The painful wait for an answer from Kyyre made Leon’s tail only hasten its movements behind him, almost feverish in its snapping action. The ever steady gaze of Andromeda was burning into the skin of his cheek, he knew she was observing him, waiting to see if he was worth the investment she had made. They wanted the same thing, they wanted to make these alliances and for them to last.

Andromeda had to return year after year to this tournament, Marmoor never had more than one heir per king. That meant that the Orchid children often participated in their first and mandatory tournament and then sent champions, Andromeda refused to send anyone in her place. She viewed it as a sign of weakness to send someone else to do your dirty work.

He didn’t know how to dance? Leon’s eyes flickered with confusion as the statement met his ears. What royal family did not teach their heir to dance, to perform for the civilians of their courts. They were pillars of their kingdoms, to be looked up to, admired and envied. Heirs were perfected sculptures molded by their parents. Barely a heartbeat passed between them until Leon spoke again, not willing to let this discourage him, especially under Andromeda’s heavy inspection.

“Ey- you never learned to dance? I-” He caught himself quickly, giving a toss of his head and a short laugh of exasperation before continuing. Leon unfurled his arm from his side, palm extended out towards Kyyre, the darkened keratin claws that tipped his fingers curling skywards.

“Well, Kyyre.” He bent in the midsection, half falling into a bow. “Would you like to learn?” Leon offered, perhaps this was a nice introduction they could venture onto. He held no particular ill will to this heir, he wasn’t going to turn around and stab him between the shoulderblades or poison his mead. So far, Kyyre was as harmless as a fly.

Leon kept his polite gesture extended out towards Kyyre, waiting for an answer. Whatever it may be, he had to make sure he had made sufficient effort to convince the young man.

Andromeda was quick to comment, turning her hot gaze away from Leon, bringing him some reprieve.

“I shall leave you two to become acquainted with one another.” Her pale eyes slid across the hall, seeking out one particular person. “I am going to find your friend, Kyyre, and see if I can change his mind. That or I shall be dead by morning.” There was no humour behind her statement as she whisked herself away from the table, abandoning her drink and the men to venture into her own mission.

The fury that Astrid had brought to their initial meeting only made her more curious, she wanted to untangle his mind from afar. When you had the ability to simply peer into one’s mind and see what they were made of, figuring it out without any special ability was far more rewarding.

Her long legs made quick work of the mottled mosaic floor, slipping like a leaf in the breeze through the throng of enthusiastic dancers. His path had been clear as he strode through the gathering, rather hard to miss Astrid’s brooding figure as it dominated the immediate surroundings, drawing heads to turn in his direction. A trail of bewilderment left in his wake before the nobles returned to the festivities, the disgruntled heir forgotten from their minds.

The cool air met her bare skin as Andromeda stepped away from the heat of the masses, a refreshing feeling that reminded her of the marsh land of her home. Her lungs gleefully drawing in a heavy breath and letting it flow back out, accompanied by a sweet hum of pleasure. As her eyes reopened after her brief moment of enjoyment, they landed on the now familiar form of Astrid. This time, they would be civil.

“I think you left something behind at our table, though I think he is in good hands.” Her lilting voice rose an octave to address him, slender fingers still buried in the ends of her fur. Letting the casual statement draw Astrid’s attention towards her. Quickly, her hand lifted in an action of silence, slowly blinking.

“I do not wish to berate and hack away at each other’s ego. That can be done another time.” Andromeda gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, a politician’s smile. It was impossible to miss the fire behind Astrid’s mind as he surveyed her, it only encouraged her endeavor.

“I want to talk alliances, not this children’s tournament. Beyond that.” Now Andromeda’s expression turned to stoic seriousness, solidifying her words as important. Ever so important to her grand scheme, if Astrid were to give her the smallest respect of listening.

The soft cadence of Kyyre’s voice was easy to hear for Leon. After Andromeda had dismissed herself, he felt his shoulders relax. The muscles not so taut with pent up energy, though the broad posture remained in tact. A rough laugh came from him, flexing his hand as he watch Kyyre’s reddened eyes became mesmerised by the claws. He liked to play with his toys, but this wasn’t like that, it was entertaining to watch how an outsider perceived him. Bolstering his own ego by playing up his animalistic charm towards others.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try.” He moved his hand closer to Kyyre, making sure to keep an eye on his scaled friend that still peered up at him. Not so concentrated on his hand but his movements, it seemed as though this heir had a decent handful of hidden protectors. Astrid, this snake, who else was hiding around the courtyard, preparing to drive a dagger into his heart if he made one wrong move around this little creature.

“They’re all drunken idiots anyway, the nobles won’t remember most of tonight. They will have to listen to the announcers recount anything interesting that happens.” Leon turned his head to look across the gathering, for a moment he let his gaze sharpen as he peered around. With a swift movement, he turned his head back to Kyyre and leaned in closer to whisper.

“I don’t think we will be the focus, not while our companions are glaring at each other with enough venom to kill.” He purred, offering yet another sharp smile, making an effort to restrain the urge to grin and allow his canines to be exposed with the surrounding gum.

“I promise, I won’t bite. I’ll take care of you.” Leon let the hushed words to hang in the air for a heartbeat longer than was clearly comfortable. “It’s not a hard dance, just a lot of twirling and grabbing. You throw each other around more than dance.” This time he spoke as though sharing a deep secret, the gleam in his eyes only enhanced by the shadow cast over them by his own hair.

The acceptance of her words made her smile widen, perhaps they would actually get somewhere with this talk. Whether that be where she wanted or with an ice spike thrown through her ribcage, only time would tell.

“I’ll tell you this to bring some relief, I won’t pry into your head. I won’t even try, you don’t have anything I want. At the moment, at least.” Andromeda took a few steps closer to him, assured that she wasn’t in immediate danger, not with so many eager eyes watching.

“I shall be blunt.” Her eyes did not wander from Astrid, only flickering from his smirk back up to his eyes as they bore into her. “I want to create lasting alliances, not trivial rubbish for the tournament. That’s futile. I want extensive connections past the academy. Into the real world, where we must be brutal. I want to keep my enemies close, apparently you are my deepest enemy here.” Andromeda let go of her fur boa to gesture to the courtyard, eyes remaining on Astrid with an increasing intensity that was in contrast to her usual coolness.

“I believe Kyyre is already liking the idea of this alliance, he was an unexpected addition. You are who I really wanted.” She had to bite her tongue, if he hadn’t been so petty upon their first conversation then they may have been sharing drinks by now. Or rather, pretending to drink. Instead, Andromeda finally turned her head away from him, neck exposed as she looked out across the crowd. Allowing Astrid a moment to strike if he so desired.

“I am sure you are also sick and tired of the games our parents play. The bridges they build only to destroy them at the first opportunity. This country used to be united, peaceful and desirable to live within. Now it is ravaged by crime, murder, and war. It’s a sickness that has spread throughout the land, securing roots in all of our houses and poisoning our blood.” Curving her arm, Andromeda delicately drew her hand up. Palm down with a limp wrist before a dull smile graced her lips, lazily pointing towards a huddled group of nobles from Mausegate.

It was easy to dive into their minds, only made smoother by the alcohol they had guzzled down their throats. Slipping into their mind was like a hot knife through butter, flashes of explosions, fires, haunting imagery.

“They’re only thinking about the maids they can bed from other kingdoms, a competition. Then they return to the front lines in two days time, prepared to die for our idiocity.” A sweeping of arm, at the end of her finger now was a woman with a soft smile as she pretended to laugh at her companions jest, her hands tightly clasped together so much that the whites of her knuckles were showing.

“She has to go home to her husband, permanently injured from war. Missing a leg, he is bedridden and their coffers are running so low she is turning to more nefarious ways of acquiring enough gold to pay the bills. She is with child.” At this, her eyes lost a little of their determined sparkle, replaced with a weariness that infected her entire expression. Her arm fell back to her side, loose and lackluster.

As the feather light touch of Kyyre’s hand met his own, Leon felt a flare in his chest. One all too familiar, a burning sensation that set his nerves alight. It was the promise of an entertaining night that had ignited it, something that would tantalise his senses and send his mind whirling. It was a feeling he yearned for, he could never go long without dabbling in chaos and impulsivity. It was his lifeblood, a requirement for his lifestyle.

“Perfect.” He managed to eek out between his wide grin as he clasped his own hand around Kyyre’s hesitant one. Carefully to keep his claws away from the skin, barely pricking it, ever aware of the puncturing nature of his hands.

Once he had skewered his friend when he had come running for a friendly tackle, he was about ten years old, the blood that came following the injury was like a water fountain. Nibrook’s medical team had to whisk him away to staunch the bleeding, initially Leon had felt rather guilty, but he couldn’t help if he was genetically superior to that friend. He still loved them the same, but he knew he was better.

“Watch them, all you have to do is copy it. Mastering mimicry is a skill that’s useful in politics and the battlefield, I recommend honing it.” Leon gently pulled on Kyyre’s hand to encourage him to stand up, his free hand extending out towards the crowd of dancers as he spoke. His eyes stayed trained on Kyyre, blinking but with pupils blown so wide they dominated the iris, leaving a sliver of amber surround them.

Andromeda slowly reclined her head to her shoulder, feeling the light tickle of her fur boa on her cheek as Astrid spoke. While her eyes remained on him, her mind was chasing after his words. It seemed as though Astrid was just as fed up with the constant turmoil as she was, even if he would prefer to see her with a stake through her heart. She wanted to make this alliance work, but at the comment about his brother in arms, her eye twitched.

“Your brother.” She started slowly, letting the words fall from her lips, barely holding back a sneer. “I respect you, Astrid. So I shall say this as politely as I can.” Andromeda lifted her head, shoulder squaring as she prepared herself for the possible back lash.

“He was a bad man. I don’t know how you perceived him, but he slaughtered the weak heirs in their sleep before the tournament had started. Three of them, only eighteen. Two women and a man, just struck them down without a second thought. When I kill, Astrid, I kill for a reason.” She forced herself to keep her gaze solid, preventing the historic anger towards that man to rise up in her chest.

He had befriended the three children, that’s what they were, barely eighteen. He had convinced them he was kind, that he was good. Brought them under his vulture’s wings and ripped into them just as they began to feel safe.

“I didn’t cry this out to the realms, there’s no point in ruining the reputation of a dead man.” Andromeda sighed, looking back out across the crowd. Her eyes clocked Leon’s joyous form, his tail thrashing behind him as he slowly coaxed Kyyre towards the twirling throngs of people. The sight drew a thin smile to her lips and she pointed towards them with her wrist.

“It seemed our friends are getting along rather nicely.” She mused, allowing some implication to slip into her tone before turning back to the man beside her.

“I don’t expect you to like me, I only want you to not kill me or them.” She flicked her wrist again to their companions. “Keep us alive, then we can carry out far greater plans once we are in our homelands with power in our hands. I have plans to ensure we all reach the greatest height of empowerment in out respective kingdoms, Leon is easier and myself more so. I can ensure you and Kyyre rule if you stay with this truce.” Andromeda finished sternly, returning to her more serious topic rather than their galavanting friends. They could enjoy themselves, she held no ill will towards their enjoyment, it was simply that Andromeda had bigger things on her plate.

Bigger things that included eliminating heirs as possibilities for rulers. That didn’t necessarily mean death, sometimes a well places memory of a far away lover was enough to make heirs run to the hills in search of them. Other times, convincing them that they hate their parents or that they would despise ruling. Simple things often worked the best, at least that was what she had found from experience.

The flickering of pink eyes between the world and himself were not missed on Leon, at least the poor soul was beginning to stop trembling. No longer stuck to the table, hands gripping the edges as he struggled to get his words out without stammering over them. Perhaps Leon would be gifted with a hint of the actual Kyyre, not the outward persona, real emotions and real words were things he could work with. The beginnings of a smirk were what made Leon blink excessively in short lived surprise.

“I never expect anything.” He assured, using his hand to draw Kyyre to him as he began to lead them towards the dancing, almost securing his arm in his as he walked. With his head lifted high, he set his sights on the crowd, diligently trying to pick out a less intense section of dancers. It seemed like the left were twirling a hint slower and the noblemen were far less..grabby over there. That would be their destination.

“If you trip, I shall catch you. No need to hold back because you’re worried about stumbling over, where’s the fun in that?” Leon chimed, lips tweaking into a smile that leaked into his voice. “See how they’re only crossing each other after they spin? That’s it pretty much. Hold hands, a bit of fancy footwork and then send yourself flying to the next person. Well..that is if you’re on their side.” He added the last bit with some clear thought behind his words, cocking his head to the side as he figured out his next comment. Free hand extending to gesture to the group as he spoke.

“If you’re on their side,” He pointed a claw to the inner line, mostly women but a decent few men were flinging themselves around. “You move partners. If you’re on the other side, you don’t really move. It’s up to you, I don’t think anyone will pay much mind to us joining in.” He blabbered as he flicked his wrist back and forth between sections.

He did enjoy this dance, but it was more the fact that it wasn’t a very refined one that appealed to him. The more dizzying and flourishing the dance, the better for Leon. He wanted to be in constant movement, not a moment to comprehend a clear thought as he enjoyed his night. On the other hand, he did suspect that Kyyre was likely the opposite. Preferring a slower dance, one that wasn’t so mind altering in its fastness. It was time to figure out how Kyyre would manage.

Leon slipped in tight at the edge of the line, bending his head down quickly to Kyyre, the wild grin back on his lips. With an ounce more control of himself, his tail twitched in anticipation, bringing his hand that held Kyyre forwards and gently relieving his grip.

“Are you ready?” He questioned quickly, the music lifting as the arms of the people around them raised to the sky in preparation to fling their partner onto the next. He could feel his heart increasing in effort at the anticipation of starting, his skin was practically exuding his excitement.

Andromeda let his words settle into her mind, she did not want to push him more than he was willing to bend. If simply stating the facts made Astrid vibrate with anger, then perhaps she wouldn’t point out that no matter the cause, slaughtering three innocent teenagers would never be justified in her books. Instead she focused her gaze on the pair that were making their way through the crowd, Leon’s body humming with energy as he led the more subdued man along with him.

The final question drew a quick breathy laugh from her throat and she whipped her head around to look as Astrid, a more genuine smile gracing her lips. Clearly bemused by the notion that she could kill him if she changed her mind.

“I eliminated heirs, yes. Did I touch your family aside from the tournament? Not at all. If you become a threat to the rest of my company then you wouldn’t really be a part of the truce anymore would you? If I thought you were endangering the others, Leon and I suppose now Kyyre, yes I would do something about it. I won’t lie to you.” Her words were sweetened by her smile, letting her boa drop so it hung around her back. The ends resting over the crook of her elbows limply as she moved up closer to Astrid, close enough so that she could speak without a raised tone to combat the music that was echoing around the chamber.

“I could say the exact same thing to you. If you suddenly decide I am the threat, I run the very real risk of having you slam an icicle through my back. We shall just have to trust that we will not do that to each other. Is that not the meaning of trust?” Andromeda raised her eyebrows slightly to emphasize her point before letting out a long sigh, moving on in her mindset. She had thrown the line and Astrid had bitten, that was her goal for the night and it was completed.

After a moment, Andromeda flicked her eyes over to Astrids and twisted her spine so she could point over towards the bar.

“Are you drinking tonight?” She asked, but before an answer could come she began to walk away towards the bar. The click of her heels almost drowned out by the music as she slinked her way up to the glossy oak bench and leaned forwards on her elbows. Planting her arms on the counter and smiling over at the bartender, ordering herself the less refined drink of whiskey.

As the tumbler slid into position before her, she turned to lean one arm on the counter, the other holding the glass up to her lips. Peering over the lip to look at Astrid, waiting for his thunderous presence to follow her.

There was hardly a second to waste in reply, the surrounding people were about to flick and twirl onto their next partner. Leon’s eyes buzzed with excitement, matching the cutting smile as he grasped Kyyre’s hand harder in preparation. Perhaps throwing him into the more animated role of this dance would be a bad idea, likely to scare the other man off of this encounter. To be on the safe side, Leon tugged Kyyre into the spot he had been inhabiting right before it was time to move.

He didn’t speak a farewell, only the gleaming white of his teeth and graze of claws along his pale skin, he may have pressed down just a tad harder to make a lasting impression before his legs fell into the familiar pattern of the dance. Leon’s fingertips left Kyyre, his fur caped back replacing the view as he whirled, one arm extending out to catch a hold of the next person. He hoped that being able to take on the more stationary role wouldn’t be too intimidating to Kyyre, that he would actually enjoy this. The poor sod looked so small in the corner, gripping the table like his life depended on it.

It may be a minor hyperfixation that was developing, revolving Kyyre and enlightening him to the more enjoyable side of these events. Minus the murder and bloodshed, this part was fun. At least in Leon’s very important opinion.

The line of people wasn’t particularly long in this section, the people more subdued. However, that meant that Leon stood out as he moved with a jitteriness that made him look like a maniac by comparison. To the point where he was nearing Kyyre once more, his chest was heaving for lungfuls of air and his tanned skin carried the beginnings of a sheen of sweat.

As his open palm came back into contact with Kyyre’s, he made sure to hold tight as he completed the approach. Keeping close enough to the other man, as required by the dance of course, he made sure not to impose too much on his space. The grin was still in place as he peered down at Kyyre, the movement of his tail quickening causing the tip to lift up and brush against his own sides with the arching movement.

“I told you is was fun.” He huffed out between movements.

Andromeda let the glass leave her lips, resting the cup on the counter top with a soft clink before turning her attention to survey Astrid. There was little point in arguing the point over the price of the whiskey, what she wanted to know was what Astrid would want in return. Other than the assurance of the throne, that was already on the table.

“Are my pretty words not enough for you?” She hummed, running her finger along the lip of her tumbler as she spoke. “What do you want? I thought offering you the throne would be enough, but I suppose you’re a greedier man than I first thought.” Andromeda let her lips curl into a teasing smile before raising her glass and taking a sip.

“What is it? Wealth, marriage, soldiers, the possibilities are endless, Astrid.” She offered, tossing her free hand back and forth at the wrist as she listed off the options. As she awaited his response, Andromeda allowed her gaze to carry out across the crowds. Keeping note of other heirs and their whereabouts, the conversations they were having.

Tonight was an enjoyable event, but it was the perfect opportunity to eliminate rivals, to create deals, anything was possible tonight. Before the official rules kicked into effect, when minds were altered by intoxicants and the flurry of movement. It was a playground for the heirs, the perfect environment for these sorts of conversations.

She took a moment to watch as Leon all but crashed back into Kyyre, at least that new addition to her plan seemed to be going swimmingly.