dance floor. She had been a bit more liberal with her words and not a poetic with her waltz steps. He had made it his mission to seek out water for her with explicit directions given to her before he left.

"Stay right here. Do not move."

That had gone about as well as he should have expected it to go. He had come back to the exact spot where she had left her only to find her missing. Figured. He spent bits wandering about the room. Surely they were probably wandering in a circle, chasing after one another. The worst case scenario is that she had gone to her room without him. Eventually he caught up with her. Nathaniel felt the blood drain from his face as he saw her with a particular friend of his. He stumbled, nearly spilling the water on another aristocrat.

Caius.

At least he had caught that wily bastard earlier and swore him to secrecy. Recovering with a mumbled apology, the Bear wandered closer. More to his dismay, he found Velaine with a glass of red wine in her hand. He slid up to her, a little closer than he probably should have. It was bold, but he did not particularly care. By now, the entire room knew they were betrothed. He was a bit inebriated, she was well on her way to making one too many mistakes. A little public display of affection wouldn't hurt anyone. Gently he pressed himself up to her, wrapping his free arm about her waist while reaching around to offer the goblet of water. "M'lady, please, substitute your drink for this. You are going to have an awful headache in the morning if you keep drinking like you are."

He hoped she would take the water and give him the wine. Bets could be placed in favor that she would argue, but even the bookies had been left forlorn on occasions when it came to relationships. He looked over Velaine, keeping a protective hand about her. His position and his demeanor would probably be more than enough to tell Caius exactly who Velaine was. "Caius. I see you have met my betrothed, Lady Velaine Krome."
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Velaine Krome
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Velaine smirked and gave the Gawyne a graceful curtsy. Clearly no point of denying it anymore. “Lady Titania Velaine Krome, daughter of Baron Jersey and Baroness Sophia Krome.” Once she straightened, the young woman gave him a small wince. “I do hope you forgive me for the bit of deception last season. I’ve learned that one probably shouldn’t flaunt a nobility status when meeting a stranger.”

She didn’t even notice Nathaniel’s approach until she could feel his familiar warmth closing in. While they had kept a respectful distance most of the night, her betrothed unexpectedly slid a rather territorial arm around her waist and pulled her against him. It certainly wasn’t an unpleasant situation and Velaine found herself already leaning into him. She could always blame that on the alcohol later on.

With a pout, the young woman looked up at the Endor’s rugged features. She could feel her face heating up – the wine had made it far too easy for her too blush. “But the wine tastes so much better.” Despite her protest, Velaine let him switch her glass with the one he had in hand. It was probably wasn’t a bad idea. She was feeling a bit lightheaded. She feared they might have a longer night still ahead of them.

Before she could introduce him to the blonde in front of her, Nathaniel was already eyeing the Gawyne. “Caius. I see you have met my betrothed, Lady Velaine Krome.”

Velaine looked between the two men with a raised eyebrow. The informal way Nathaniel was addressing the Gawyne told her that they must have a history. Though admittedly, she had a hard time imagining what the studious blonde and the intimidating foreman might have in common. “You two know each other? It seems like the world of nobility is very small indeed.”
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Darcyanna Venora
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49th Zi’da, 717


Fates her feet ached.

Whilst the blonde Venora was fairly well practiced in the finer art of ‘walking in heels’, it had been a long time since she’d had to stand around in them so long and chat to people. Turning a smile and a nod on the older woman that was complimenting her dress, Darcyanna turned to speak to Caius when she saw the look, the shy smile, before the taller diri retreated. He wasn’t great in these situations, this had been made clear at the Tulburns, but even moreso tonight.

“I remember when your father held an affair not to dissimilar to this actually.” The older woman said with a haughty tone, looking down her bespectacled nose at the younger pianist, making her own judgements on what she perceived as the right behaviour for an upcoming daughter of one of the great houses.

“I uh...yes. Sorry, begging your pardon, my Lady.” She said politely, before turning on sore tiptoe to seek out the familiar house colors of her date. There, against the corner wall, away from the crowd. Another woman had approached him, beautiful with long chestnut hair and a familiar face. Excusing herself from the small gossiping circle, Darcy made her way over just as another joined the two. A dark haired man with rugged features and intense moss green eyes. The tall man wrapped his arm almost possessively around the brunette, and for a moment the musician couldn’t help but sigh quietly. Was this woman another ‘friend’ of Caius’? How many ‘friends’ did he have?

Approaching the trio with a smile, Darcy came up beside the northerner and brushed a hand on his arm.

“I hope I’m not interrup—oh! Good evening Lady Krome.” She smiled more warmly when she realised who the young woman was. It had been quite a few arcs since she’d seen her, but the pianist couldn’t forget the noblewoman’s sixteenth arc birthtrial. Turning her shifting lime green eyes on the man beside Velaine with a smile, she nodded in greeting.

“I’m not sure we’ve met yet my Lord...?” She looked to Caius for an introduction to the man, hoping she hadn’t just intruded on an awkward situation.
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Caius Gawyne
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"Be-what? Betrothed. To Velaine—Bogs. Oh! I mean, this Lady Krome. Congratulations, my Lord Endor. And Lady Krome." Caius had been caught off guard with Nathaniel's sudden appearance and touchy familiarity with Velaine, but his smile broadened into a grin at the older man's announcement of sorts, this time putting the face to the name of which Lady Krome the Nathaniel had become betrothed to. The Lord Endor's hands were more than just a little possessive of Velaine, but the northern noble also suspected everyone else at the entire Soiree had been given an opportunity to drink far more than he had. Everyone else had found their comfortable levels of intoxication and his just so happened to be more sober than not.

Still, as if he needed to say it, he glanced to Velaine, "I feel about the same when it comes to my title, honestly, so forgive me for not being any more forthcoming than yourself that trial in the Andaris Library over House histories. Sometimes, it's just easier to be who you are ... without all the extra baggage—"

Sharp blue eyes watched Nate switch the Lady Krome's drink without a hint of subtlety, their interactions entertaining in their familiarity, but he paused in what he was saying when Darcyanna's hand brushed his arm. His expression brightened further at her voice, if that was at all possible, and he turned to kiss her cheek in a way that was blatantly not in chaste friendship and yet about as restrained as he was willing to be. Placing a too-warm hand on top of hers on his arm, he leaned just enough against her,

"This is Lord Nathaniel Hu-Endor. Lord Endor. And, Nate, this is Lady Darcyanna Venora." Caius' tone was knowing, or at least telling, and his verdant green gaze held the older man's for a trill longer because he'd already said far too much about the delicate pianist earlier in the evening, aware that his face gave all the rest away now that she was next to him, unaware of the jealous worry that nagged at her thoughts. Ignorant, really, for he'd only met Velaine once and hardly had any real regrets about the very personal historical assumptions the blonde Venora was wordlessly agonizing over.

The northern noble nodded to Velaine, "Endor and Gawyne have a close relationship over rocks and such. It's very exciting, if you're into that sort of thing. Which, I'll admit I'm not, but oh well." He laughed, his tone a little baiting, "We've known each other for a long time, actually, though he's failed to mention you, Lady Krome. I take it this is a recent development, then?"

Caius' grin grew mischievous, ever the nosey Gawyne hungry to know more, too-warm fingers giving hers a squeeze, "Do you know Velaine? The world of worthwhile nobility is small for certain."
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Nathaniel Endor
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Did they know each other? Nathaniel could not help but chuckle above her. His rumbling caused him to jostle up and down a bit against her. The motion stirred something inside of him, forcing his laughter to die as quickly as it had come. Caius and Darcyanna might have noticed his faint embarrassment, but he simply cleared his throat as if he had a cough. "Lord Gawyne is a long time friend of mine Velaine. He and I go way back. It is scary, the history that we have."

By then, a rather petite blonde had joined them. Her presence seemed to change Caius in a way he had never anticipated. He had seen many sides to the man before; political, embarrassed, naive, and maybe a bit apprehensive. Never before had he seen flustered and joy all mixed into one stupid smile. Caius' display was a step above his own closeness to Velaine and significantly above the chaste kiss that he had offered Velaine earlier in the evening. A shadow crossed over his face, mocking him. Was Caius getting some while he was forced to remain celibate since their betrothal? If one paid enough attention, they might have seen Nathaniel's eye twitch. His hand gripped just a hair tighter around Velaine's waste.

The temptation was ever growing.

The near slip-up brought Nathaniel from his jealous musings. The envy turned to glowering the moment that Caius started to edge his middle name in there. A promise was a promise, and Nathaniel would hate to have to take everything he had already given Caius away on such short notice. The bear raised Velaine's partially filled wine glass to his own lips, taking a drink before setting a weary cheek against her head.

"Lord Gawyne gifted Miss Harwyn, a renowed mining architect, in hopes to strengthen the Endor-Gawyne bond. She has probably retired to my chambers right now. Caius has never had a thing for rocks. He prefers smooth caverns..." Nathaniel snorted, his inner child pushing through as the wine kept flowing. He turned his eyes to Darcyanna while Caius and Velaine continued to chat.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Lady Venora. Your brother has thrown a fine gala this evening. I hope it has been advantageous to Venora and the common folk of Rynmere," Nathaniel stated sincerely, smiling after before taking another sip of his wine. Maybe he should have brought an additional glass of wine.
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Velaine Krome
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“Lady Venora! It must have been arcs since we’ve last met,” Velaine exclaimed cheerfully, pleased to meet another old acquaintance. It seemed like this gala had successfully gathered quite a handful of nobles. “It is good to see you again. Have you been playing? I swear I heard a particularly wonderful piece, though admittedly I didn’t pay attention to closely to the pianist.” She certainly hadn’t forgotten than the blonde was musically-gifted.

While Nathaniel had so gallantly stopped her from drinking, Velaine began to suspect that he was the one that needed to be kept away from the alcohol. He had seemed to throw his care into the winds. She was far too aware of him not to notice when the Endor held her a little bit tighter, a little bit closer. He even rested his cheek lightly on her head, seemingly not caring about the couple standing in front of them. The closeness wasn’t unwelcome, but the Krome was definitely not used to flaunting her affections for everyone to see. Still, Velaine let herself ease against the Endor. Admittedly, the way he was holding her was almost endearing.

She glanced up at him. Even the with her heels, the top of her head probably barely reached his chin. “Sounds like you two are good friends.” Smiling mischievously, she turned toward the Gawyne. They still need to learn a lot about each other and Velaine recognized an opportunity when she saw it. “Perhaps Caius can tell me a bit more about you.”

As if to prove her point, the Endor’s next comment made her wince. “Lord Gawyne gifted Miss Harwyn, a renowed mining architect, in hopes to strengthen the Endor-Gawyne bond. She has probably retired to my chambers right now. Caius has never had a thing for rocks. He prefers smooth caverns...” Of course, the man was completely oblivious to how scandalous his choice of words was.

The she-wolf pretended to tug on her sleeve, while in reality, she elbowed her betrothed lightly in the ribs. They were pressed together closely enough for her to hope that neither Caius nor Darcy would notice. Hopefully it roused him from his unfiltered state for a bit. Was Nathaniel being like this because he was comfortable in front of a friend? Or was he just getting drunk? Well, whatever it was, after rumors floating around about him, it would not do if someone had heard about a Miss Harwyn being in his chambers.

Saints, she had half the mind to grab that glass of wine away from him.

Velaine hid her surprise at this news of a mysterious architect and instead turned to Darcy with a smile. She would try to do some damage control, at least. “Oh that reminds me! We have been looking for your brother to discuss if there was perhaps another room available in the estate.” That was the best thing she could come up with, playing it off as if they had discussed the whole situation between the two of them. If the fates were kind, Nate should play along. “Do you think that might be possible, Lady Venora?” If all the rooms turned out to be occupied… Well, she’ll think of something.
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Darcyanna Venora
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49th Zi’da, 717


Darcy smiled at the kiss on her cheek, delighting at the openness of their relationship. If it wasn’t clear by now that Lady Venora and Lord Gawyne were an item, then people were sarding blind.

Turning her eyes towards the Endor, the blonde picked up on what could have been a brief moment of embarrassment, and perhaps something more. Annoyance? Perhaps he wasn’t happy to have another join their conversation. The man was tall, similar to Caius in height, and rugged in appearance. It was an Endor trait she knew, but it was her first meeting with one of the House, and all the blonde could think of was how sarding gruff he looked. Like a bear tamed for the barony.

Nathaniel spoke of his Soirée gift from Caius, and for a moment she was confused. In his chambers? Perhaps not the best place to say a woman had absconded to when he clearly had Lady Krome on his arm. It didn’t help that his comments regarding the diri sounded...well they sounded utterly inappropriate. Was that on purpose? The blonde couldn’t stop the blush that rose to her cheeks.

The Lord addressed her, fixing the pianist with intense forest green eyes that didn’t shift. They were green, with no changes or flecks that could indicate what he was thinking. No biqaj blood then. Her cheeks turned a shade darker, and quite suddenly the Venora felt slightly flustered. Did the man need to look so piercingly?

“I...thank you Nath..uh...Nate. I mean, Endor. I mean, my Lord.” What in the world was wrong with her tongue? Clearing her throat, the Venora smiled.

“Oliver? Yes, he has a..erm..a knack for these things. I know his heart is for the people. This event will see our orphanage benefit greatly, and in turn hopefully provide some economical drive for the duchy.” She’d managed to get her thoughts back together, dragging her disconcerted lilac gaze away from the unwavering green of his own to look at Velanie with a grin of relief. Her eyes at least had a touch of shift to them, making her much more normal to Darcyanna.

“It’s been at least six, I believe? A long sarding time!” She’d met the Krome before her run-in with Pythera, and it felt like eons ago. Nodding, the pianist grinned, flushed a little with pride.

“Yes, yes still playing. Indeed that was myself and Master Malero, he is absolutely brilliant. I’m still a little star-struck.” The Venora said with a laugh, glancing at Caius and back again, as though to center herself. The moment had indeed been incredible.

“A room my Lady? For this evening, or for a longer stay? I’m sure there’d be something free, but I would need to check with Jirelle, our house steward. That’s not quite enough to describe what she does for us though. She is the cog that keeps this household turning whilst us nobles worry about the political state of affairs.” Darcy said with a warm smile. Jirelle was house steward, chef, housekeeper, nanny...there was little she didn’t do in the estate. There was no way the young blonde was going to get on the woman’s bad books. Oliver was just a cursory check point.
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Caius Gawyne
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The northern noble was far too distracted by Darcyanna's appearance to notice the flicker of jealousy over his older friend's face, though his sharp, blue eyes didn't miss the tighter grip nor miss the somewhat blatant taunting when the Lord Endor spoke about caverns. He blinked, biting his lip for a moment, but somehow managed not to blush at the reminder of their shared experience in Vhalar at the House of Roses or whatever sort of implication he was making. Had they been anywhere else, it was true, the young Gawyne would have laughed, amused, but here in such a formal setting, he was left to squeeze Darcyanna's hand at her blush.

Bastard.

"Books. I prefer books to rocks. That's what you mean." Caius snickered and chose not to encourage such wordplay between them, no matter how well he knew he could participate.

Velaine spoke up teasingly, making it obvious she was curious about what the printer's diri knew of her betrothed, and Caius couldn't help but chime in, mischievous expression turning his grin lopsided and warming his irises to a verdant green. He glanced from the Krome to the Endor and chuckled,

"Oh, there's a sarding lot I could share about Nate, but none of it's appropriate for this particular social setting. All kidding aside, we've known each other for arcs and I'm sworn to secrecy about our more nefarious exploits as any good man would do for his friend. But, you know, I've probably got some very fine anecdotes. Lord Endor here is a fine example of nobility, my Lady Krome. I'm happy to see he's marrying up." He winked for emphasis, though the tone of his voice was sarcastic and well-humored, revealing that the severity of Nathaniel's pretend crimes were far from consequential in the mind of the young Gawyne. He knew the older Endor had made his share of mistakes, as all men did, but for the most part Caius also knew the man to be a reliable friend and so was not at all out to harm his reputation. He was just having a bit of fun.

Thoughts of the older Endor settling down satisfied Caius. The other man deserved someone who could keep up with him, and Velaine seemed more than capable.

What the northern noble didn't expect was for his friend to have such an effect on his delicate pianist. Smirking as she so obviously flustered in Nate's presence, his hand curled a little tighter around hers that held his arm and he attempted not to comment that Lady Krome could have his room so long as he could share Darcy's instead. The young Gawyne chose to stay quiet lest he make more trouble.
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