Soren sighed. "No…well…maybe." he shrugged. "Depends on what you ask, and…" he was interrupted by a yawn, then continued, "How coherent I am when you ask it." he blinked, shaking his head slightly. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why, what are you planning on asking me?"
“Just something I’ve always been curious about, wherever I go.” Celeste said, looking off to the side for a moment. “Nothing bad. I’m just curious about your first impression of me. To see if it's anything like how I view myself.”
"First impression…" He hummed for a moment. "What exactly do you mean by that? Because there are s few different instances that could be called first impressions." He glanced at her.
Celeste’s tongue poked out as she thought that over, about what she wanted the answer to. “The gardens. I feel like the throne room wasn’t the best headspace for either of us. You were angry and preoccupied and dealing with my King. So… the gardens.”
Soren chuckled softly, and nodded. "Alright." He thought for a moment. "I thought you seemed like a good sort of person. A little strange, maybe." Also sort of cute, but. I'm not sharing that part. "I thought it was interesting how you knew the names of so many of the plants."
“So all in all, kind of witchy.” Celeste huffed a laugh, shaking her head. Her hair was starting to fall out of the updo she’d put it in with Sue’s help, strands of purple feathering out and catching the light in the halls. “I’m glad I don’t come across as anything bad, at least. I can work with strange.”
Soren chuckled, and nodded. "Yes, kind of witchy." He yawned again. They were nearly there by now. He wondered how Mikhail was doing. I'll check on him in the morning. He thought.
Celeste looked up as Soren yawned, smiling softly. “We’re almost there? I expect you to get some sleep tonight. You said the medication should help with that?”
Soren nodded. "Mhm." He replied, leading her up to the hallway that connected their two rooms. He let go of her outside her own door. "Good night. If you need me, you know where to find me." He gave her a small bow, and headed back to his room.
“Blessed dreams, Soren.” Celeste called after him, her hand on the doorhandle. Her eyes crinkled slightly at the corner with her smile, the words carrying the power of a blessing. With those as parting words, she slipped into her rooms, with absolutely no intention of sleeping despite the bags under her eyes.
Soren smiled lightly. "Thanks." He said, and went into his room, tumbling into bed after putting his pajamas on.
(Do you want to Time skip, or do you want me to use Sue? It's up to you)
((Time skip? Got any ideas for drama TM? Or just general palace fuckery?))
(time skip is fine. uuuhhhhmm not really tbh. Just Soren's general palace fuckery, yeah)
Celeste’s light laughter filtered through the air, a musical sound that didn’t reach the ears of other all that often. The source had her head thrown back, her hair pulled into a messy bun as she sat cross legged on a bench in the palace courtyard, Pluto at her feet and a young-looking servant boy sat across from her. She had gotten to chatting with him as she helped pick up a basket of dropped vegetables, and now, ten or so minutes later, she was reading his fortune. Cards, now, and palm had been just earlier. “No! That’s not-“ She burst into another fit of laughter, trying to speak through it and explain the card the boy had just drawn. The joke he had made was on par with all of the others he had made throughout the time they’d been talking, absolutely hilarious and somehow enough to get her laughing.
Soren was walking with one of his advisors, speaking to them. He had his hands folded behind his back as he walked. He knew that, technically, he shouldn't be doing too much, but…he was just talking. And walking. That was it. And it wasnt even to anyone that stressed him out. The man he was with, Lord Hark, was one of his closest advisors and one of the best. "-no, no, Mikhail is fine. He'll be back on his feet in a few weeks, although knowing him, hes probably trying to direct the guard from bed." Soren chuckled softly, and heard Celeste's laugh, his eyes flickering around to find her. When he saw her, he smiled slightly, then returned to his conversation.
“It’s supposed to mean love!” Celeste managed to squeeze out, still unable to fully quiet her laughter as Eric, the boy across from her, grinned. “Like-something big to do with love will happen!” She gestured wildly, still giggling. “In fact!” She pointed at the cards, wanting him to draw the next one, and immediately gasped. “That’s it! You’re going to confess!” She was too focused on trying to worm details out of Eric to notice Soren or his advisor, practically glowing with the combination of her smile and the sun on her face.
Soren glanced over at her again, then returned his attention to his advisor.
"And, well…the people are wondering what, exactly, happened in the throne room. Many just remember suddenly falling asleep." The advisor said, watching Soren.
Soren sighed. "Yeah. I'll be getting out an official report about that soon. Try to keep the rumors from getting too insane, will you?" He asked.
His advisor nodded. "Of course." He hesitated. "Does it have anything to do with your…condition?"
Soren paused, then nodded. "Yes, which is why it's very important you keep the rumors down as much as possible."
Wrapping up went fairly quickly, as Eric had to get back to work. Celeste was halfway through folding her spread when she frowned at the cards, then looked up, eyes flickering around her surroundings and landing on Soren and his advisor. After a moment of thought, she smiled brightly, waving in greeting. “Your majesty! And Lord Hark, right? Are either of you interested in having your fortunes read? The cards seem particularly eager to keep spilling.”
Soren looked up, and smiled. "Sure, why not." He replied. He turned to Lord Hark. "Excuse me, sir." He walked over to Celeste, sitting down across from her. "So how does this work?" He asked with a small smile. The bags that used to be under his eyes were still there, but not as obvious as they had been. He looked like he had actually gotten a full night's sleep for once, and it had obviously benefitted him. He was wearing the signet ring on his finger, as usual, along with the crown, but he was dressed more casually than normal. Well, casually for a king, anyway.
“Simple!” Celeste took a moment to study him, seemingly satisfied with the obviousness of the rest he’d gotten last night. She looked back down at the tarot cards, returning them to their spread. “Don’t think about the card you’re drawing, just follow your immediate instinct and draw. Each card has meaning, and put together, that’ll give you your fortune for today, the near future, whatever the cards feel like. Go ahead!”
Soren nodded slowly, and looked at the cards. He picked one up, flipping it over and looking at it, then at her. "Now what?" He asked curiously. He had never done something like this. Mainly because the only person in or near the castle with similar talents was Lena, and well…"I don't hold with all that hocus pocus card nonsense." She had told him once. He smiled slightly at the memory, then returned his attention to Celeste.
Celeste’s eyebrows lifted slightly as she nodded, muttering to herself in an old sounding language. “The Emperor.” She finally said, in a language Soren could understand, as she looked up at him. “A man in a position of power, ruling with the best intentions for his people. You’re going to have some issues, a tough decision to make, but seek help from those you trust, and you’ll make the right choice.” Her fingers danced over the card as she spoke, like she was drawing the fortune straight from the card.
Soren blinked, and nodded. "Okay…" He said slowly. He tipped his head slightly. "So…what now? Am i supposed to draw another card?" He asked. He smiled slightly. He wasn't sure how much of this was real, and how much she was just making up, but hey. Why not pass the time this way, if he couldn't do anything of importance. Not that this wasn't important,it just wasn't…court matters.
“Yup!” The strange look that had taken over Celeste’s eyes as she’d spoken the card’s meaning to him disappeared, replaced by that same bright smile. “How many cards total do you want to draw? Most people go three or five, but I’ve had a few sevens and even one thirteen.”
Soren shrugged. "I'm…not sure. Five?" He shrugged again. He pulled another card, flipping it over and putting it down, watching Celeste to see what it was. To be honest…maybe it would be nice if it could be like this more. Relaxed, calm. But no. It couldn't. Too many issues with the court, with the people in it.