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Nero was kind of glad to hear that Sri was letting the topic of Nanashi go after saying nothing more than 'Okay'. He didn't really want to get into much more of a debate with her over the topic and unfortunately it could be pretty easy to argue with a child. He had argued with his own sister enough to know just how easy it could be. Then of course you rarely won the arguments because Seina just didn't know when to give up when she thought she was right. He smiled slightly when she said 'okay' again but more brightly. Thanks to Sri he was starting to forget a little just how uncomfortable it was being here and having everyone afraid of him... or hating him. He hadn't bothered moving until she had taken his hand and of course paused when she stopped to clean up her cards. He watched her silently, a little surprised that she had done that on her own since surely there were maids here who could and would do that for her. He started to follow her once again when she took his hand and started to tug him along though he stopped again when they were heading out and Selenity had shown up. He of course noted how out of breath she looked and was kind of a little surprised that she apparently knew where to look for him. He lowered his eyes to the glasses when she held them out to him. He reached over and took them, giving them a once over when she asked if they would be alright. He lifted them up to his eyes without bothering to put them on and then nodded his head a little. They should be, thank you. He told her and then lowered his eyes back to the glasses. He was a little surprised that she had managed to get him another pair so quickly... okay... maybe he shouldn't have been that surprised, but he was. He was also glad that these didn't look anywhere near as girly as the ones that Reyes was using. He glanced back to Selenity momentarily when Sri started questioning her about someone named Jett. He assumed that must have been a guard and couldn't honestly remember if he had met the guy before or not. He doubted it seeing as he only really remembered Ishta and a maid or two. He couldn't help but shake his head a bit as he listened, finding that Selenity had locked her guard in the library. Of course that didn't really surprise him after what he had learned of Selenity and listening to Sri tattle on her mistreatment of the guards.
He started to look away briefly after Sri had playfully said that her sister was mean though his attention was rather easily caught when he noticed Selenity falling towards the floor. He reacted without really thinking about it first and immediately dropped the glasses that he had been holding before stepping past Sri and throwing out his arms with just enough time to catch her before she had an intimate encounter with the floor. Part of him also remembered vaguely that it hurt when that gem was rammed back into her head when it hit something like the floor so he wanted to make sure that he got to her before her head could hit the ground, causing more pain. Once he had a hold of her he knelt down almost right away and shifted her so that she was cradled in his arms. He moved one hand to lift up and tap the side of her face lightly a couple times. Hey... c'mon... you're not supposed to do things like this in your own home... He said as he tried to coax her back around. He honestly couldn't believe that she would pass out in her own home. She was supposed to know this place better than anyone and here she had gone and likely rushed around looking for him so that she could find him before her guard found her... and she'd passed out just after handing over the glasses. He shook his head slightly as he stared down at her. Why couldn't she have brought the glasses to him like a normal person and taken her time? He sighed almost heavily after staring at her a moment. He knew that this was most likely due to the fact that she couldn't breathe and he vaguely remembered at some point that she had complained about the clothes she was going to be 'stuffed' into. ....We need to get you breathing again properly.... He paused and shifted her slightly. ....and quick.... He added as he looked for how to undo the dress that she was wearing. He knew a little about woman's clothing... only thanks to his fiance. She liked to wear tight things and willingly stuffed herself into corsets given half the chance so undoing one wasn't going to be too much a trouble for him. He glanced to Sri momentarily as he started to undo her sisters dress. I'm just going to help her breathe better, faster. He told her to assure her that he wasn't going to do anything to her sister. Once he had gotten the dress undone and moved enough he looked to see whether or not the corset was a front or back closure and almost immediately started loosening it, hoping that that alone would be enough to help get her breathing again. He didn't really want to have to breathe for her.... but he supposed he would if he really had to. |
Sri gasped quietly when her sister fainted, and moved out of Nero's way easily and quickly. Other than the initial shock, she didn't look too startled. Things like this tended to happen to her all on occasion, so she was pretty used to it. She didn't like it when it happened, but she wasn't too worried about it since she always came back around. She was glad that Nero managed to catch her when he did since she would have had a major headache if she had hit the floor the way she was falling. She glanced to the floor and walked over to pick up his glasses for him, and then blinked when he said that he was just going to help her breathe faster. She stared at him when he started undoing her clothes. "You're not supposed to do that!" she said, putting her hand over her mouth as she watched. "...You're...supposed to just put her on the bed...or something...." she said from behind her hand...though it was a little late since he was already tugging at the laces. That was what people usually did when she fainted, they just laid her out somewhere and fanned her with something until she woke up.
Selenity was only barely aware of anything after she fell. She was too dizzy to pay much mind to anything other than trying to breathe. She felt Nero tapping her face and heard him,but his words sounded far away and jumbled to her. Her dress today was another of those elaborate thin satin dresses that fit close to her body, buttoning up the back. The corset was one that laced up the back, meaning she had to have someone else tighten it for her. Sadly, whenever she had someone else doing that for her they always tended to do it too tightly. Or well...most did. Firra was pretty good about asking her if it was too tightly, but she had been busy this morning. The thing was pulled about as tight as it possibly could be on her, which was why she was having such a hard time breathing deeply. This wouldn't have been so bad if there hadn't been so many sets of stairs for her to climb. While she was out she had gotten used to walking briskly and not having and trouble, so it was a but of a switch getting back into the groove of moving slowly and gracefully like she was expected to. Thankfully, once Nero loosened the corset for her she immediately started gulping in air. She continued to hang there for a moment before she groaned and cracked open her eyes slowly again. She blinked when she found herself staring up into Nero's face and for a moment she didn't seem to have any comprehension of what was going on, but then her face started to flush bright red when she realized that her dress was a lot looser than it should have been. "U-um...." she muttered before her arms shot up and crossed over her chest where her dress was just barely covering her now. She sat herself upright quickly and started scrambling to pull her sleeves back up and then reached ducked her head a little, her entire face going scarlet. Nero might have been perfectly comfortable prancing around in his skivvies, but she wasn't too comfortable with all but having her breasts exposed right in his face. ...His or anyone else's. |
Nero hadn't bothered looking up from what he was doing when he heard Sri telling him that he wasn't supposed to do that, that he was supposed to just put Selenity on a bed or something. ...Putting her on a bed won't help her start breathing easier quickly.... He told her almost defensively. He had no ulterior motives behind this, he solely just wanted to help her catch her breath... now... not later and leaving her to lie on a bed still stuck in a too-tight corset wasn't going to help speed up the process. He had been worried as he sat there and was undoing the laces to her corset though given his poker face you wouldn't have been able to tell. He felt some relief when she did finally start gulping in air. That was at least a great sign that she was going to be fine. He felt it better not to prolong the whole passing out process. The faster she was able to breathe normally, the better or at least in his opinion anyway. He wasn't the least bit concerned with the amount of skin that was showing from his having to remove bits of her clothes in order to undo the laces of the corset. Being naked or having people naked around him really didn't bother him much. Not to mention he had seen the female body so it wasn't like it was anything new to him. He stared down at Selenity noticing the color her face was turning which only made him shake his head a little. He saw no real reason to be getting embarrassed, it wasn't like he was ogling her bare skin or anything. He let her go easily enough when she started to cover herself up and sit up. Seeing as she seemed to be just fine now he went ahead and started to move away from her a little before standing up. ...You really should be more careful. He told her as he glanced down at her, his expression having faded back to what she usually saw rather than the extremely soft version that Sri had gotten to see.
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Sri blinked when Nero responded to her that putting her on a bed wouldn't help her breathe more quickly. "That's what people usually do...," she told him in a little voice. She just watched him and her sister for a moment, smiling slightly when her sister woke up and immediately started turning red. She giggled quietly when she sat up and started trying to pulled her dress back up and then shook her head a little. Her eyes wandered back to Nero as he started to stand up again and she scurried closer to him and held up his glasses for him since he had dropped them before.
Selenity kept her head down while she struggled to keep her dress from sliding back down again. She held one hand up at the front of it and then reached back with the other in an attempt to get the thing buttoned up again or something, but that was a little hard to do both blind and one handed from such and awkward angle. She slowly turned her gaze up toward Nero for a moment when he told her that she should be more careful. She didn't say anything for a moment, simply tried to get back to her feet, though she staggered a little once she was standing again. She probably should have tried laying down again, but she wanted to get this taken care of before anyone else came wondering upstairs. Rather than respond to his comment the way she would have wished to...which was mostly a strong of complaints about people who didn't know how to tie corsets without breaking ribs and the amount of stairs in this palace, she turned her back to him and swatted her hair out of the way. "Do me up," she said quickly, sounding almost panicky. She knew if anyone...or well if the right person saw this he could get into a heap of trouble. |
Nero shook his head a little when Sri told him that that was what people usually did when her sister passed out. Honestly... that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. If Selenity passed out like that you needed to get that damnedable corset undone so that she could actually breathe... not wait for her to be able to do it on her own while the corset was crushing her. Then again he supposed no one here would really have the guts to sit there and undress their princess even if she couldn't breathe. He glanced down to Sri when she scurried closer to him and saw her holding the glasses up to him. He reached down to take them from her and smiled softly at her. Thank you. He told her before going ahead and just slipping the glasses on so that he wouldn't have to carry them or stand the chance of dropping them again. He supposed he should just glad that they didn't break or anything since he completely disregarded them when Selenity started to take her fall. He lifted his eyes over to Selenity a little when she started to get to her feet and shook his head a little. She should've just continued sitting there for a little while or asked about going to a bed or something but no... she was getting to her feet and she was now telling him to do her up. He couldn't help smirking slightly after she had actually turned her back to him and moved her hair out of the way. ...You assume I know how to dress a woman? He said more teasingly then anything. Most men only really knew how to get the clothes off, few he thought really knew how to put them back on. Rather than just leave her to fend for herself on getting the dress done up again he complied and stepped up behind her to start righting what he had undone. Of course he started first by making sure that the corset was in place and not too tight like it had been and then started to move onto the buttons. He started at the lowest button and rather deftly worked his way up to the last one.
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Selenity blushed again when Nero made the comment about assuming he knew how to dress a woman. "Well you certainly know how to undress one!" she hissed back at him, "So you had better learn fast! Do you have any idea the trouble you would be in if someone saw this!?" she demanded. She waited for him to fix her dress and then sighed as she let her hair fall over her back and turned again. "Thank you...," she said as she turned around, her cheeks still flushed a few shades of pink. She pointed her finger in his face commandingly then. "DO NOT do that again, Nero. Take me to a bed, leave me in the floor, whatever, but do not undress me. My father would have your head if he caught wind of this!" She kept her voice low just in case anyone was getting close to where they could hear. "Understand?" she asked as she lowered her hand. She sighed, glad to be able to move her lungs again. She still felt a little worn out but she wasn't too worried about it. She wasn't upset with Nero for what he had done, she had enough sense to know what he was doing...but that didn't mean the rest of the palace would and she didn't want him getting into huge trouble for trying to help her.
Sri smiled at Nero when he took the glasses back and thanked her, then watched as her sister got up and started telling him to fix her dress. She giggled quietly at the way Selenity spoke to Nero and couldn't help but shake her head at them. It was kind of funny watching Selenity scold Nero for what he had done. She had already known that her sister wasn't going to be too pleased with him for that one, so she wasn't too surprised that she got onto him for it. |
Nero didn't bother to answer Selenity when she demanded if he knew the trouble he would be in if someone had seen what he had done. He hadn't really been thinking about that at the time or else he may have gone about things differently. He knew it would have looked really, really bad if someone had happened to come upon them even while he was trying to do up her dress. He nodded his head slightly when she turned and thanked him though he just kind of stared at her for a moment when she put her finger in his face and started scolding him. He couldn't believe that she was honestly standing there scolding him after that. She could have just calmly asked him not do that again and explained why... but scolding... He sighed almost heavily and shook his head a bit as he looked away from her. ....Whatever. He responded like he normally would rather than bother getting into it with her. Just keep your finger out of my face. He told her before turning over all of his attention to Sri. He smiled at her a little, completely ignoring Selenity for the time being. Now that the distraction is done with, we were headed outside were we not?
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Sri smiled slightly when Nero turned back to her and asked if they were going outside or not. "Uh-huh!" she responded brightly before snagging his hand again. She still wanted to go outside, and was half hoping that her sister would come with them, but she didn't ask. Normally after Selenity fainted she was tired she figured she was going to go nap or something for a little while before she did anything else. She was already getting ready to haul Nero toward the stairs so that she could get him outside father. She was actually kind of excited to get to show him the garden, and especially wanted to show him the maze since it was nice and fun to get lost in.
Selenity huffed when Nero responded with a simply 'whatever' and shook her head. It was a little hard to stay calm and talk ask him not to do that again when she was concentrating all of her efforts on just keeping her voice low. It flustered her even thinking about it, so if course she wasn't going to be entirely calm. He was just lucky she didn't wind up completely freaking out on him and just said what she needed to as quietly and calmly as she could manage at the moment. She had been worried half to death that someone was going to come wandering up the stairs at just the wrong time. She almost rolled her eyes when he turned to Sri and smiled at her. Oh yeah, be sweet to the kid. Still, she wound up smiling a little and shaking her head. She was silent while Sri responded to Nero, but once she had she reached over and placed a hand on Nero's shoulder lightly before she started to head toward the stairs. "I'll walk you down," she said simply. "...Technically, you're not supposed to be up here...guests aren't allowed on this corridor without permission and well...Sri's permission isn't always good enough...if you know what I mean," she said softly. At least she seemed to be getting over that little episode there pretty fast, though that was mostly because she was trying to shove it out of her mind entirely. |
Nero smiled a little once again after Sri had answered him and wound up snagging his hand yet again. He was kind of happy that she seemed so enthusiastic about something as simple as going outside with him. It was a rather pleasant change from the bad looks and negative vibes he had been getting from some people, if not most. He also quite liked the fact that he didn't scare Sri. But then again she was Selenity's sister... of course she wasn't scared of him. He glanced to Selenity momentarily when she touched his shoulder and listened silently when she said that she would walk them down, adding lastly that technically guests weren't supposed to be up here. He sighed softly and glanced down to Sri only briefly. Looks like someone neglected to inform me of that little bit. He said as he shook his head a little. Though... he supposed if Sri had told him she wouldn't have gotten him to come upstairs with her. If he had known that guests weren't supposed to be in this section of the palace then he wouldn't have come, even if he had proper permission. He looked back to Selenity without showing an ounce of concern. Shouldn't you just go lie down or something. He paused. It's just down the stairs after all, I think your sister and I will be alright and if anyone asks we'll just let them know that you would've come down with us if you hadn't passed out. He didn't think there would really be too much trouble just between here and the bottom of the stairs, as well as the rest of the way out of this section of the palace. Not to mention he was a little more concerned with Selenity laying down or something since she had passed out then having her walk them down, especially seeing as she would likely have to walk back up the stairs to lay down. That would be a lot of exertion for someone who had only just passed out a few moments ago.
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Sri's ears fell back a little bit when Nero said that he hadn't been informed of that little bit. "It's okay when you have one of us with you...," she told him quietly. She really didn't see what the big deal was...after all, it was her room she should be able to say who could and couldn't go in there. "Besides, it's never been a problem before...," she muttered under her breath. She had invited people up to her room before and no one sad anything. She even got Ellior up there for a while, so she didn't see why anyone should get mad at Nero.
Selenity sighed softly and shook her head a little. "That doesn't surprise me," she said simply. "I mean...you are allowed to be up here with one of us since this is where our rooms are...you just aren't supposed to come up alone." She shook her head a little when Nero said that they could just tell someone that she would have come down with them if she hadn't passed out. "Nero if you breathe one word about that to anyone I will hang you by your tail from something," she threatened darkly. "At any rate...it would just be better for you all the way around not to be seen coming from up here with just Sri. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but..." she sighed, looking as if she didn't really want to finish that sentence, but she went ahead and blurted it out in a rush, "considering your clan it's not the best idea to be caught wandering around alone with my seven year old sister." She gave him an apologetic look after she finished the sentence and then shook her head a little. "...I'm glad you're keeping her company, but...it's best to stay in more open areas...okay? I'm sorry...but my father is going to be be looking for any reason he can find to skin you and your cousin alive, and I don't want you to get into trouble over nothing." She really did look sorry about that, especially since she obviously did not share the same views as her father at all. "He's had a...bit of a bad run with your clan so he doesn't really trust any of you as far as he can throw you." She looked down to Sri and smiled slightly, "So don't you be going and trying to trick him into following you places you know you're not supposed to be." She turned back toward the stairs again and glanced back to Nero briefly. "Come on...I guess I should go let Jett out anyway if someone hasn't already." She smiled a little wryly, "He's new...I gotta break him in proper. I never did find anything to read anyway, so I may as well grab a book before I banish myself to my room." She knew it was a lot of exertion for her right after waking up, but she just didn't really want to lay down just yet. Of course she could have easily gotten a maid to bring her a book, but she didn't like sending them on silly errands, not to mention there weren't many there to begin with and she really did want to keep them busy. She also just flat out didn't want there to be a chance of Nero getting in trouble over this, so she was going to make sure that he didn't. |
Nero didn't particularly want to get into it with Sri on why it would be a big deal with him versus anyone else, well... anyone but another dark dragon that was. He glanced back to Selenity when she started to expand a little on what she had meant and then shook his head a little when she threatened him about saying a word about her having passed out. He didn't really see what the big deal was about it. It wasn't like he was stupid enough to give away the details and if anyone had wanted details he would've just lied about it and said that Sri had instructed him to put Selenity on a bed, or something. But then again maybe it was just the fact that Selenity had passed out in his presence that would have come off badly. He sighed again almost heavily when she said that considering his clan it wasn't the best idea to be caught wandering around with her seven year old sister. He hadn't really been bothered too much by the statement because he knew it probably looked bad, or could be taken badly... but that didn't mean he liked the fact that the color of his scales dictated how he was treated, even here. He knew Selenity hadn't meant anything by what she was saying but what she was saying was pretty much the truth and he knew it. Once she had said that her father would be looking for any reason to skin him and his cousin alive he just kind of nodded his head a little, almost understandingly. ...I can imagine. He commented quietly. He nodded his head again slightly as she had continued to say that her father had had a bad run in with his clan so he didn't trust any of them from his clan as far as he could throw them. ...Yeah ...I know... He said quietly, almost a little hushed. Courtesy of Sri he knew all too well what their fathers problem was and he could imagine him not liking anyone from the dark clan even if they hadn't done anything to him. He wasn't sure that he could really blame their father either.... what his own father did to them was pretty cruel. By the time she had gotten through telling her sister not to trick him into going places they shouldn't and had said that she should go let Jett out of the library he had kind of lost the urge to talk Selenity into just letting he and Sri head downstairs on their own. Had they not been in a place like this where he could really get into trouble he probably would've been a little more forceful with getting Selenity to lie down since she had passed out... but well... yeah... this wasn't the place to do that. His mood had taken a brief dip as well but that wasn't entirely easy to tell with him. He was just nicely reminded that his father had most likely killed their mother... and he was almost one hundred percent positive of that. Unless he was mistaking the gem... but he was pretty sure that he wasn't. He sighed softly and just kind of waved her off since he wasn't fighting her on walking them down. ...Okay ...well let's get going.... He said quietly as he gave Sri's hand a little squeeze.
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Sri blinked when her sister told her not to go trying to sneak Nero in places where he wasn't allowed to be. "I wouldn't do that!" she said indignantly, though the both of them knew all to well that she normally might have. She did get he picture after hearing her talk that she shouldn't drag him into questionable places, but she thought that outside was just fine since they wouldn't be hard to find. Even in the maze all someone would have to do is fly up over it and they could find them. She smiled up at Nero when he squeezed her hand and leaned her head against his arm lightly, nuzzling against it gently. "Don't worry, I won't get you in trouble," she promised quietly before she started for the stairs.
Selenity was a little surprised when Nero said that he knew that their father had a bad run with his clan. She didn't really know what to make of his knowledge since she had no idea that Sri had given him the story. She would have never told Nero about that since she didn't want him to feel bad...not that she really believed he would care much. She still didn't know how to take him sometimes. One minute he acted like he hated her and the next he was doing something nice. He was really hard to read. She pulled up the front of her dress a little and held the fabric with the hand that clung tot he rail while she waited for them. Surprisingly enough Selenity did notice the way that Nero's voice got quieter after all of that. It didn't show on his face, but the way he spoke kind of gave him away. Once he got close enough she placed her hand on his shoulder again gently and rubbed it a little. "...I'm really sorry, Nero...," she sad softly, "Please don't let it get to you. He wasn't always like this...I don't know what's gotten into him lately." Well, that wasn't entirely true. She knew perfectly well but she didn't understand it. She only hated one dark dragon...and she had no idea who it was, but she would know him if she saw him not that she thought that very likely. "I've spoken to my grandmother about you...so my father shouldn't be able to give you or your cousin very many problems. Thankfully our elder is a little more compassionate than our king," she said as she rolled her eyes a little. She started down the stairs carefully, trying to watch where she put her feet since she didn't want to trip and roll down the stairs. |
Nero glanced down at Sri when she nuzzled against his arm and then smiled when she said for him not to worry, that she wouldn't get him into trouble. He stared down at her and smiled a little more warmly. I believe you, I'm not worried. He told her quietly. He knew a little better now himself just where he could and couldn't go with Sri... so he was going to be looking out for his own tail as well so he really wasn't that worried. He glanced back to Selenity momentarily when she touched his shoulder and told him that she was really sorry. He shook his head a little after she had said not to let it get to him. ...I do not blame your father for how he feels towards my clan. He paused. ...If anything, I understand. He told her quietly. Honestly... it had to take one hell of a bad encounter in his opinion to make a light dragon really, really discriminatory towards a clan... not that the light clan didn't have enough reasons to dislike the dark clan... but well... in his opinion both her father as well as her and her sister had a good enough reason to hate them all and to treat them however they wanted. He just kind of wished that there was something that he could do to try and help ease the anger that her father still obviously felt over losing his best friend, his wife, his queen and the mother of his children. He merely nodded his head a little, almost weakly when she said that she had spoken to her grandmother and her father shouldn't be able to give him and his cousin very many problems. He wasn't really all that worried he supposed deep down... if her father wanted to take his frustrations out on him he doubted he would really argue against it, even if he hadn't done anything wrong. Of course that was only after Sri had clued him in and he had realized that it was his own father who had killed their wife and mother. Without a doubt... he didn't want to tell either Sri or Selenity what he had figured out.... but given enough time to mull over the thoughts in his head he might almost be willing to voice it to their father if the chance arose. Of course along side that knowledge would undoubtedly come the offer to stand in his fathers place for punishment if it were able to help sooth the King's anger.... especially since the likelihood of his own father being anywhere near the King again was pretty damn slim.
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Selenity smiled weakly at Nero when he said that he didn't blame their father and if anything he understood. "Even still...I'll not have you mistreated for something you had nothing to do with," she said simply. She patted his shoulder again gently and then sighed as she pulled her hand back and let it fall to her side. She was glad that Nero seemed so understanding of all of this, but that didn't make her father's actions any better in her mind. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs she sighed softly and looked down the hallway, almost making a face since she knew there was another set of stairs to go down before she could even get to the library. She let her dress go and then started to move forward again carefully, making sure that she didn't trip up on anything. She was looking forward to just going to stretch out somewhere and read for a while, though with the way she felt right now she may very well wind up asleep when she did.
Sri smiled at Nero when he said that he believed her and nodded her head a little in approval. After that she just let him an he sister talk while she tired to concentrate on not killing herself on the stairs. She still didn't let go of Nero's hand this time, though she clung to the railing with her other hand tightly. She was pretty sure if she tripped that he would catch her but she wanted to make sure she didn't fall anyway. Sri didn't realize that her questions or the knowledge she had bestowed on Nero had affected him in any way. She knew it must have made him feel bad for a few minutes since he came and hugged her after she told him but she thought he was already over it. She also didn't really notice much of a dip in his mood, but that was mostly because she was only half listening. |
Nero didn't say anything further once Selenity had said that she would not have him mistreated for something he had nothing to do with. He may not have had anything to do with it, even in reality... but he still felt somewhat responsible though that was only because he was close to his family. Anything any one of them did was something that he did as well... or at least that was the roughest way of looking at it. He also was having a hard time with being in both of their presence knowing what he knew. It may not have shown... but he disliked knowing that his father had been the cause of their suffering and they were both so kind to him whereas they should've hated him like their father did. He followed Sri down the stairs and kept a good grip on her hand as they went down. Of course should she had tripped or looked like she was about to fall he would have kept her from getting hurt. Once they had reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs he did glance back at Selenity momentarily. ...Are you sure you don't just want to go back and lie down? He tried once more for good effort. They had already made it here without a hitch so he didn't really see the need for her to keep going when it would be easier for her to just go back and go to her room to lie down.
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Selenity sighed softly once Nero asked her if she was sure she didn't want to just go lie down. She hesitated a moment before answer and glanced back to the stairs. "...I think I'd rather walk down another set than climb those," she said simply. "There's a place it sit in the library...and I still want to get my book," she said simply. It may not have shown much on this trip...or well then again maybe it had with as knowledgeable as she was, but Selenity was a bit of a book worm. When you weren't allowed to do much reading turned out to be a pretty good hobby. She smiled slightly at him again and started down the hall. "Come on, I'm fine. I think I can make it back to the library to settle down for a while at least." She really didn't want to have to walk back up the stairs right after coming down them, so it her it would just be easier to go fall out in the library. She may get a few weird looks, but that never really bothered her. All she had to do was go down this next set of stairs and more or less across from the dining room and she would be there. It wasn't that far, though with the size of this place and the amount of stairways going anywhere could turn into a workout. She glanced over to Sri and smiled slightly when she noticed that she was still clinging to Nero's arm even though they weren't on the stairs anymore.
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Nero nodded his head slightly when Selenity finally answered him and didn't bother to push the topic. If she didn't want to go back upstairs and rest then he wasn't going to force her to... even if he would have felt better with her going back upstairs rather than following them any further. He continued to keep a hold of Sri's hand and followed after Selenity once she had said that she was fine and that she thought she could make it back to the library and then rest there for awhile. ...Just don't go passing out on us again before you get there. He teased quietly. He was kind of worried about her though like usual it didn't really show. He just planned to keep an eye on her as they went down the next set of stairs and if need be catch her if she tripped up or something. It wasn't really too hard to keep an eye on both Princesses so long as they were both within an arms length of him. Part of him wondered just how strange it would look to someone else to see him with both of the Princesses... especially since he wasn't supposed to have been where he was.
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Selenity looked back to Nero when he told her not to pass out on them again before they got there and rolled her eyes a little. "Ha ha," she commented, swatting his arm lightly. "I'll be fine, Nero.... Sadly, that happens a lot, I'm kind of used to it. I think anyone realizes that my lungs need room to expand just like everyone else's." She held onto the railing tightly as they descended the next flight of stairs and then sighed softly once she reached the bottom. She closed her eyes for a moment and then released the banister and looked over to Nero again, offering him a weak smile. "There, I made it. Now you can stop worrying." She started away from the stairs and headed back toward the center hallway again so that she could head back to the library. "Behave, Sri," she called back to her sister with a smile, "don't give Nero a hard time."
Sri had kept quiet while she followed Nero down the stairs, and managed not to trip herself this time since she was going slow. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs and Selenity started toward the hallway. "I wont, I won't!" she insisted when her sister told her not to give Nero a hard time. She laughed softly and then looked up to him again, smiling slightly. "Come one," she said excitedly, tugging his arm gently. She hauled him toward the same hallways that Senility had taken so that she could get to the ballroom and out to the balcony that led to the garden. She watched Selenity branch off to the large set of double doors on the right side of the hallway and unlock it before heading inside, and then she continued down to the end of the hall to the hall where the ballroom was. She didn't think Nero had been in here before, so she slowed down a little to let him look over the room if he was interested, though the only thing in there really were the pillars, the piano and harp, and then their thrones and the big family portrait over them. She didn't really stop as she came in and continued toward the glass doors at the back so they could go out that way. |
Nero didn't entirely have much to say when Selenity said that the passing out thing happened a lot. What could one really say to that, that hadn't already been said before? Not to mention he was pretty sure that it was obvious that he wasn't thrilled at the idea of her passing out like that a lot. No woman should have to put up with something like that.... especially not for the sake of looking pretty and skinnier. He continued down the stairs and once they reached the bottom and Selenity said that he could stop worrying he just stared at her. Again, what could he say to that? He could have been an ass and made some teasing remark or something but honest to goodness, he kind of worried about her and the whole passing out thing. It was silly though... he shouldn't be worrying about her and he knew it. He just sighed quietly and gave a slightly disinterested looking nod of his head. Once she started off down the hall his dark eyes followed her from behind his glasses for a moment before dropping down to Sri. He didn't fight her when she started to tug him down towards the ballroom, he just followed and tried not to make it too difficult for her to tug him. Besides, it would probably look better for the little Princess to be pulling him around. When they came to the ballroom he let his eyes wander around the space for a moment since he wasn't being directed any longer. Had he not been upstairs first and seen the picture up there he probably would have been surprised by the portrait behind the thrones. Although... seeing that seriously made him contemplate even further about taking what he had figured out to their father. He felt the need to try and make something better, at least for the families sake if nothing else. The King was never, ever going to get revenge on his father for what he had done to the Queen. It just wasn't going to happen. The King didn't leave here, his territory in search of his father and his father wasn't going to come back here... so there wasn't revenge to be had... unless you didn't mind taking your frustrations out on the son of the man who murdered your wife and tore apart your family. In theory, it would probably be a decent enough trade considering his father had taken a loved one... so why not take a loved one back? Especially since you wouldn't be able to get your hands on the perp. He sighed almost heavily. Being in this palace and surrounded by constant reminders of what his father did was going to drive him batty. He had the sense enough to know he shouldn't worry about trying to make things better... but he also couldn't help himself... especially after talking with Sri. After a few moments he realized that he hadn't moved from staring at the portrait. He'd gone and lost himself in thought. He shook himself slightly and finally started away from the picture and the thrones and continued after Sri, absently hoping he hadn't kept her waiting too long.
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Sri did finally let Nero's hand go once they were in the ballroom. She would let him look around a little while she made her way over to the doors. Of course, she manged to beat him there easily seeing as he wound up stopping and getting side tracked by the painting. She barely seemed to notice since she was busy tugging open the door at the back with a little effort. Once she got it open she slipped out onto the balcony and looked down into the garden just to see if there was anyone out there. Her face brightened a bit when she saw at the garden wasn't empty, though there was one in particular that she was pretty interested in seeing. She stood there for a few moments and then looked back just as Nero was starting to move away from the thrones and back toward her. She tilted her head as she looked up at him and then smiled. "You get distracted easy," she told him with a little giggle. She really had no idea how badly what she had told him upstairs bothered him, or why it would still be bugging him. She reached up to take his hand again and pulled him out onto the balcony before she smiled and pointed down to the garden. "Look! Nana's up!" she said brightly as she pointed over more in the general direction of the rose gardens. She tugged on Nero's hand a little and pulled him toward the stairs that would lead them down to the pathways. "Come on, let's go talk to him!"
Nanashi had woken up barely an hour ago, and since LaRae was still hovering around him he decided to get up and leave his room. Since she had seemed so interested in the garden the day before and since he hadn't done much more than glance at it, he opted for spending a little energy to walk down the stairs and go out back to the garden to relax for a while. He had of course gotten out of those fancy dinner clothes and was once again dressed in his own clothes, although it was warm enough that he decided to leave his coat in the room and only wore the gloves to cover his arms. He was feeling a little better today, albeit tired and sluggish. Even if it was suggested he didn't want to spend all day in his room, so he thought coming down here to enjoy the garden for a while would be just as good, so long as he was relaxing. He had simply found one of the many benches located throughout the place and sat down in the shade of a tall rose bush where he could lean back comfortably against the back of the bench. |
Nero could do no more then offer a slight shrug when Sri said that he got distracted easily. Normally she would probably have his full and undivided attention, but well, murder will do that to you. It will take your attention away from the present whenever it damn well pleases. He was surprised though that just looking at Sri or Selenity didn't cause his mind to wander completely. He supposed it was more the pictures then anything... the pictures that showed the family whole and or happy. He let Sri have his hand easily and followed her out onto the balcony, absently squinting his eyes to ready them for the change in light; forgetting momentarily that he had glasses on so his eyes were better protected. When you didn't normally wear the glasses twenty-four seven you tended to forget about them or even the fact that they were on your face. He glanced in the direction that Sri had pointed but didn't say anything. He was almost a little surprised to see Nanashi up and moving, let alone out in the sun to bake. Not that it was really that hot out... but eh... he disliked the sun so he had his own opinions. He let Sri tug him along just like before though he did open his mouth finally once he noticed they were headed for stairs again. Be careful of the stairs, don't let your excitement cause you to fall. He told her in warning. He didn't particularly want to have her falling on her face or something just because she was excited to see Nanashi and the stairs just happened to be in her way.
LaRae had been caught in the middle when it came to what she would rather Nanashi have done. She wanted to see the gardens and spend time outside of course but she almost preferred that he stay in bed and rest and not bother getting up until he was better. She didn't put up too much of an argument, partially because she really did want to see outside and she wasn't likely to see it unless Nanashi went with her, at least while he wasn't feeling better. She of course felt a little silly for being so worried once they had gotten outside. Sure the stairs had been the biggest problem in her eyes but seeing him sitting, relaxing by the rose bushes was actually a pretty nice sight. Then of course she thought the fresh air and being around the plants and what have you, might make him feel a little more energized. Sometimes she really wished that she wasn't the only one who could physically feel better just being in the presence of so much greenery. She was glad to be outside but she didn't wander very far from Nanashi even though she was pretty sure it was safe to wander wherever she wanted. It wasn't like something was going to jump out and hurt him... this was a palace garden after all. She kept him in sight regardless and went about trying to enjoy herself without worrying about him too much. |
Sri looked back to Nero when he warned her about the stairs and almost rolled her eyes a little. "I know, I know!" she responded, sounding almost whiny. "You don't have to remind me so much...." Nero may not have told her to be careful too many times today, but she heard "be careful" and "watch yourself" so much from the servants that it nearly drove her batty. She still clung to his hand, but she held the hem of her dress up with the other hand while she held onto the banister. These stairs curved as they went down to the next platform and then straight down to the garden, so one really didn't want to go rolling down them. She led Nero hastily down the curving staircase and then hauled him down the next flight and onto the walkway. She glanced back to him and smiled warmly before she started tugging him over in Nanashi's direction, only releasing his hand when they were just a few long strides away from him. She smiled brightly and ran up to him, holding up her skirts as she went and then dove at him, aiming to wrap her arms around his neck. "Hey, Nana!"
Nanashi really didn't mind being outside at all, in fact he found it relaxing. Given his skin tone, sitting out in the sun really didn't bother him, nor did the heat. After all, it was a lot hotter where he came from. On any given day the temperature was at least in the upper eighties, and there weren't many shade trees, so one grew used to the heat. Then again, considering how easily he got cold, sitting out int he sun with a nice breeze felt pretty nice. However, at the moment, he wasn't directly in the sun, but he was fairly comfortable with everything. The setting was nice, and he was content just sitting there while LaRae wandered after. He told her time and time again that she didn't have to watch him so closely, that he was feeling better now, but he knew she probably wasn't going to listen until he got a little more color back in his face and didn't get worn out so easily. When Sri approached him he had almost dozed off where he was, although that was shattered as soon as she touched him. He startled violently, sucking in a gasp and throwing up his arms as he flinched away from her before he could realize who it was. His eyes were wide and for a split second he looked scared half to death, although as realization set in he calmed a little, taking in a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his heart again. Sri yelped when Nanashi threw up his arm and caused her to smack her chin into his elbow. She fell back, landing on her tail next to him on the bench and then raised her hand to her chin and stared at him with those huge watery eyes. "Oooow! What was that for!?" she whined, both looking and sounding as if she were about to cry. He hadn't really hurt her, well, no more than getting elbowed in the face would hurt anyone, but she was a resilient little thing. She only cried when she hit her head because that...really freaking hurt. She just didn't see why he knocked her away like that. "I just wanted a hug.. I thought you liked me...." Nanashi blinked and absently moved his hand to rub his elbow as he looked at Sri and his eyes widened a little. "Ahh-- Princess, I..." he choked out as his ears laid back. "Are you alright? I am so sorry....I wasn't expecting.... I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked, for once sounding more concerned than frightened of repercussions when he apologized. He stared at her when she said that she only wanted a hug and then made sound like he didn't want her hugging him. He raised his hand to her face and touched her chin gently. "Of course I like you," he told her gently, "...I didn't mean to jump like that. I wasn't expecting anyone to touch me," he tried to explain. "...I scare too easy...." That of course was no fault of his given the way he was treated most of his life, but he wasn't going to blame it on her for scaring him. He highly doubted that she had any idea just how jumpy and flinchy he could be, especially in a place like this surrounded by other dragons. Even when he was relaxing he was pretty tightly wound. Sri sniffed a little and rubbed her eyes before moving her hand down to her chin to rub it. "I'm okay," she told him when he asked. She looked back up to him and tilted her head a little when he said that he didn't mean to jump...she supposed he meant he didn't mean to hit her in the face. She blinked when he said that he scared too easy and tilted her head. "I'm not scary...," she told him, sounding a little confused. "See?" she stood up again and smiled at him, holding up her arms. "...Can I hug you?" she said, thinking she'd better ask this time. Nanashi chuckled quietly when Sri said that she wasn't scary. That...wasn't what he meant, but.... He was a little surprised when rather than just hug him she held up her arms and asked permission. He blinked and then smiled a little before giving her a nod. "...Of course," he told her quietly. He met her about halfway when she climbed up to hug him and then almost timidly raised his arms to wrap around her loosely. He smiled a little more warmly after a moment and then gave her a little squeeze. "...Thank you," he told her quietly just before she let him go so that he could sit upright again. He finally happened to glance past her and noticed Nero outside as well, and his face almost instantly started to darken to a shade of red before he looked away again and folded his hands in his lap. Obviously...he still wasn't too comfortable around Nero just yet, although other than one or two nice words or gestures Nero had given him absolutely no reason to feel comfortable with him. |
Nero didn't bother to respond at first when Sri practically whined at him after he had asked that she be careful and watch herself. He hadn't thought ahead of time that she probably heard that a lot, he was more just saying it because he didn't want her too excited and to fall... and with him being with her, it would probably look bad if she had fallen and hurt herself. He hadn't entirely worried about little things like that but after seeing Selenity and how defensive [for lack of a better word for it] she got about he and her sister being alone together... he couldn't help thinking of being a little more cautious. I did not mean to offend. He finally uttered quietly, without much feeling; stated as mere fact. He let her lead him down all of the stairs and towards Nanashi. Once she had let go of his hand he slowed his pace slightly though he easily could have closed the distance in a couple strides. He watched silently, almost closely as Sri rushed for Nanashi and dove at him. He watched Nanashi's knee-jerk reaction to someone suddenly coming at him, seemingly from out of no where and wished he had thought ahead to warn Sri. He wasn't close to Nanashi but he was smart and he had picked up on a few things about Nanashi... one of the biggest being that he flinched when touched and he'd practically jump out of his skin if he didn't know you were coming at him, even for a hug. He sighed quietly and shook his head a little as he came a little closer. He didn't bother getting too close to the bench and decided to just stand off to the side of it. As typical nature for him he crossed his arms over his chest a little loosely where he stood though he kept an eye on Sri while Nanashi quickly tried to apologize for hitting the little Princess in the face with his elbow. He hadn't said a word or even made a sound, he just stood there and watched. Though to Nanashi it may have looked like he was looming... but that was just Nero and his nature. He couldn't help a small smirk at seeing Nanashi hadn't noticed him right away. If he had been out to see Nanashi dead that would have cost him his life... but then again his shadow wasn't far behind, was she? He had noticed LaRae when Sri was dragging him over here and she had noticed him of course. She hadn't even stayed where she was... He supposed since he was so close to Nanashi, she had to be closer to him too.... not that he really cared. His attention shifted momentarily back to Sri. For future reference Princess, you may want to remember to let Nanashi see you coming before you touch him. He paused. ...It isn't intentional and absolutely nothing against you, I assure you, he's just jumpy. He told her almost pleasantly. He was caught in a tight spot... normally he wouldn't speak in Nanashi's defense, even a little and normally he wouldn't try to sound nice, or pleasant around anyone... but with Sri.... well, he couldn't be his normal hard-ass self. He just hoped that didn't come to bite him in the ass....
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Sri smiled at Nanashi when he thanked her and nodded her head a little before she glanced back to Nero upon hearing him tell her that she may want to let Nanashi see her coming n the future. She tilted her head a little when he told her that and then blinked at looked back to Nanashi again, seeming a little confused when he agreed with Nero. "...Why are you so jumpy?" she asked curiously.
Nanashi was a little surprised when Nero spoke up in his defense, and it likely showed on his face when he looked up at him. He didn't expect Nero to say anything in his defense. If anything, he expected him to chew him out or...something. He didn't think he had ever heard Nero sound so nice but...then again, there was a child present that he was apparently keeping company, so he imagined it was more for her benefit than his. He blushed again slightly when he bluntly put that he was just jumpy and then nodded his head a little. "...Yeah," he told her quietly. He was a little surprised when she asked him why he was so jumpy and then smiled weakly. "...Well," he muttered a little sheepishly, "...I guess...it's because most of the time when people jump at me like that, I usually end up on the ground," he told her simply, "And they usually don't want a hug...." That was definitely the kid-friendly version. He saw no point in giving her a more in-depth answer than that. Sri blinked again at Nanashi's answer and tilted her head. "...Oh," she said simply, starting to remember part of the conversation that she had with Nero upstairs about Nanashi and half-breeds. She shook her head a little and then smiled brightly at Nanashi again, deciding to go elsewhere with the conversation. "Are you feeling better today? You don't look so tired," she told him brightly. "Yes...actually I am," he responded with a smile, grateful for the topic change. "I'm sure I will be fine, yesterday was...a bad day." He couldn't help a little shudder when he recalled his run-in with that hunter, which was why he wound up bleeding everywhere and becoming so anemic. He was sure he was better today, or at least he felt a lot better than he did yesterday...physically at least. "Good!" she responded brightly. "So do you want to play with me today?" she asked eagerly, "Nero's playing too! You can play to, LaRae!" Nanashi blinked and then glanced to Nero almost warily. "Well...I...," he started but then smiled a little. How could he say no? "...Sure, why not? I can play for a little while at least. What do you want to play?" he asked her curiously. He didn't really know very many games that involved other people, but he hoped he could catch on fast enough for it to be fun for her. Sri smiled again brightly and then titled her head a little when he asked what she wanted to play. "Hmm..." she thought for a long moment and then smiled. Well...they were outside, so the no running through the halls rule didn't apply. "Tag!" she exclaimed excitedly as she reached out and tagged Nanashi's forehead before she dove back out of his reach and scurried away, expecting him to get up and go after her. After all...everyone knew that game so she didn't think it needed any explanation like the card game she played with Nero. Nanashi jumped a little when Sri suddenly swatted his forehead. It didn't hurt, but the sudden movement still managed to surprise him. He stared after her looking both surprised and confused when she took off. "H-hey, I...where are you going!?" he called after her, looking bemused. He looked after her and then looked up at Nero with a questioning stare since Sri apparently hadn't heard his soft voice over her own giggles and pounding feet. He shook his head a little and then glanced toward LaRae before he sighed and his ears fell back. Well...that...made no sense at all. |
Nero kept a pretty straight face after he had spoken in Nanashi's defense and didn't bother looking at the guy after he caught the look on his face. He did continue to stand there and quietly listen as Nanashi tried to gently answer Sri's question. He had already spoken some to Sri about Nanashi and his... condition... so really there wasn't a need to use kid gloves with Sri on that topic. Sure she probably wouldn't like hearing that people pick on Nanashi... but that was just the way it was. He noticed that Sri didn't continue on that topic and half smiled, guessing she caught on to what Nanashi had been hinting at. He didn't bother looking back down to the two of them until he heard Sri ask Nanashi if he wanted to play and then had to add that he was already playing with her and LaRae could join in too. He just kind of stared at Nanashi for a moment, hiding his expression easily. Had he not been trying it would have shown like a shrug of 'what could I do?'... but of course with Nanashi and LaRae around he wasn't so open with his expression, or his mood for that matter.... at least while Sri wasn't looking at him. He was half glad that Nanashi hadn't tried to tell her no just because he was playing as well. He would have hated to have to try and tell Nanashi that it was alright... he preferred that certain people didn't like him or trust him... and Nanashi and LaRae kind of fell under that category.
As Sri got around to what they were going to play he couldn't help but shake his head after watching her tag Nanashi and start off running from him. He wasn't so sure tag in her clothes was that great an idea... but well... she had more, he was sure. He looked over at Nanashi seeing that he looked lost. Somehow... that didn't surprise him too much. He sighed almost heavily as he uncrossed his arms. It's tag... one person is 'IT' at a time.... you 'tag' someone to make another person be 'IT'. He paused. It's fairly simple. He said with a slight shrug, not bothering to even budge an inch from where he was standing. Nanashi wasn't going to touch him to tag him and he knew it. The guy would be too worried about what would happen to him, if he grasped the concept quick enough. LaRae had merely smiled and gave a little nod of her head when Sri had said that she could play too. Honestly... why not? Could be fun... she just hoped that whatever they did play wasn't too taxing on Nanashi. She couldn't help but eye Nero briefly after Sri had decided on tag. She wasn't so sure that she was crazy about playing tag with the likes of him... but it was just a childs game. She looked back to Nanashi when he had called after Sri and wasn't budging. Obviously he hadn't played tag before... but then, she wasn't sure that surprised her. She looked back to Nero momentarily when he was nice enough to briefly explain the basics of the game and then nodded her head slightly. Right now you're 'IT' Nanashi. She added after Nero had finished. Which means you have to 'tag' someone else. Once you 'tag' someone else they're it and you should run so you don't get made 'IT' again. She was starting to back away a little, all in good fun. Though she did pause briefly. Oh, and this is just a child's game... so no magic or anything to worry about. She said as she half glared at Nero, almost in warning before she continued to back away and put some distance between her and Nanashi. If he so much as started in her direction of course she planned to run but why do that when you didn't need to right away? |
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