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Calliope giggled and nodded, happy to save them both some embarrassment. The song that was starting was one of her favorites, so it wouldn't be an issue to lead at all. She drew closer to Calen, intertwining their fingers together while the other hand rested lightly against his chest. She started leading their dance, trying to make it easier on him. She'd caught sight of his parents as well who were only a few couples over by that point. "Your parents are drawing closer to us," she said softly to make sure he knew. She hoped that her leading wouldn't make too many questions come to rise. Then again, she could always try to coach him through the parts he didn't know too well for him to lead. Calliope knew her parents would just be happy to see them dancing, but she wasn't sure how his would end up feeling. |
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Calen let Calliope take the lead as she grabbed his hand, the dance starting. Calen nodded at her warning, "I seen them earlier. Maybe they won't notice." The last part he said mostly to himself. The dance continued, the music picking up and slowing down. Calliope led mostly, but Calen took over at times, mostly at the parts he remembered. The last few minutes were a blur of twisting and turning, the outside world fading away. Maybe dancing wasn't horrible. Maybe he just hadn't been dancing with the right person. And he had never danced in front of others besides his instructor. |
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Calliope nodded, content with the fact he was aware his parents were near. She remained quiet for the majority of the dance, simply trying to enjoy it. In all honesty, it wasn't a terrible experience. It was rather serene, actually. As she looked up at Calen, it was as if he was the only person in the room. Dancing with him had been so different. Leading was a joint effort and had somehow made the dance more enjoyable. Plus, he wasn't that terrible of a dancer either. She'd learned to dance at a young age and it was probably the one lady like thing she'd taken to well. As the song came to an end, she was nearly breathless, slowing releasing him from her hold. "Now that wasn't too bad, was it?" She asked, a soft smile crossing her lips. |
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The world came rushing back into focus when the dance ended. He looked down at Calliope, "I guess not. Definitely not something I plan on doing on a daily basis." He said, quickly making his way off of the floor, hoping his parents hadn't been looking around too much. He barely made it two steps before he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Its time to go, son." His father said, his mother in tow behind him. Justine appeared out of the crowd, and she as well looked breathless. Calen nodded once, turning towards Calliope again. "I suppose I'll be seeing you again before long." He said by way of farewell, sweeping into a swift bow. |
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Calliope laughed softly, not surprised by his response. Even if it hadn't been a horrid experience, she didn't expect one dance to change his view of things. She followed him off the dance floor, smiling as his family approached. Hearing that he'd be leaving saddened her only a bit, since she'd be alone, but with any luck her parents would be ready to leave soon as well. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again," she said as she dipped her head, bidding him goodbye.
Once they'd said their farewells, she turned and went to find her own parents. "I take it you're coming around to the arrangement?" Her mother asked as she approached and Calliope did her best to give a believable answer. "Indeed," she nodded, making her mother hum in approval. Her father soon joined them and they were ready to leave the party as well. |
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Calen nodded to Calliope, following his family out, along with several other people who were leaving. Their carriage was already at the door for them, and they all climbed in, Calen closing the door when they all got sat down on the plush seats. The sound of hoofbeats was the only sound for a few minutes until his father spoke. "So, what do you think of the marriage arrangment?" His father asked. Testing him. "Anything to help the kingdom." Calen responded, his gaze fixed on the window, not actually seeing what passed. "Good." His father said, his voice skeptical, "And Calliope?" He asked again. "What about her?" Calen asked, his gaze shifting to his father. Why had it taken him this long to realize how nosy his parents were? "Do you like her?" He asked, obviously getting annoyed. "We've barely met long enough to know each other." He said, a bite to his voice. He was going to tip this carriage if he kept asking such invasive questions. "Watch the attitude." His father warned, his eyes hardening. From his peripheral, he seen his mother place a hand on his father's arm. The rest of the ride home was silent. |
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As she and her parents climbed into their elegant carriage, her mother immediately began with questions. "Well, what do you think of him, dear? The two of you looked so nice together," she said, a smile on her face. Calliope knew that she'd have to really exaggerate happiness to convince her mother that she was okay with the marriage, so she pretended to gush over the situation. "He's quite nice once you've gotten past that quiet exterior. He makes the perfect match to strengthen the kingdom as well," she explained, giddiness in her words. Calliopes mother seemed to be pleased with her daughters words and the rest of the ride was filled with lies about how happy she was. By the time they reached their home lands it was early morning with the moon beginning to set. Oh how nice it was to be home again.
(Sorry it's not the best >~<) |
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(its all good :)) The sun was peaking over the horizon when they arrived home, Justine's head resting on his shoulder as she slept. The carriage slowed to a stop, a servant opening the door for them. Justine's head snapped up when the door opened. Calen hurried up to his room, not wanting any more confrontation for the day. Exhaustion tugged at his eyes, making the trek up the stairs more difficult than normal. When he finally reached his room he quickly changed and lit the fireplace, also opening a window. The night air was cool as Calen looked out to the horizon. The sky was turning a dark shade of purple, and he knew his father had probably already canceled all the meetings he had planned for the day. Calen pulled back the plush coverlets on his bed and laid down. Despite his exhaustion, it took him a few hours to fall asleep. |
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Calliope was the first one out of carriage when it came to a halt, having opened the door and tumbled out before anyone could assist. She bolted to her room, her exhaustion taking over once she reached the door. Calliope managed to strip down into her dressing gown before flopping onto her bed. One would think after such an eventful night that she would have fell straight asleep, but that was not the case at all. Calliope tossed and turned, sleep evading her at every moment. Eventually, she gave up and dragged herself out of bed. She knew there wouldn't be any meets or anything of that matter, so she'd be free to do as she wanted for the majority of the day. Calliope got dressed, opting for a pair of trousers and a long sleeve rather than a gown. Riding always eased her mind, so she slipped on her riding boots and grabbed her coat before heading down to the stables.
The sky was now miraculous shades of pink and orange with sun peaking through the clouds. Calliope was met with an excited nicker from her beautiful black stallion, who she quickly saddled up and climbed up on. She started leading him out of the stable, grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows on her way. Despite knowing that there'd be a guard following distantly behind her, she always preferred to have her own means of protection when out on a ride. |
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Calen's head shot up as loud knocking sounded at his door. His vision was blurred from sleep, and his head fell back down on his pillow with a groan as the knocking continued. "Okay, okay." Calen said, his voice slightly hoarse. There was the sound of footsteps fading before he closed his eyes again, sunlight streaming through the open window. After a few moments, Calen finally managed to convince himself to get up, swinging his feet over the bed and onto the floor. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, running his hands through his tangled hair. With much effort he got out of bed, walking over to the window and pulling it closed. It was barely past sunrise, and he silently cursed his father for waking him up so early. No one returned to his door to call for him, so, deciding to not have a productive day, he promptly flopped back into bed and fell back asleep. (Somebody is not a morning person) |
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Fall 
Day 
Heavy Rain
