Parties of the Past

[Sebastian Arcturis]

[sometime in the recent past]

His father loved parties. Anything to make the world believe he had complete control of the island, to further his ego, and to pretend everything was fine. There was no war, after all. Not publicly. Of course, most of those attentive enough knew that there was tension on the green isle.

Bastian was more than aware. He was in charge of half of that non-existent war, after all.

Another evening, another party. It was more a fancy dinner party than anything special. More of the usual for the royal guards. Sebastian had the usual watchmen on the walls and patrol routes, with a few extra around the main hall. Most of them just outside the room, but the usual two flanking the king, the usual one whose entire job was to keep an eye on the Princess. He had learned quickly that Cera didn't take to escorts so he had plenty of alternatives.

The captain of the guard himself was doing a little bit of everything in an effort to stave off boredom. Patrolling around the dance floor, one eye on the princess, the other on the king. Most nights, nothing happened. But he was the sort who liked the mantra 'expect nothing to be ready for anything.'

Sometimes he watched the dancers. Or the banquet table. Left overs were always something he looked forward to. Raised in the palace, he ate well. But he was no noble. Just the help.

Camille St. James

[Camille St. James]

Camille loved parties. They were a good chance to speak with people she didn't otherwise see, and she was always fond of music and dancing. Every party she attended here in the castle was a reminder that she wasn't worthless, anymore--she was wanted, invited, in the best place on the island. Perhaps it was silly of her to accept such a frivolous boost to her pride, but it felt good. She wished her sister enjoyed these gatherings more and didn't weasel out of them half the time. It was a bit lonely, without her. Still, at least she'd gotten her adoptive mother, Maeve DeGraff , to attend with her. The two of them had been having a grand old time chatting and laughing. As they did, though, a familiar face caught Camille's eye.

Sebaastian Arcturis, captain of the guard, was staring intently at the princess as she whirled across the dance floor in the arms of Gabriel something-or-other, the man from Arcisea. Camille frowned. She'd noticed him before, of course, she made a point to notice people, but she hadn't given it too much thought. She'd introduced herself once and been politely shut down, so she'd let it go. At the time, it didn't seem urgent. But perhaps it was just the glowing feeling of being included and wanted that was influencing her thoughts--she suddenly thought it was rather sad that he was never part of the fun.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen that man smile," she remarked to Maeve.

The older woman gave her a strange look. "Who?"

"Captain Arcturis. He's always here, you know, but he's never involved."

"And? He's a guard, dear, that's his job."

"So? The other guards chat and have a good time. But I don't ever see him talking to anyone except the others, and he never really jokes with them or has fun...at least not that I've ever seen."

"I'm still not sure I see your point, Cami, dear. Do you think he needs to be rescued, or something?"

"You know what? That's precisely what I think."

With a determined look on her face, Camille rose to her feet and smoothed her dress, preparing for 'battle.' She knew the captain wasn't likely to receive her well, just based on who he was, but she wasn't going to let it go so easily this time.

As she neared his side, she slowed her pace and softened her face to a gentle smile as she gave him a shallow curtsy in greeting. As she rose, she clasped her hands behind her, watching the dancers with him rather than looking up at his face. She wanted to appear casual, covering the true direction her thoughts were flowing. "Forgive my intrusion, Captain, but I have stumbled onto something I'm curious about. If you'll humor me, I'd like to ask you a few questions." She paused, and if he didn't directly tell her to get lost, she'd ask, "About how many guards would you say are here tonight?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He did smile sometimes. Often at jokes at the expense of his guards. But that was for moments in training or the barracks. Here, he might watch the king and the crowd, but the king and the crowd also watched him. And while no one knew, he had to be the perfect son. There was no room for personal enjoyment in the man's life. Not in the castle, anyway.

The Captain was familiar with many nobles. Enough so he knew faces and names and who was to be expected and who was not. He recognized the woman as Camille DeGraff, one of those the family had adopted. Her original last name was lost to the wind for the moment. And so too was whether she preferred it or not. They had formally met once before. Sebastian understood she waa the type who liked to feel important and liked to get her way and liked to be known. Like most nobles. But his job wasn't to judge her. Just to keep her safe. Small talk wasn't included.

Still, he was polite. Barely. The man returned her curtsy with a bow. When the noblewoman did not initially speak to him however, he waited in expectant silence for her to ask some question of him or make some demand. His gaze drifted quickly over her dress and her face before returning to the dancers.

Forgive her for what? That already struck him as awkward. He did not directly tell her to get lost. Nor did he imply it. At least not yet. Bastian simply nodded, very willing to humor nobility. That, unlike small talk, was part of his job.

"Enough to ensure your safety, milady," he assured her vaguely, his tone friendly and polite. Exactly? Twenty-five immediately around and in the space of the party. More throughout the castle. But she didn't need to know that. And from experience, she was just looking for a reason to tell him how to do his job better.

[Camille St. James]

Alright! Not totally rejected, that was good. She'd been half expecting him to just say that he was busy working and she should buzz off. But his answer was...unhelpful. Still, she wasn't going to let him derail her entirely. She'd just have to adapt her plan a little to meet what he'd said.

"Oh, I don't doubt it. But, you see, it seems like you might." She glanced at him with just the smallest hint of a smile, then forced herself to turn back to the dancers. No staring. Calm and subtle. Even if she was dying to know how he was going to react to this. She couldn't read him very well since she hadn't spoken to him much, and really, the man had quite a poker face. If she wound up breaking that for even a moment, she wanted to know.

"I've noticed, you know, that even with all your men doing their very best to protect everyone here, a dozen or more people watching the king, you don't relax even for a second." This time she didn't even allow herself a glance; she knew she'd wind up grinning at him, which would really ruin the effect. Still, it was probably clear enough that she was teasing him, or at least, she hoped he would know well enough not to be too offended. Her tone was gentle, not aggressive or snide. "Don't you trust your men to leap into action if something happened? Or do you think you have to do it all yourself?"

It was a bit of a jab, she knew, but she also thought she had a point. It was a bit unfair to assume that he had to be perfectly on guard all of the time--it underestimated his men, for one, but it also wasn't good for him, in her mind. It was important to take breaks and give oneself time to recover. Otherwise, you weren't really at your best, and couldn't do your best work. Or, at least, that was what she tried to remind herself when her perfectionism got the better of her. She didn't like to admit it, but she could be just as stubbornly persistent as the guard when it came to things that she felt she was responsible for.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Of course he doubted. That was the entire basis of his job. If Allerick felt safe, then Sebastian wouldn't be here. Technically he didn't doubt most of his men would die for their king or princess (minus the three who had newborns, those he was pretty sure had the sense to return to their families alive), but he had been born and raised to do this. To protect his family and kill mystics. Protecting his family was more or less boring but that meant things were going well.

Bastian had only played poker once with some of his wardens. He had won. A lot. Beginner's luck, they called it and never invited him to play again.

Watching the king was pointless. Allerick wasn't going anywhere. Cera liked to run off but at least she had the suitor now. His job was to watch everyone else. But nobles didn't like to be told they were wrong. And Camille was being so polite that he didn't feel like ruining wherever this carriage ride was going.

She asked two questions. "Yes." He said to one of them or to both. He didn't specify. His expectation of perfection wasn't of his own volition. But it was ingrained habit in him at this point. He wasn't here to socialize. He supported that a leader should never ask his men to do something he wasn't prepared to do himself. So yes, he also kept on alert at parties.

The man wasn't sure what her point was. To distract him? To tell him to stop doing his job? Why? Sebastian didn't ask out loud, but he did give Camille a confused look. Why did she care how he conducted himself or asked his men to conduct themselves? She might have to be more...explicit.

[Camille St. James]

Camille's brow furrowed slightly as she tried to make out his meaning. "Well, it can't be both; they're mutually exclusive. If it's yes, that you need to be on alert because you believe that you're the only one capable of it, then so be it, and I'll leave you alone. But if it's yes that you trust them..." She trailed off as she moved to properly face him, interrupting his view of the crowd. Her curls and skirt swirled out in unison as she did. She smiled brightly as she reached her intended conclusion. "Then there's no reason you shouldn't take a break and dance with me."

She wasn't being flirtatious about it; if anything her excitement was innocent almost to the point of being childish as she now had the opportunity to reveal her intentions and smile openly. She hoped that by ruling out his argument ahead of time, she might show him that there wasn't really a good reason to say no. The world wasn't going to fall to pieces just because he took five minutes to do something other than stare at the guests.

She knew it was a little odd, her approaching him like this--first of all, ladies weren't really meant to be doing the asking. On top of that, she was technically a noble, and he was technically not. But that didn't matter much to her--nobility was a matter of money and fame, both of which could be made or lost in a matter of minutes. She ought to know. So she threw caution to the wind and decided to do something fun. Now all she had to do was find out if he was willing to do the same.

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head almost in challenge as she waited for his answer. "What do you think? Do I make a convincing argument?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded, the hint of a smile on his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing with his answer. "One should not ask mutually exclusive questions back to back unless one wants a suitably vague answer. Milady." He didn't talk like a commoner. But considering he had been raised in the palace and attended a lot of fancy events, it wasn't entirely strange. He had had a lot of tutors, however, for a commoner. Not that that was common knowledge.

Sebastian didn't see why he couldn't both trust his men and believe himself more capable. But it wasn't about that. Not that the noblewoman seemed to care what it was really about.

At her planting herself in front of him with that smile, he was already a little off balance. And then her question hit him in the stomach. He let out a small 'oof' noise, like she actually might have punched him lightly in the stomach but it was more out of surprise than pain. This was not where Bastian thought this was going.

Internally, he scrambled. Externally, he looked at her blankly for a moment. "That's not protocol," he said, immediately feeling a little stupid and like he couldn't think for himself. "You don't want to dance with me, milady." He emphasized the honorific.

The world might not fall to pieces but Sebastian certainly didn't know what to make of the invitation. No one had ever asked. And he had fully expected no one ever would. It wasn't a scenario he had considered before. He should have excused himself. Or even simply turned away. But he only stood there, processing. It was a convincing argument, mostly on the grounds that he didn't have a defence prepared. Which wasn't to say there wasn't one.

[Camille St. James]

Camille laughed a little at his retort about vague answers, pleasantly surprised that he was actually giving more than a one-word answer. She'd still been half expecting that he would tell her to go away. They hadn't talked much in the past, but apparently there was a good wit hidden behind that furrowed brow, too. It made her want to tease him more so that she'd hear more of it.

The little 'oof' didn't escape her notice, and a flicker of concern made its way across her face as she wondered if he was that upset by her question. Did he think dancing with her was that unappealing?

The verbal answer made her feel a little better, though, and her smile brightened back up again. Was that all? She'd already decided she didn't care one bit about the issue of rank, and she thought protocol was made to be broken every once in a while.

"I absolutely do," she replied firmly. "And I'm fairly certain there are no rules against you dancing." She looked at him for a moment, her smile replaced with a thoughtful look as she tried to come up with a reason that he might accept. She decided on the truth. After all, the truth was always simpler than a lie. "You're always on the edge of things looking in. I never see you participating and having a good time. So, I think it's high time you did something light-hearted, even if it's only for one song."

Her smile returned, gentler this time, and she offered her hand. "Come dance with me. If you hate it, then you're free to stop whenever you like."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He would never call himself witty. Had Camille suggested as much out loud, he would have been confused. As it was, thay she found it to be a joke...well, he supposed it was funny.

"I'm a guard, milady. My job isn't to have a good time. It is to..." ensure she did. Well, that argument failed miserably, didn't it? Ensure she had a good time without him? It was a little too late to fix that sentiment now. Quite the catch-22 he had invented for himself.

Just like him, she found his frantic defending arguments rather lacking. Her unassuming smile only helped to disarm him even more but he tried to stand his ground. He supposed he could lie. Or walk away. But that was rather too much like admitting defeat. At least agreeing with her earned him a dance. Which then begged the question: Did he want to dance? Camille absolutely did. Bastian supposed he could take it as an order. If anyone cared to give him a problem.

Sebastian sighed and offered her his full attention and a formal bow. "Might I have this next dance, Lady Camille?" As he came out of the bow, he offered his own hand to hers but didn't quite take it.

For one dance.

[Camille St. James]

Ha! She actually watched him realize he didn't have a good argument, and it was fantastically satisfying. She didn't bother to hide her grin or soft giggle that rose as he gave up. Maybe she should have felt guilty for trapping him like that, but she honestly didn't. She was sure he wouldn't regret it. If anyone tried to hassle him about it, she'd happily take the blame. He was a handsome man, after all, so surely it wouldn't be too hard to believe that a naive young noble had taken a fancy to him? She could play that angle quite easily.

Oh. Maybe easier than she thought. The little flutter in her chest when he bowed and offered his hand to her and their eyes met made her smile falter for a moment and her cheeks flush as she re-evaluated the situation. Had she been lying to herself this whole time about her reasons? No, she didn't think so...but she was going to have to be more careful going forward. She wasn't going to let her dumb-bunny romanticism ruin her plans after all this effort. After all, one flicker wasn't a crush, and even if it was a crush she'd be over it in two weeks anyhow.

She shook her surprise off soon enough, though, and took his hand as he straightened up. "It would be an honor," she replied with a grin.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian didn't bother to hide the un-amused expression at her grin and giggle but he also didn't bother to actually say anything and let the look slip away quickly. Who was he to question nobility, after all. And she had sort of earned the moment. He respected that. Not so witty now, was he?

He could hear Allerick now. The man casually inviting him to his bedroom for a "father son" bedside chat. He would make a few notes about the party security that was very formal and entirely unnecessary. And then he would say something to the effect of 'don't get attached.' And upon a second time 'keep your habits outside my court' or 'see that it doesn't happen again.' It got in the way of his duty as a guard and a warden.

Shockingly enough, he was well aware that he was rather handsome. Even though Camille hesitated the barest moment to rein in her emotions, he understood that women blushing meant...well, meant he made a good impression.

Also shockingly enough he didn't understand why that might be a factor at all. Camille had made a lot of points after all and his looks had never come up. Was she lying? He doubted it. Was she just as susceptible to being attracted to someone for any number of reasons, just like him? Yes. She was quite beautiful herself. It was an observation that rested just at the edge of his consciousness. Because he was still just a guard and a nobody. Maybe in another setting he could allow himself to notice that. Or notice her giggle was cute. Or notice her own wit and assertiveness was attractive. But here, in the castle, at a party, in public...no.

The captain of the guard escorted her to the edge of the dance floor with a raised hand and appropriate distance as the previous dance drew to a close. The dancer bowed to each other and a few couples flowed on and off the floor, Camille and Sebastian among them. He felt entirely out of place as he sketched another polite bow to his dance partner and took her arm and waist in his hands.

[Camille St. James]

Camille consciously straightened her posture as they approached the dancefloor, wanting to make sure she was actually a decent dance partner seeing as she'd somewhat bullied him into dancing with her in the first place. Her free hand nervously smoothed the velvety fabric of her skirt, although she didn't realize it at the time. The musicians began another song, not a particularly slow one, but enough that she knew it wasn't a circle dance. Well, that was good, she'd have been a little put out if she got this far only to have her dance partner whisked away across the room.

As he bowed, she dropped a low curtsy, far lower than she probably should have, but she was just enjoying showing off, at this point. She grinned so hard her eyes almost vanished behind her cheeks as she rose up again and put her hand on his shoulder as he took the other. The smile relaxed some but didn't vanish as they fell into the dance. She couldn't quite place why she was so pleased with herself. It wasn't just about winning, although she liked that too, she thought it was more about how she was feeling earlier. About feeling wanted. About belonging somewhere, and having a name and a family. The smile was gone now, and her brow began to furrow slightly. She wondered if Captain Arcturis had ever gotten tired of being on the edge of things like that. He hadn't commented on her reasoning, though he'd acquiesced. Despite his silence, she felt that if he really didn't want to be here, he wouldn't.

She realized eventually that she'd been looking at him like he was a particularly difficult puzzle for who knows how long. Gods, she hoped it wasn't too long. Her cheeks flushed more than before, and she turned her head to stare fixedly at his shoulder instead. Oh hurry up, say something witty! she urged herself, You're supposed to be the twin who's good at distractions!"

"How are we doing so far? She asked, letting a playful smile fall on her lips as she glanced back up at his face. "Ready to run for the hills yet?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He would have prefered something a little slower but he too was glad it wasn't one of those circle, shared type of dances. He didn't know so many of those. But also he would have felt bad that Camille did all that work just for him to be able to slip away from her and then ditch another partner. Preferrable to return to work, he supposed.

He was a little off balance still and her low curtsy didn't help. Still, he had shown her proper respect, he supposed he shouldn't be so bothered. Nobles were a strange breed. At least she seemed happy. Well, she started the dance happy and he was more than well coordinated and martial enough and well trained enough to be able to dance. And not just follow steps but actually dance. Camille staring at him was noticed and quickly ignored because while she was lovely to look at, she was...sort of looking through him. His gaze kept drifting to the edges of the crowd.

Sebastian had been raised in a strange grey area. Not a noble, but taught like one in secret. Not claimed by any family, raised to be a guard and then more than a guard. But he hadn't known anything other than this life. Always standing by the window and only sometimes looking through. Seeing Cera sometimes made it worse, in those moments when she clearly wanted out from behind the glass.

Camille's blush and sudden turning of her head made the man wonder what he had done wrong. Or maybe she just realized who she was dancing with finally. Maybe he should be saying something instead of just dancing? He supposed now was the perfect time for short private conversations. He had never really thought of that before, but while dancing, one was close enough to their partner to be intimate with their words.

"I don't make a habit of running from anything, milady," he answered when she beat him to it. "You're a lovely dancer." She was also lovely in other ways but he was certain saying as much would be over stepping.

[Camille St. James]

Camille laughed. "No, I imagine you don't. But then, you don't make a habit of dancing, either, from what I've seen." She almost winked but decided that was a bit flirtier than she was aiming for. The compliment surprised her, and her eyebrows rose. "You know, I'm an even better dancer when I'm paying attention! If anything, the fact I haven't fallen on my face by now is more a credit to you than me; I've been entirely following your lead."

She said it prettily, but she meant it--he actually was a good dancer. Somehow she hadn't really thought ahead about whether he would be or not, so she couldn't say she was surprised, exactly. Pleased, she supposed, but it made sense seeing as he had to have decent coordination to be the guard captain. If he was stomping on people's feet in a dance, just imagine how he'd be in a fight! She almost laughed at her own imaginings, but after quickly licking her lips to mentally reset, she was back on track.

"I apologize for letting my mind wander so long. I was just thinking we might have more in common than you'd expect." She let that linger, so that he could question if he wanted, or let it go. She didn't plan to pry into his life too far, either way, but she wanted to test the waters and see if he was willing to chat with her a little.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian ran toward things just as often as he didn't dance. It was like the two were mutually exclusive. Except they were not, since he was dancing right now and was still positive he could run toward something.

He wasn't so sure how to take her teasing however. It wasn't outright flirting, he recognized that much. But she did seem to be teasing him for some reason. The guard supposed friendships could start that way too. Only...why had she asked him to dance anyway? There were plenty of noblemen to dance with, after all.

Her cocky reply and her confidence made him smile slightly. Better when she was paying attention. So she was thinking about something. He took the complement quietly, however, with only a small nod and didn't play into it any further.

Some fights were about avoiding stepping on people's toes. Others were entirely about it. He liked to think of himself as flexible. In a bar fight, it didn't matter. Against an assassin, it usually did.

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, milady." Sebastian said. Oh, he was certainly curious, but he had no illusions about where he stood and whether he could ask such things. She could suggest discussion topics and he would be inclined to follow politely. As for her chosen topic...well, she invited him to ask so he did. "What sort of commonalities?" Willing to chat was perhaps too generous a phrase. But he did continue the conversation.