He insinuated Azucena wanted him, and that only made her desire grow. “A lady never reveals her secrets.” She teased. Obviously, her character resisted the temptation of being too upfront. Still, she did not need to tell him for him to know what she wanted. Both of them knew, but the mutual coyness grew between them more tension, like a rising glass wall they danced behind, eager to break it.
“Perhaps I may fall again, then.” She followed, pleased by the idea of feeling his touch once more.
“My dear,” you say. He was admittedly very charming. She felt her heart threatening to make her fall again. However, a man who is charming has surely not been charming with only her. Azucena wondered who else might be enticed by the words that rolled off his tongue so easily. He did not share much answer to her question, but as he said, it was most likely a very typical township here in england.
Instead, he continued asking her about herself. It was a bit sweet. The typical man in this settlement adored ranting on and on about himself. In her previous engagement, her partner was admittedly pretty into himself. She felt more of an accessory to his greatness. Cassian, however, made her feel a bit more important. Her own person, even. She hoped he could be a scholar, they tend to be a bit more egalitarian. She could also bond much more with a man who loved books as much as she.
“That is a great question, Cassian.” Azu smiled, establishing her comfort in referring to him as his first name. “I am not sure with what to begin. If you would like, you may make assumptions about me. I will confirm if they are true. And worry not, they can be whatever you like. No courtly formalities necessary.” The girl assured him of her trust in him. One thing about Blue was that as vanidous and frigid as she made herself to appear, she was still warm enough to listen.
“I have.” Blue confirmed her visitations to england. “Our community must be much larger than I believed, for I would have stumbled into you sooner if I had known of your person.” She admitted, giggling when she saw his little facial reaction. Perhaps they had met before, but he soooomehow managed to forget her ravenous beauty. Perhaps it was not yet their time, perhaps it is now.
Ooh. Azucena thought. There was something quite altering about a man willing to chase her. Much of this conversation was confined to their courtly utopian customs, however his disposition had begun to allude to a much more primal instinct they shared. “A chase? Well, my lord, you know I do love when you catch me.” Her eyes shined with his same charming glint.
They joked some more on the dance floor, synchronized into the organ and violins playing in the room. Close to hers, his face became a comfortable sight. And for a split second, Azucena felt as though her icy complexion warmed with his gaze. They became one with the music, and the moment felt as though it lasted a thousand years. Yet they were still not enough, she needed more.
He bid her adieu and Azucena walked away with a small smile, more endeared than she believed she could be in a first dance. She strolled by the hors d’oeuvres, and politely rejected them from the queen’s staff as she looked for a new person to approach before the orchestra played a new song.
Until she saw her. Behind the profile of the man dancing with the girl, she saw Lia on the floor. She had those same dreamy brown eyes, where you could tell she was an optimist. Her luscious hair, and her perfect teeth with that doll-like pout were tantalizing as she shined before any man. She seemed so perfect.
But she was a fraud.
Under her perfectly smooth skin there were thorns like those of a rose. They were pretty from a distance, but when you reach to grasp her you will realize your fingers are pricked and bleeding. Azucena still had little dots on her skin from the scars, each letter she sent was a needle, and Aurelia dug the cuts deep. At first, she had thought maybe what she saw going on between her and Harrison was a misunderstanding, but her absence explained her treason. It quilled down every lie she had told down upon a scroll, and spelt it out for Azucena before the paper rolled back up and smacked her upside the head.
The girl looked the other way, feigning that she did not notice Lia’s presence, but then she felt eyes on her. It was her; her best friend, her worst enemy, glancing at her from across the room, too. Azu’s eyes widened, not expecting to be noticed, and she intuitively walked out from the ball to the garden. Aurelia was a problem, and when Azucena saw a problem, she grinned at it, and then proceeded to run away in the other direction.
The night breeze kissed her collar, and the greenery reflected a dark green shade from its large leaves. She approached the border, and put a hand on the balcony as she looked off into the distance, her dress trailing behind her as it swayed on the ground. Azu knew she had to return to the ball soon, but it seemed much easier to converse with the moon. She inhaled and took a breath before a figure emerged from the darkness of the field. The footsteps had her turn her head, probed with a bit of fear as she did not know who could be out there.
A well dressed, caramel-skinned man appeared in red. She looked up at him and his soft curls with light brown eyes and realized who he was. That summer played back in her head as he greeted her. Her cheeks heated up, and she felt suddenly a bit vulnerable.
“Ilyas.” She uttered. “I forgot you were coming back this year.” Azucena recalled a conversation they had about his boarding school and all, how he had been sent away for his rebellious spirit that enamored her.
“We should not be over here alone.” She reminded herself, blushing as she wafted the familiar scent of his cologne. He held a special place in her memory, and she knew that in his she was a different person than now. It was ironic how he learned so much about her, yet they knew so little about one another. Blue tried to act casual, but his expressions were so uncanny that she struggled.
mentioned:
@CerealKiller cassian - wanna continue in the misc?
@Kristi harrison
@benitz786 aurelia