Soren shrugged. "Mm. Not really. Because if I get cold, I get goosebumps everywhere. Which isn't fun." He sighed. "Last year we had this freak rainstorm. I was so cold and wet because of it. I had a cold for like two weeks afterwards." He stretched again, arching his back slightly.
“Brush your hair, you look like a dandelion. Hhmm, colds are no fun, but if worst comes to worse, I have a few surefire cold remedies.” Celeste looked over at him, smiling playfully. “One of which involves cookies. A few are tea things, but luckily, since you don’t like tea, I can do soup instead.”
Soren sighed. "But that's a girls brush!" He said in a teasing, childish way. He used his fingers to fingercomb his hair. "Ooh, maybe I should get a cold, then." He grinned teasingly. "I mean, anything for cookies, right?" Chuckling softly, he stood up, tipping his head from side to side, his neck making popping sounds.
"A brush is a brush, Soren. You're just lucky it isn't a horse brush." Celeste quipped, going so far as to stick her tongue out at him. "Mikhail would have to be a bit more lenient on your diet, as well. Though, allow me to put it out there now, I am not suggesting you purposefully get a cold."
Soren chuckled, his shoulders moving in a slight shrug. "True." He shook his head. "Aww. Plus it might not even rain this time. Hopefully not. It's more fun when it's sunny or at least nice out. Then I don't have to worry about getting sick." He stretched again.
Celeste hummed in agreement, riffling through a drawer and pulling out a waded up clothing article, tossing it on the foot of the bed before moving to the other side of the room to search the bookshelf for something. “The sun is amazing. I remember the first time I saw it, I couldn’t stop staring. Though, that really didn’t do well for my eyes. And my skin wasn’t too happy about the new development.” She talked offhandedly and like it was normal to remember the first time she had seen the sun. And, like it was more recent than it should have been.
Soren frowned slightly, tipping his head a bit. "What? How do you remember…" He trailed off, realizing. Her father. Oh my God… He took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry." How can you raise a child without the sun? How? He sighed softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed again.
Celeste blinked a few times, glancing back at him as she realized just what she had shared. She shook her head, shrugging a shoulder and returning to smiling. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad I got to see the sun eventually. The dark is fine and all, but there’s just something about the warmth that comes with sunlight.”
Soren nodded. "Alright, then." He replied slowly. He stood up again. "I should…head back to my own room and get dressed." He said slowly, as if just realizing he was still in his pajamas. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep in here."
"You keep apologizing for that. I told you, it's alright." Celeste assured, turning around and placing her hands on her hips. She had one of her boots in hand now, which had apparently been on the shelf. "You needed the sleep, so I let you sleep. Plus, you refused to leave anyway."
Soren nodded. "Ah, right. Sorry." He opened the door. "See you later." He said, and left, closing the door behind him. One of the guards arched an eyebrow.
"You spent all night in there, your majesty." Observed one.
"Yes." Soren replied, going into his room and getting dressed.
Celeste shook her head with a sigh, fighting a smile as she began to change. She sang to herself as she did, not really aware of what she was doing, her voice carrying into the hall despite the closed door. It was a happy and upbeat song in her mother's home tongue, one her mother used to sing while cleaning when her father was away. A song about love in all it's forms, slightly morbidly ironic.
Soren could hear her singing from his room, and smiled slightly as he got dressed, brushing his hair and putting his crown on last. He looked in the mirror, checking to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
(Do we wanna skip to the festival?)
((Heck yeah! Quick q, the dresses Arboria was making, did you have anything in mind for those? Because if not, I have a pinterest board with almost two hundred dresses saved, so I can very easily pick out of those.))
(alright! Nope not really, so feel free to pick one or two of those :) )
((aight aight aight. 1. what's the formality level at the festival? and 2. want me to start?))
(the festival's formality varies by year; this one isn't very formal. Yes, if you want to)
((So that gives me more leeway when choosing, alright. So! Setting? Sorry about all the questions lmao, but I'm just a teeny bit 'uuhh' about how exactly to start this))
(yup! Uhm…it starts with a parade that ends in the cities main square, then the festivities kind of break off into different things. It's fine! If you want me to start, that's perfectly fine too)
((Aaaaaa if you don't mind, I'd actually appreciate that. Set the scene for your idea, you know?))
(nope, I don't mind at all :) yup!)
Soren sighed softly as he stood by the carriage, adjusting the flaps of cloth that hung down from his shoulders like a loose, long vest. The parade was about to start, and it was a bright, sunny day out. His clothes had a red and gold theme to them, the colors of the Aevin house, and he was wearing the ancient, traditional crown rather than the newer one he usually wore. This one was made of delicate, slim golden rods, woven together in a gorgeous crown, a few bright, beautiful rubies set in it. He would take it off as soon as possible, as he did not want to mistakenly break it.
Outside, there were banners and flags hung along the parade route, waving both the symbol of the Aevin house, and the country flag. Children ran around playing as they waited, waving miniature flags high while their parents chatted and laughed. Today was a day off of work for them, so most just took it easy and enjoyed the celebration.
So this was the parade. Or at least, this was the parade before it had begun. Celeste smiled as she looked around her, watching children chase each other and people talk, all happy to be off work and doing something fun. She had seen the same thing in many different towns and villages and cities she had visited, but it never really got old, watching people live. After spending so much time trapped under her father's thumb, she would never lose her appreciation for things like that.
Adjusting her wrap, she glanced down at the two piece dress Arboria had finished a day ago, huffing a laugh. Somehow, the woman had managed to pick the perfect style for the Witch's taste, and though the top piece didn't quite fully cover her scars, the woman had a solution for that. The wrap. She's a genius. I hope she makes it rich.
Soren climbed up onto the top of the carriage, taking a deep breath. Showtime. He had had to have makeup smeared across his stomach to hide the scar there, which had been very uncomfortable, considering there had been a woman, one her knees, rubbing makeup all over his lower stomach. Yeah. That had been nerve wrackingly uncomfortable. He shook his head slightly, and smiled as the carriage rolled out of the gates and into the streets. He grinned as he saw the children scampering about at the sides, waving those little flags. If he had had a family, a wife or even children, they would be right here with him. But he didn't, so he stood alone. In all honesty, it wasn't really a carriage, as he wasn't very high off the ground. It was meant to put him on the same level as the people, to remind him that they were under his domain, but he was no better than them.
There were guards, both in uniform and not, spread throughout the crowd, and a few that walked in front of the carriage, and some that walked behind. Even as he lay in bed healing, Mikhail had done his best to try and ensure Soren's safety.
A ripple of some change in the atmosphere caught Celeste's attention as the sort-of chaos around her organized itself just a bit. That meant the parade had begun. She perked up a bit, reaching up to tuck a tendril of curly hair behind her ear. She had let Sue braid the side, but with the curls it had decided to take on today, there wasn't much that could be done other than leaving it down everywhere that wasn't braided.
A little boy came up next to her, smiling but not acting as exuberant as the other children. More of a quiet kid it would seem. "Your hair is weird." He said, glancing up at Celeste before returning his gaze to the street.
She snorted, but nodded, pursing her lips for a moment as she fought a smile. "Yeah, I guess it is. But purple is a cool color, so it's alright." The boy nodded in agreement, and that started a conversation about favorite colors while they stood next to each other, waiting for the parade to reach them.
Soren waved, and grinned as a little girl ran up to him holding a bright red poppy, holding it up to him shyly. His guards kept a close eye on him and the girl. He bent, and took the flower from her gently. "Thank you." He told her with a smile.
The little girl blushed and curtseyed, then ran back to her mother.
Soren grinned, and tucked the flower behind his ear unashamedly, waving as the parade continued on.