Nilo had felt her hand running through his hair but had been far too deep in his sleep to drag himself awake, not that he wanted to. No, the man was comfy and had slept better than he had in a while, the stress of his daily duties and mental struggles making it difficult for him to find proper rest. When she left him he turned onto his side, fingers curling around the blanket and holding it close to his chest. His nose pressed into the fabric as his hair fell across his forehead and fell just above his eyes like a set of russet bangs. He looked more peaceful than he had in several nights.

That was until the comforter was gently pulled from his hands and his fingers flexed, searching for it as he was disturbed. The faintest noise of protest escaped him and the bed dipped with new weight and his bubble of sleepy bliss was pierced by cold. All over his bare skin. Nilo stiffened and bleary eyes began to blink open as he experienced a rather uncomfortable and impromptu journey back into consciousness. He shuddered and tried to tug away, feeling unpleasantly cold, wet, and confused. The man gave a low groan that was gravelly with sleep as a rather primal complaint about his sleep being interrupted in such a cruel way.

As his eyes finally focused enough, his brow furrowed and he lifted the comforter, cocking a brow at his freezing assailant. “I am not a fireplace for you to steal heat from,” Nilo spoke, his voice thick and groggy, but he did produce a humored snort. He pulled her back into him, even throwing one of his long legs over her, engulfing the smaller woman in his form as their bodies adjusted and her skin was no longer freezing against his. “What... “ Nilo trailed, “What did you do to end up this cold? I don’t think you were even gone that long…” He questioned, shaking his head as the wet fabric again pressed against his chest.

It was then the man realized she must have gone to bathe, remembering how she had just wanted to relax the night before. He hadn’t even noticed her leave, but as curious fingers lifted to find the damp towel his question was answered. “It seems someone wasn’t patient enough to take a warm bath. You could have avoided all of this discomfort. Y’know, I had assumed someone had stolen some of the snow from outside to deposit in my bed.” He let out a low chuckle and fidgeted with the towel for a moment before his arm wrapped around her again.

“You should’ve let me have the servants draw you one in the en suite, you stubborn woman. You could’ve been warm and I didn’t have to get the short end of the stick.” Nilo teased softly, though he held no contempt for her rather frigid wake-up-call, finding the humor in the situation, even if it had awoken him. Truth be told, the man probably would have slept till noon, given how exhausting the night previous had been, from the ball to revealing his scars to her. He twisted his head around, squinting at the golden light at the bottom of the curtains. “Sunrise? Really? It's too early for me to think.” He commented with incredulity, “Gods maybe I will ship you off to your own room.” He laughed lightly and gave her a gentle squeeze.

His eyes closed again and he sighed softly, wiggling under the covers to find a more perfect spot, nose pressed against the edge of the blanket once more and his arms wrapped around her in a grip that was firm, but not too tight. “Anyway, I can convince you to sleep in later than the roosters?” Yes, the man was aware of what a rooster was, although he probably hadn't ever seen one, “Or are you going to drag me from my room in search of… my best guess is a sandwich, even though it is ridiculous to have one for breakfast, though I wouldn’t put it past you.” Nilo commented, though it was more of a drowsy ramble than anything, the man already beginning to doze again.

The woman let out a soft hum in return for his comment about being a fireplace, pressing even closer to him as he pulled her in. The added touch of his leg being brought over her did add another layer of heat and her grip loosened some as she relaxed fully in her new cocoon that came in the shape of a prince. She went to respond to his question, but he figured it out for himself, the woman smiling against him.

“We both know I’m not patient,” came her muffled response, “besides, if I waited, I would have been expected to take a longer bath and I just wanted a quick cleanup so I could come snuggle with you.” It was the true intention of the whole thing, looking to get as much time with him as possible. She just hadn’t been thinking about how cold she would get, which she had decided to remedy with pressing into Nilo, which had subsequently woken him up. Not her intention but she wasn’t going to complain about being able to talk with him.

Her head finally popped out from under the covers so she was facing him, smiling warmly, and clearly awake and ready for the day. “And you should be grateful. You left those curtains wide open and I was kind enough to close them for you,” she playfully huffed, reaching to push his hair back and out of his face. A few wet strands of her own escaped the towel and feel across her forehead, but she ignored them, instead running her finger down his nose and mapping out his facial features, something she hadn’t gotten the chance to do in a while.

“Food?” she reflected on the thought, turning her gaze to the ceiling for a moment. As awake as she was, she wasn’t sure if she was exactly ready to leave the warmth of the bed. Turning to gaze back at him, Gennadius knew for a fact they weren’t going to do that as the prince was already starting to nod off again. A soft laugh escaped her and she shook her head, finger coming to run over his nose a few times, “I don’t think either of us are quite ready to leave the room. I just don’t want to and I think you may fall asleep midstep.”

She knew she should let him get more rest so fell silent, taking the time to observe his features again before letting her thoughts reflect on the ball. It really hadn’t been a bad event. Still not the kind she would care to go to more than once a year, and preferably less than that. But, for what it was, it had gone smoothly. And she couldn’t help but think back to the dance and how, knowing the steps, she had actually enjoyed it. Then again, if she was to dance with anyone else, she knew she would not feel so kindly about the whole thing.

“You know Nilo,” she suddenly said, sitting up and forgetting the whole thing about letting him sleep. Gennadius looked at him before playfully pushing him to his back, moving to straddle his waist as she loomed over him, continuing to grin, blue eyes shining brightly. “If you ever do find time and you think of a dance or something you should teach me, perhaps we can give it a go for fun. I’m sure there are plenty I don’t know, and since I will be a princess, we should expand my repertoire. And the ball room is empty pretty much all year...”

Her hands rested on either side of her head as she looked rather excited about the new idea. A dance or two here and there for fun surely would be worth it. It was quite an accomplishment on the prince’s part that he had gotten the hardened colonel to enjoy them. But he had. Because he had made the whole night tolerable, though everyone had been good at least in pretending to be nice. They all looked happy. Except...

Her brow furrowed as she gave Nilo a funny look suddenly. She had noted it then, but got so involved with everything and was exhausted afterward that she hadn’t put any thought into it until now. “Did I say or do something I shouldn’t have? Anytime I saw your father and he looked at us, he seemed rather unpleased. I didn’t really think about it that much until now.”

She was surprised to hear that Nilo’s father had been glaring at them because of the prince. She certainly had not expected that, but she suddenly recalled how Nilo had seemed in a bad mood right as she was coming up, though it had quickly dissipated. She shifting back to sit on his torso and listen, hands trailing to rest against his chest as she could feel his muscles stiffen. It was clear the fight had not been a calm one.

The Carmidens... the name made her want to bristle, knowing that nearly both her and Nilo had lost their lives. But she had also attended the sentencing and looked them all in their eyes. She had been there when Nilo made his case for the Carmiden children and she truly believed her fiance had made the right call to spare them. They held nothing but fear and a look of horror at the accusations... their parents did not hold the same expressions. No, she truly believed the children were innocent as well, though now their name was forever tarnished.

So Gennadius listened to him with an open mind, taking in all the information as he gave ti, thoughtfully mulling it over. He made good points on all accounts. But he was also correct in saying that if it was discovered... the kingdom would be in an uproar and chances were, she herself would have to do a lot of damage control if things got violent. And there was to take in account that he had gone behind his father’s back, the king, and taken his money to do this good deed.

Shifting off him, she rested on her side next to him, hand propping her head up as she gazed at him silently for a moment, though there was no judgement, just a calculating look someone thinking critically. But as she did so, her fingers trailed over his chest and scars before she finally spoke. “You did what needed to be done. For that you can’t be faulted. They are still so young... you and I, we are young and like you said, they are even more so. They have lost everything already, their family, their livelihood, and no doubt sales will go down with the scandal to their name...”

“I agree they cannot be pinned for their parent’s wrong. It would be hypocritical of me to say otherwise honestly, or the Arluin name would have me labeled as a drunk, power hungry, and suicidal. And even my own past has me labeled as a thief. No, it is unfair for them to be burdened with the wrong of their parents, and yes, they were still their parents to lose.” A soft sigh escaped her as her fingers moved up to brush against his face and she offered a small smile.

“I’m proud of you for what you did. But you are right... if this gets out...” Her fingers stilled for a moment before they moved to his hair to move through it gently and rhythmically. “If this gets out we have a lot of work that needs to be done. Civil uprisings could turn violent... but, right now, I don’t think we have to worry about that. If Ionna has the sense she seems to have, she will not say a word and no doubt her brothers don’t even know. The only other people besides you father who could access that information would be either Damien and Theodore, and we both know neither of them would share that information.”

It was her honest view on the whole thing, after having thought it over some. But she still hadn’t addressed one thing, and that one she wasn’t sure what to day for it. “As for you father, I’m honestly not sure what can be done other than wait it out. He is a wise man. I’m sure in time he will see what you did for what it was. And you guys have made a relationship. You will both move on. And if you don’t...” Gennadius’s lips curled up into a smile, taking away the serious look from her face.

“I’ll just have to beat you both into a good mood.” She let out a playful laugh before moving to sit up, suddenly curious about something. The mischievous twinkle came to her eyes as she moved her hand from his hair before running them both across his chest like she usually did. But her grin split wider as she strategically got her hands on his sides and began wiggling her fingers lightly against the skin, seeing if the man was tickilish.

Nilo was relieved to find she was on his side, certainly not looking to have an argument out of her with all people. Altercations with his father Nilo could manage. Although those fights made him upset and certainly left him ruffled, they weren’t as bad as when he and Gennadius had a disagreement. Those made him feel horrid, like he had some sort of pit in his stomach he couldn’t get rid of. So the prince was certainly grateful she was standing by him on this occasion. It was yet another weight lifted off his shoulders that he wasn’t ridiculous for helping out the family and showing mercy.

He calmed as her fingers worked through his hair just like he always did and his eyes fluttered shut momentarily as she continued to talk, their views on the matter virtually the same. He was well aware of the risk, but the man had looked at the reward. It would benefit his own economy in the long run if they stayed in business if he looked at it from that standpoint, but he hadn’t done it for that. No, he had done it to save a girl and what remained of her family so she could raise her brothers. “I hope she finds a husband who can rebuild her status. No one will want anything to do with them, but perhaps once they regain their fortune someone will.” He commented hopefully.

“Unfortunately, status is everything in his world, so I hope there is a man who is willing to take the risk to fix their sullied name. Not to mention she could use the guidance of another noble family.” Nilo knew that although his sum could solve some of her problems, it couldn't solve all. It was up to her now to take the money and hopefully take back her family’s spot in the industry. “But I’m glad you were not upset about it,” Nilo admitted, offering a weak smile, “it was hard enough quarreling with my father than having to pretend like everything was fine immediately, though the ball was a good distraction.”

Nilo would be lying if he wasn’t afraid of the possible consequences, but he knew he would feel so much worse if he hadn’t helped. It just felt right so the man went with his gut. “I know it could be ugly if this escapes, but I doubt it will. The only evidence of the transfer is in the castle records and I’m sure my father has hidden it or even disposed of one way or another.” He explained, “So I doubt Theo or Damien could possibly have access and as you said, I trust them. Damien likes his job too much to go behind my back.” Nilo chuckled.

But a brow cocked as she suddenly cast him a mischievous look, but before he could ask the woman attacked, fingers tickling his sides. At first, he shot her a glacial look before the man collapsed in a fit of laughter, which was rather high pitched considering the tones he usually used in passing, borderline giggling as she had caught him off guard. He could not roll away either, for he would end up smacking against the tile. Arms wrapped protectively around his torso, but they could only shield so much, and for a while, he was at her mercy. “Gennadius…” He growled out in between attempting to shield himself and bat her hands away, “You ass! Stop it!” He protested, but the man did not have to suffer for much longer as a hasty plan formed while he searched for an escape

She had made the mistake of not pinning him to the bed. Nilo managed to snatch one of her wrists and he used that opportunity to sit up, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Without any warning the man lunged, using his heavier weight to straddle her hips. With her bottom half pinned Nilo was safe from any stray kicks. “You have humiliated the crown prince, Colonel… and you must be punished for such high treason! Punished I say!” He exclaimed, hands darting beneath her oversized shirt as he returned her evil gesture, praying for at least some sort of reaction or it could all be over very quickly.

The woman had no expected quite the reaction and she was rather pleased with it. If possible, her smile grew wider as he struggled with his laughter. Her fingers moved up and down his sides, dodging his arms and the attempts to bat her hands away. Light laughter of her own mingled in with his more hysterical sounds, not giving head to his growl or other words. This was far too fun and really more than she could have hoped for, so there was no way she was going to give him mercy. Not yet at least.

Then again, Gennadius never got the chance to make the choice to give him mercy as he managed to catch a wrist. She attempted to reach around and disable him by using her other hand, but he already sat up. There was a brief second where their gazes met and the woman immediately knew she had made a mistake. And she acted accordingly, her first reaction to try and escape, but Nilo was too fast and before she had barely twisted to get away, he had her down.

To make matters worse, the man had used his weight to pin her hips down, which made getting away impossible, along with hindering her legs from aiding in any plans to try and get free. “Nilo... Nilo it was a joke!” It was a desperate cry as he claimed she had committed high treason and put it upon himself to serve justice. It wasn’t that actually knew if she was ticklish considering she had no memories of it, though she supposed as a young child she may have gotten tickled. But that did not change the fact that those split moments before his hands found her side were terrifying.

And for good reason. The moment his fingers found skin, her body lurched the peals of laughter starting to rock her as she thrashed as best she could. And her laugh... it most definitely was a group of genuine giggles. Gennadius desperately tried to reach for his hands, managing to brush her fingers against his wrists, but every time, the tickling seemed to get worse and she fell back with her laughing. What had been trying to grab at him turned into her trying to clutch her torso as if that could support the muscles which were screaming.

“Nilo! NILO!” she was wheezing his name before puffing it out desperately, still struggling beneath his weight. Her face was red, her lungs ached, and her side was most definitely miserable, and still the giggles were coming out. “Niloooo.... stop!!” She tried to lurch up again but to no avail, almost immediately falling back against the bed before now trying to twist away, her hands back at try to grab at his wrists to hold him off, though she was rather uncoordinated with her heavy laughing jerking her limbs, but it was a valiant effort nonetheless.

“NILO! Nilo please!” At this point, her giggling was wheezing chortles and the poor woman had tears running down her face. “YOU WIN YOU WIN!” She barely had the breath to even get that out, but she managed to get just enough in one last desperate cry, “Mercy! Mercy Nilo! Please!” At this point, her hair was a tangled damp mess and she was running out of oxygen, still trying to weakly shove his hands away amidst the giggling that had painfully started up again. It had been a most unexpected turn of events, and it was now more than evident that Gennadius was highly ticklish... and it was the Achille’s heel that the prince had managed to discover.

The man had hoped for a reaction and Gods had he gotten one. The woman had laughed much harder than had and was clearly the more sensitive of the two, much to his surprise. Who would have thought that the war-hardened colonel would be… ticklish? It was a rather funny thought and the prince couldn’t help but laugh a little bit about it himself. Not to mention the fact they were a grown man and woman as well as people of status, acting like toddlers who were left unsupervised by their parents.

Nilo didn’t intend to take it too far and was actually rather careful with his hands, but she was going to pay him back tenfold. Granted, his revenge was rather cruel given the fact she was hysterical and couldn’t control it, but how many times had the evil woman teased and toyed with him? How many times had the man been a victim of her ever ruthless “scouting expeditions”? Yes, he could have always fought back and not played into her hands on those occasions, but the prince had always been afraid of taking it too far. Now this time Nilo was able to comfortably and hilariously even the playing field.

“Seems someone doesn’t appreciate a taste of her own medicine,” Nilo joked sarcastically, rather merciless as she writhed in her uncontrollable laughter beneath him, helpless beneath both his weight wiggling fingers. The man was surprised she round the strength to rear up and attempt to roll away from him, but she was uncoordinated and heavy with laughter, not to mention her bottom half was held down by his rump. Overall, the young soldier was at a disadvantage. “Don’t “Nilo” me, Gennadius, you’re just upset to be on the losing side for once.” He huffed, though his grin was a mischievous one.

It was only when she called for mercy did the man stop, satisfied with his victory. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a win.” Nilo chuckled, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He cocked a brow down at her, wearing a rather smug look. “It seems someone did not account for her own sensitivity,” He snorted, reaching out to thump her on the nose, “How unfortunate for you, guess I can add this to my short list of victories. Never thought I'd hear the great Colonel Des Arluin beg for mercy.” Nilo shook his head and shifted off of her, returning the woman's range of motion. He scooted back to sit against the headboard, shimmying his bottom half back under the covers, though his torso was growing cold again. He loathed the fact the castle never seemed to warm up during the winters, leaving the halls rather freezing.

In fact, the man only lasted a few moments like that before he left the bed and procured one of his softer button-ups from his wardrobe. Again his scarred torso disappeared from view and he did feel some relief from that, but he also knew that if Gennadius ever wanted to see them again he would not nearly have a breakdown over it. “You may also consider that revenge for waking me up at dawn by being the human incarnate of ice.” He cast her a silly smile to make the joke clear and procured her a glass of water from his bathroom before making his way back over to the bed, presenting her with the cup before easing himself back against the headboard.

“Drink that,” Nilo told her, though he wasn’t demanding, simply trying to be nice. It would help calm the woman down, considering she was out of breath and overall a mess, though the man had found the interaction adorable. Still, any possible listeners probably assumed the couple was insane. Even so, the prince had the feeling he would remember it fondly, even if she had the short end of the stick at that time. “But I will admit that I am feeling better,” Nilo let his head fall back against the wall for a moment, “though I would not try this tactic on my father. I don’t think he would take kindly to that.” Nilo laughed, picking at the drawstrings of his pants.

The moment he stopped, Gennadius went still, minus her panting, staring at the ceiling just trying to regain her breath. “I hate you...” came the labored wheeze. “I hate you so much...” Her hand come to her aching torso as she closed her eyes, the cool air almost painful in her lungs, though she blessed the general cold air which felt amazing on her body which felt like it was a thousand degrees. It was a sore moment for her, having both lost and been humiliated all in one.

“And I will have you know that I was unaware of my sensitivity...” she huffed, finally daring to sit up, using one hand to help push her up, her abdomen abused. Blue eyes watched as the prince pulled on a warm shirt, getting her last glimpse of his scarred form that she was rather fond of. “I have never let anyone close enough to find out, and had anyone gotten close enough to find out, I may very well have chopped off their hands. And I only begged for mercy because I was caught off guard...” Another soft huff, though she knew they were both aware the begging had been genuine.

When he came back around with his tale of it being revenge, she gave him a low glare, though the sparkle in her gaze gave away that her humor had returned. The back of her hand wiped across her eyes to take away any moistness left before just rubbing her palm over her face in general. Her fingers reached to push back her hair before she released another small sound of displeasure, seeing as a tangled wet mop was a true nightmare.

Nonetheless, Gennadius accepted the water gratefully, thankful for the cool liquid as she sipped it. The mention of his father earned a snort of amusement while she was taking a drink, which caused her to have to swallow quickly and received a small groan at the muscles protest. “I think your father is safe...” she replied, finishing the rest of the cup before wiggling towards the spot beside Nilo, reaching across him to place the cup on the nightstand. “Though I may pay to see you try it on him,” she snickered, eyes dancing painfully again.

Flopping next to him, she looked around the room for a moment, eyes landing on Flower who was gazing at them, tail wagging excitedly. Of course their laughter had woken the fluffball up, and now she was staring at them with what could only be described as barely contained excitement. She was still in her spot, but her look was so expectant that the woman couldn’t help but grin and nudge Nilo, “It seems your dog wants to get in on all the fun.” She gave a soft chuckle, lifting her hand towards Flower with a soft nod... which she found out too late was the wrong thing to do. Anyone with a dog that gets excited knows pointing at them and nodding unleashes the beast.

The dog leapt up and came barreling forward, tongue out like a weapon as the fluffy beast made a magnificent jump and landed four paws on Nilo. “Flower!” Gennadius immediately leaned forward to try and catch her collar to pull her off the man, only to be the one who found themselves smothered by an insane amount of fur, her face the new fascination of the dog’s tongue.

“Nilo!” She reached out to try and keep the slobbering mouth away from her but Flower still managed, even getting her tongue in Gennadius’s mouth. And that earned disgusted spluttering as she rolled to her back to avoid that, only to find her hair the new fascination as the evil beast decided to tug at her tangle to get attention. “Nilo! It’s trying to kill me with love!” she laughed out, voice muffled, her sides complaining at the new laughter.

Nilo snorted as she mentioned trying it on his father, which both would easily understand was a suicide mission. The king was much different than a playful prince and his betrothed. “Gennadius,” The man chuckled, glancing over at her as she sat beside him on the bed, “My father would kill me. He’s nearly as tall as Alastair and need I remind you he nearly resembles a bear in terms of bulk. Not to mention he’s growing a beard again and that only adds to his already intimidating looks. You couldn’t pay me enough to try that.” Nilo snorted as he imagined his father's reaction, which would probably be louder than an angry riot.

Their brief peace soon ended though, as Gennadius accidentally called the dog, who was full of her morning energy, onto the bed. Large, fluffy paws connected with his chest, and the prince grunted, attempting to push her off of him. “Flower!” He exclaimed, pretty much in sync with Gennadius, who made the mistake of pulling the dog off of him, just to have herself be attacked. To be honest, the prince couldn’t tell where Gennadius ended and Flower began, given as the two were in a rather one-sided wrestling match. The dog, surprisingly enough, seemed to be winning.

Nilo laughed quietly as he watched the scene, a hand coming up to his mouth to stifle himself as the woman seemed unable to escape the excited ball of fur. The night previous, the cream-coated canine had clearly contained her joy at the appearance of Gennadius, who was the human she saw nearly as often as Nilo, but now it had erupted in an explosion of slobber. Though, Gennadius seemed to be rather enjoying Flower’s rather unsanitary display of affection. “She’s very methodical. She needs to make sure you know just how much she loves you. It’s a crucial routine you have to get used to!” Nilo offered, still watching from his rather safe spot at the headboard.

It was only when the dog continued to pull on her hair that the man intervened, making his way across the bed on his knees to provide assistance. Flower was rather easy to detach, though she changed her focus to Nilo, who was luckily able to hold her at arm's length as her blue tongue lashed. She was a rather persistent dog. “Flower,” Nilo said sternly, which caught the creature's attention, “Calm yourself. I know you didn’t get to say hello last night, but goodness darling, this is a bit much.” He laughed, scratching at her neck, which earned him a pleased grunt from the dog.

“So are you going to need another bath from Flower’s bath?” Nilo snorted as Flower settled with half her body in his lap, satisfied for now with what she had done. His fingers ran through her thick fur, the ball of fluff as well-groomed as every while Gennadius had thoroughly been made a mess, from Nilo’s actions to his dogs. The morning had already been a turbulent one and the pair had been up together for only about an hour. The room was still rather dark. “I’m surprised she didn’t tackle you when you walked in last night. I believe she’s adopted you.” The man chuckled, playing with her felty ears, “Not to mention she tends to sleep on the bed. I’m surprised she didn’t snuggle up with you.” He joked, though Nilo grinned fondly at the woman.

“Also, seeing as her tongue, unfortunately, ended up in her mouth,” The man thought about making a joke regarding him being jealous, but refrained for fear of being smacked or creating a rather awkward scene, “I will not be kissing you until you are thoroughly sanitized, you hear? I, for one, do not want to taste this furry creature's saliva. Though I’ve always wondered why her tongue is blue, I don’t want to have a taste test.” Nilo teased, his spirits high with the happy morning and new day.

One Month Later:

Now that the ball was over, and a date was being decided for the upcoming wedding, Gennadius was starting to work on shifting her duties. Which meant that less of her time was going towards the battalion, instead starting to focus more on life inside the castle and understanding her duties as future princess, though she would still be working with military endeavors. As for her men, she had already put in a request to have Faust to be raised in rank to her position, as the man already had practical experience considering he had been helping her a lot since the campaign.

In general, the woman was spending more time with Theophilus, and when she wasn’t doing that, she was reading up on royal etiquette and even daring to delve into the history section of the library to get a feel for where the kingdom had been. The worst ones were the books on royal politics, which she also had been working on going through, though those were the times when she would be found passed out in the library. One thing was for sure though. She was dedicated.

Taking all that, then adding in the fact that wedding plans were beginning to be made, her schedule was hectic. She still made time for Nilo, but usually when she did, it was with her eating a quick lunch bothering him, or at the end of the day when she was tired from everything. But she enjoyed those moments always, nonetheless. They were the highlight of every day, and once or twice, she had sought him out to find a chair nearby when she was working on studying things, which now also included an even closer understanding of the kingdom’s personal geography.

But today, she was getting a break. Kind of. A break from her usual daily tasks in exchange for joining the social with the nobles. Unlike the ball, she did not get to cling to Nilo, which meant she had to learn her own way around the den of vipers. It was another good exercise that she knew she would have to get used to so volunteered to join. It was a relatively relaxed event, but she still went with what she wore to the last social she had gone to, though this time she at least felt a little more confident.

As expected, almost the moment her and Nilo had stepped foot inside, they had been separated, each waylaid by a different group of nobles. As was her custom, Gennadius started out tense, though talked with grace, trying to be the one to mainly ask questions so she didn’t have to talk as much. It was a safe bet, and clearly they loved talking about themselves. Which also worked to give her time to remember names to faces, and a bit about their lives for future reference.

At one point, she ended up getting into a conversation with a young nobleman who seemed to never stop talking, a Sir Donovan. Gennadius found herself most comfortable with him since there really wasn't much she had to do other than nod and occasionally comment. The two made their way to the refreshment table and the man grabbed a glass of punch, or what seemed to be such. At his offer, she kindly accepted the fancy glass, starting to sip at it as they hovered around the area.

“I am telling you Colonel, the deer hunting on the estate is beyond amazing. Though we had some people coming in who nearly wiped them all out. Let me tell you... that! That was a nightmare. Worst hunting season we had and we never did find out who was behind it,” he droned on rather animatedly, barely having time to drink, occasionally taking a small sip here and there.

Gennadius on the other hand had nothing to do but listen, so she nodded, taking in the drink at a pretty decent place. It helped that it was rather good tasting, despite that rather odd near bitter aftertaste. But overall, it was flavorful and she rather enjoyed it. It wasn’t exactly what she was expecting of fruit punch, but she wasn’t disappointed either. “That truly sounds like it must have been a nightmare,” she piped in suddenly, giving a soft chuckle. “I could not imagine having such an inconvenience really. That would be like the soldiers deserting for entire season to just take off days! Ha! That would be the worst training season.”

Donovan laughed at this, though the two really had no correlation, but it was an amusing idea nonetheless. “That would cause quite the uproar, wouldn’t it? Ah perhaps our deer fled into your ranks Colonel.”

By this point, Gennadius had refilled her glass and was near the bottom, the second one consumed faster than the first. So she found his statement hilarious. “Perhaps they did Sir Donovan!” she laughed rather loudly, shaking her head. “Became men and decided to wield a sword. High adventure I say for the deer! Liberty for animals to join the human realm!” Perhaps having just read a book on politics that morning had not been the best plan. Especially considering she had refilled her glass during this exclamation and was already getting down on it rather fast.

The noble nodded slowly, playing along with a soft laugh, though he had not failed to notice how fast she was going down on her drinks while he still almost had a full glass. “Yes, wouldn’t that be something Colonel. Perhaps switch our societies around and we should go live in the forest for a day, no? Let the lions run the kingdom and the badgers take guard.” He really was just playing along, finding it somewhat amusing though a little concerning, especially as he noticed she was already on her fourth glass far too quickly. “Though Colonel, I’m not so sure you should have another glass...”

“No worries good sir! I shall toast to you one of these nights, I shall do so! But First! Let us tell our brilliant plan to one dapper prince, shall we?” She reached out and grabbed Donovan’s wrist, taking lead, the hand with her drink held in front and the noble being dragged behind. “NILO!” She had not the faintest clue where he was in the crowd but the way everyone stopped, almost creating a path at her exclamation had more than helped her locate her fiancé, tugging Donovan close behind, oblivious to the looks.

“Nilo my dear! Oh gods Nilo, you have to hear this. I swear this man is a genius! A ggeeeenius. Get this, his deer have been fleeing from his lands... you get that? Running...”

“Poached highness,” Donovan corrected, though Gennadius ignored him, instead swinging her glass out dramatically.

“So we have come to the conclusion that they have become humans, or some such magic I am sure, though not quite which we decided on. Anyway, totally beside the point. The point was what an absurd and brilliant thought it was to imagine places switched among ourselves and beasts! The political configuration and society in general, now wouldn’t that be something. Something I say! What do you think Nilo? Huh... what do you think of it?”

Donovan was finally released so Gennadius could reach out, hand landing on Nilo’s chest while she swayed slightly, attempting to take a sip of her slowly depleting glass.