Soleil
22
Single
Lady in Waiting to Eleesa
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Avalynn O'Shea on Jun 6, 2020 22:06:57 GMT -5
She could have sworn that she heard someone laugh at her. Bright blues darted around the wooded area, trying to spot someone nearby. Perhaps she was just going mad. But then she heard a voice speak from above, asking if she wanted a drink. She screamed and jumped, startled, her hand immediately going to her chest as if trying to steady the sudden racing of her heart. She glanced up and spotted Shane, just sitting up in the tree, holding a flask. Oh god, had he just heard everything? Heard her talking to herself? Heard her sing out to call for the boys. Oh dear, how embarrassing!
She laughed nervously, keeping her gaze upward as Shane challenged her to climb up the tree. Avalynn narrowed her eyes at him. "You would make a lady climb up a tree? In a skirt, no less!?"
Well, she found a hare, at least. But he was going to make her work to catch him. Was it worth it that much to her? Surely there were other hares to be found still. But, he was right there! Or she could simply wait until he grew tired and climbed down and snag him then. "How long are you planning on staying up there?"
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Soleil
28
Single
Captain of Tresterian Army: Infantry
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Lucian deGrey on Jun 6, 2020 22:50:42 GMT -5
Lucian remained crouched behind the wall as he caught his breath. He could hear footsteps, but he remained quiet, figuring that maybe no one would wander beyond the wall and towards the icy cold creek. But then he spotted her and she hadn't noticed him as she walked right past him. He felt his heart thundering in his chest because he wasn't quite sure what to do. Should he remain there? Should he get up and run? Should he call out to her and surrender? But before he could do any of it, she turned around and spotted him. He slowly stood up, but Anemone was stepping back and fell right down on her behind. Lucian couldn't help but smile when she burst into the fit of giggles.
He watched her, stunned slightly, and took a few steps towards her, but paused when she asked him not to run off. What she had next only stunned him further.
Can we count this? Because you're the one I was looking for.
Lucian didn't know what to say, he was at loss for words. Was she really looking for him? Without saying anything, he rushed over to her and offered her his hand to help her up. When she was back on her feet, he did not move to run away. Instead, he stood in front of her and smiled softly. "I think you've caught me fair and square..." Lucian hesitated for a moment before he spoke quietly, struggling with his words. "I... was... hoping..." He paused and inhaled deeply, nervously. "Hoping you would...be the one to catch me..." He let his gaze fall to the ground, somewhat embarrassed.
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Lunari
28
Widow of Edward Demarais
Former Queen of Tresteria
Tier 3 Character
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Post by Eleesa Demarais on Jun 6, 2020 23:08:33 GMT -5
Elyscia was right- they were allowed to have fun, too. Even if this seemed silly. She was prepared, though, with high boots and a warm jacket because, the moment she started to run, she knew she was invested. There was no backing down now. Truthfully, she couldn't believe she was even doing it, but she let her body and heart guide her instead of her mind just this once.
Finding her way into the thick trees, she noticed Avalynn nearby. Was she talking to herself or someone else? Had she found a hare? The queen only paused for a moment to consider it before she was rushing through the brush once again, deeper into the woods. Eventually, though, she had to stop to catch her breath. A hand pressed to her stomach as blue eyes looked all around her- further ahead and back the way she had come. Perhaps she had been too slow and someone already found him and she wasn't sure she wanted to run any further...it might just mean a long, lonely trek back to the castle.
Still, she opted to go a little further before hooking around to casually walk back to the castle. Even in the Winter, the grounds were lovely. They were soothing even with the grayed palette and white snowy earth. At the very least, she could use this silly game to clear her head. That didn't mean she also wasn't still looking around for that particular deGrey.
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aka Kyra
Ancient.
Married.
Co-Admin & Site Designer
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Lunari on Jun 6, 2020 23:13:13 GMT -5
Margery pushed on, grumbling underneath her breath the entire time. Everyone had run off in a flash, but soon enough she found herself already slowing down with no one else in sight. She swore Triston had gone this way, but he could be miles ahead by now. The determination kept her going, though, trudging through mud and snow in quite the opposite direction her fiance had gone.
Good, then he wouldn't know. He wouldn't have time to backtrack to find her just yet, and Margery was quite certain no one else would dare go after him. Not with knowing she was betrothed to him. Dear, sweet, oblivious William would be her backup...just as he currently was in this engagement. Of course, there was time to fix that, if she could just find that blasted councilman!
Growling in frustration when she slipped on some mud, she righted herself before she could fall before carefully proceeding forth. If she dirtied this dress, she'll be furious.
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Lunari
36
Married to Alexandria
King Consort of Aralore
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Aric Demarais on Jun 6, 2020 23:21:34 GMT -5
After he and Stefan slipped behind the hedges, he was laughing again at realizing that it still did little to hide him. The man was impossibly tall, but it was making this whole experience even that much more humorous.
Aric hunched forward, his hands on his thighs while he tried to catch his breath, shaking his head in the growing amusement. "Well, good...because...I need to try and breathe." The prince could keep going if he absolutely needed to, but this dry, cold air was really going to slow him down. Something he didn't want to admit to the younger, much more fit guardsman. Also, this wasn't exactly a life or death situation. He was allowed to rest.
"Eh, it's one of many things...as silly as it seems. But, it's a tradition every year now." Aric reached over to swat at his arm. "You should be out there letting one of them catch you. I'm sure there are plenty of hounds eyeing you up." Those dark eyes narrowed in slight question. "Unless there's already someone for you. Maybe back home?" It was a personal question, sure, but what else were they supposed to do right now? Aric was just trying to keep a conversation going, and while Stefan spoke, he could get his heart rate down to a proper beat.
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Magpie
21
Engaged
Lady in Waiting to Eleesa
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Anemone Sellar on Jun 6, 2020 23:34:35 GMT -5
Anemone was beyond grateful for his help getting up because she'd already proven she couldn't do it on her own. He hoisted her up again easily, and she beamed at him when he didn't take off running. She hadn't entirely thought he would, but after all, she was supposed to catch him.
'I don't know about fair and square,' she thought, but she could tell he wanted to say more, so she held her tongue. She was glad she did because his admission had her stomach doing flips. She couldn't help grinning like an idiot. He wanted her to catch him! She wanted to squeal, or jump, or dance, something to vent the excitement that ran through her body. She managed to keep it to a minimum, just biting her lip and clasping her hands together in front of her chest.
"I'm so, so glad to hear that," she said with a soft laugh, "I was a little worried." She pointed the toes of one foot, twisting it back and forth in the snow to vent a little more of her nervous energy. She felt like she could run a whole other mile with the amount of nerves she had now. She hadn't even realized she was this invested, she'd tried to convince herself that she would be alright either way.
"Um...Do you remember, how you asked me before what I thought would make me happy?" She asked quietly, looking up at his face to watch how he reacted. "I um. I got a little embarrassed by the answer, before, and I've thought about it a lot, but it's still the same answer."
"My first thought was that I would be happy with someone as kind as you," she confessed, "What you said about not being just a prize, and that I deserved better...It really meant a lot to me." She sighed, dropping her hands back to her side and looking away as she remembered how badly she had let people treat her, how badly she had treated herself. "I think after what happened to me...for a while, I stopped thinking I was worth that."
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Soleil
29
Single
Lieutenant of the Tresterian Army : Cavalry
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Nathaniel Starke on Jun 6, 2020 23:47:21 GMT -5
He hadn't heard her footsteps approaching, and with things being so quiet, he decided that maybe his hiding spot behind the tree was rather a good one and he might be there for a while. He sat on the ground and outstretched his legs in front of him, not caring if he got wet or dirty from the mud and snow.
He had closed his eyes and relaxed his head against the tree, listening to the sounds of nature and the distant screams and laughter that occurred every so often. It wasn't much longer before he felt something against his feet and heard the 'off' sound of a female's voice. Nathaniel quickly opened his eyes and scrambled to get to his feet, moving quickly to offer Alice his help to get her back on her feet. "I'm sorry!" he said quickly when she stated that it was unfortunate. What was unfortunate? He wondered- Tripping and falling? Or that she had caught him and didn't want to?
He gave her a slight smirk. A charming smile. "What is unfortunate, my lady? Did you not wish to catch a hare?"
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Lunari
30
Secretly engaged.
Head of deGrey Trading Co.
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Wesley deGrey on Jun 6, 2020 23:47:45 GMT -5
Even if he managed to get up to his feet (which was apparently impossible with the mud and speed he was trying to flee), she was pelting him in the back of the head with another snowball. Wesley was falling down onto his knees again, grumbling in his annoyance. "You're bloody mad, woman!" he hollered right back at her, wondering if anyone else was hearing their loud mouths over the bubbling stream.
Her cry of alarm had him looking over at her, just in time to watch her face plant right into the mud. And then, his laughter was uncontrollable. She may have one this foolish, little game, but this right now was priceless...and she was never going to live it down. Not while he drew breath.
So maybe he shouldn't mention that before she murdered him where he stood.
Helene's laughter was infectious, though, and he subconsciously found himself literally crawling back over to her as she was making a damn mud angel. Looking down at her with a raised brow, Wesley was trying to figure out if something in that brain of hers just snapped. "You can do whatever you want with me, love-" he began, and he didn't sound as cheeky as it was meant to be, despite the fact that he was chuckling at her antics. He reached down for her hand, trying to draw her up to at least sit while he still knelt there. "But first you need to get up." It was likely she could get sick from the wetness and cold. He didn't need that on his conscience. "Don't make me carry you." That would probably be a disaster, yet Wesley would still be dumb enough to try it if he absolutely had to.
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Magpie
26
Unmarried
Noblewoman
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Marinette Roquefort on Jun 6, 2020 23:50:11 GMT -5
Marinette was more than a little relieved when Margery started to lag--she was a bit winded herself, and it gave her a bit more time to figure out what on earth she was going to do. She couldn't exactly call her out for going after someone else, seeing as the two of them had never officially met. Which meant she would have to stop her without giving herself away...oh dear, this was going to end badly, wasn't it? She watched as Margery nearly slipped in the slush and mud, and she grimaced as she realized this was her opportunity. Well, she had committed herself to this already, she wasn't going to quit now.
'For Olivia!' she mentally yelled as she put on a burst of speed and purposefully slid into the mud on her knees. She slid forward even faster than she'd expected on the snow and mud-slicked grass, and she shrieked and covered her face as she bowled over the other woman so that she fell face first in the mud.
Marinette gasped theatrically. "Oh my goodness I am so, so sorry! I hit that patch of mud too fast and my feet went right out from under me!" The panic in her voice was real as she waited for Margery to lash out at her. She was sure she was going to be insulted and sworn at, and she'd be lucky if the woman didn't slap her.
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Lunari
34
Unattached
Sailor for deGrey Trading Co.
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Shane O'Sullivan on Jun 7, 2020 0:10:54 GMT -5
Well, she was a lovely one, wasn't she? Shane was taking a longer moment to notice now that she was looking up at him and not talking to her imaginary friends...or whatever that was. Just remembering it made him chuckle softly again, taking another swig from the flask. It would take a lot for him to get remotely tipsy, so the sailor wasn't very concerned with being up in a tree right now. He'd be totally shit-faced before and having to deal with a rocking ship during a storm- he'd be fine.
But the lady didn't seem too thrilled with the idea.
A part of him was almost willing to climb back down, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to participate in this little game. Or, perhaps, he wasn't willing to make it easy for her. There were other hares roaming around, yes, so she was more than welcome to try one of them instead.
"I won't look," he commented with a shrug of a shoulder and a wry smirk. It wasn't like he was down below and asking her to climb. That would be outright inconsiderate. As if to appease her a bit, Shane carefully climbed down to a lower branch but was still out of her reach. Settling back down, he shook that flask in his hand again. "For awhile, I'm sure. It's quite comfortable."
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Tendy
27
Widowed
Noble
Tier 3 Character
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Post by Helene Hewitt on Jun 7, 2020 0:18:10 GMT -5
Wesley's head came into her vision as she looked up at the sky, and her grin just got bigger at seeing his arched eyebrow. She giggled, and stilled her movements, for a moment just staring up at him, as her laugh died off. She let a sigh out. Realizing she hadn't laughed like that in a very long time, if ever. There was no worries in that moment. Just out here in the woods by the river, in the mud and snow, with the man who was responsible for it all.
"Aaanythiiiing?" She drew out as she let him help her up so she was sitting. She snorted at him threatening to carry her. "Now that I'd like to see." she giggled. "I can walk quite fine thank you." She looked over her shoulder at him, and looked at him suspiciously. A coy smile appeared on her face, as she turned to face him, lifting both hands to cup his cheeks, and then she slowly smeared more mud on them. He was far to clean for her liking. "You're too clean." She informed him. "Look at me! I'm a mud woman!" She laughed as she lowered her hands. She slowly made to get to her feet. Careful of not slipping. Once she seemed to have her balance she stood up. She could practically feel the mud plastered to her back and the back of her hair, and she was already beginning to tremble from the cold. She turned and walked to the river, crouching down she cleaned her hands quickly, shaking them out before cupping them and blowing on them with her warm breath.
"Alright! I'm claiming my prize now! Tell me this secret of yours." She demanded as she stood up and gave him a pointed look. "A deal is a deal yeah?" She asked as she walked back towards him.
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Magpie
25
Single
Military
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Post by Rhysand Sellar on Jun 7, 2020 0:18:44 GMT -5
Rhysand was doing well in his little hiding place, safe from the crowd of people who had been running around. He heard shouting and laughter from other places on the grounds, and it almost made him wish he actually knew someone who was participating besides Lucian deGrey. He watched as a young woman came to a stop in the clearing outside of the shed where he'd hidden, and contemplated just letting himself get caught so he wouldn't have to stand there for another hour. She seemed nice, he thought, kind of gentle looking. He couldn't put his finger on what made him think that it was just a sort of energy she had.
He sighed to himself and was about to just go out and surrender when something tickled his shoulder. He glanced down and spotted, perfectly spotlighted in the sunlight from the crack in the door, a large, hairy spider. Of all the things in the world, of course it had to be a spider. The man was a soldier. He could deal with oncoming armies, wild animals, death and destruction, fire, stitch up his own wounds...but spiders he could not stand.
Rhysand yelped and swiped at his shoulder repeatedly as he burst out of the shed and into the clearing. Once he was sure the spider was gone, he quickly snapped back to attention and gave the young woman an apologetic smile, knowing he must have scared her as much as that little beast had scared him. "I am more than willing to say I've been caught, so long as you don't tell anyone else how ridiculous I looked just now," he told her, a hint of pleading in his voice, "I er--I'm not a fan of spiders."
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aka Kyra
Ancient.
Married.
Co-Admin & Site Designer
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Lunari on Jun 7, 2020 0:31:24 GMT -5
Murmurs and curses were whispered silently under her breath, growing a bit loud every time she slipped a little. But every time she managed to find her footing and not fall. Surely there was a better way around, but she'd already made it halfway through this sludge. How do any of these women find this to be fun? It was cold, it was wet, and it was filthy, all for a stupid game and a stupid kiss that, for most of them, would mean nothing. It would result in nothing.
Then, there came an alarmed cry behind her. As she was turning, she only had a second to see the woman sliding towards her before they collided into a heap of skirts and flailing limbs. Margery shrieked so loud that it would make Marinette's ears hurt as she was tripped and went face first straight into the mud. Lifting her head up and gasping for air, she flailed and struggled, constantly falling as she tried to right herself; screaming in outrage at the cold mud that was already soaking through her clothes.
When the duchess managed to finally get to her feet, she was angrily wiping the filth from her face. "Are you BLIND?!" she shrieked again. "Just...look at me...look at this. You damned fool!" That was when she got a good look at her, suddenly remembering the woman from that day in the market, with Olivia. "Did you...do this on purpose?" Now the real rage was boiling to the surface and she may very well try to slap Marinette if the woman didn't run away. "You insolent bitch!" Oooh, yes, all the wrong ideas were running through Margery's head now. Perhaps she wasn't the only one with a plan, a secret ploy.
Although it was still slippery, she was now attempting to trudge through the mud to get to Marinette.
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Soleil
28
Single
Captain of Tresterian Army: Infantry
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Lucian deGrey on Jun 7, 2020 0:33:18 GMT -5
Lucian's eyes returned to her when she spoke, admitting that she was glad to hear that he wanted her to catch him. He smirked slightly but gave her a curious look. "Worried?" he asked her, wondering what she had been worried about.
He noticed how she nervously twisted her toe in the snow, and that perhaps made him feel slightly better that she was just as nervous as he was at this moment. What he hadn't expected was for her to continue their conversation from the other night. For her to answer his question that he had nearly forgotten he'd ask. He nodded in response and watched her features as she spoke, finally giving him his answer.
His expression slowly changed to a curious one as she began to explain how she had been embarrassed and that she had thought about her answer and it still was the same after the several days had passed by.
Brown eyes softened with her answer and he couldn't help the smile that curled the corners of his lips upward. He let her speak, though, without interrupting her as she explained how his words had meant a lot to her and that she stopped thinking she was worth anything. He frowned and took a step closer towards her. Lucian hesitated briefly before he lifted a hand and placed it gently on Anemone's cheek, cupping her face to urge her to look back at him. Something had happened to her, she admitted, but he did not know what it was, he could only frown and feel badly about whatever it was that had ruined her self worth. "I...do not know much about you... But I know or feel that you are kind as well, I can see it in your eyes... And you shouldn't allow anyone to make you feel worthless...I am sorry that someone has." He left his hand on her face and offered her a smile.
"I know... it is supposed to be you who earns the prize of kissing her captured hare..." He swallowed hard and paused, looking over the features of her face, wondering if she would recoil from him or pull away. He was nervous and he felt his heart thundering in his chest. "But... If it would be alright with you... I would very much like to steal a kiss from you..."
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Lux
22
Recently Divorced
Lady in waiting/Spy
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Alice Calder on Jun 7, 2020 0:37:17 GMT -5
The young man was quick to help Alice to her feet and she was more than happy to accept the help. He'd apologized as well and Alice scoffed at herself. "Oh, it's hardly your fault." She grumbled. "I knew better than to not watch where I was going."
Even though the part of her dress that covered her knees was effectively wet from the snow, traces of brown dirt tainting the black fabric, Alice still stood straight, her dark brown eyes looking at the man. Her lips pursed into a tight line as she wondered if he'd begin to make a mad dash so as to not be 'caught,' only to be disappointed when she didn't give chase. Or was he caught since she'd stumbled upon him, quite literally? Had that charming little grin already made her forget the rules of the game?
Nope. No. Absolutely not. She was not about to be swept away by Mr. Gorgeous and his pretty little smile. She offered a small smile of her own. "It was unfortunate that I nearly fell right onto my face. Embarrassing, really." She said simply. "But to also answer your question, no. I wasn't intending to catch a hare." Her words had trailed off slightly. Why did she sound somewhat disappointed now that she spoke of her lack of enthusiasm with this game aloud? Maybe she should have at least tried to have a little more fun..
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