(Nice character!)
He chuckled and nodded, a smile on his face, “Yes the offer is still open.” Talin bowed his head to Jade and Sonia and motioned for Zia to follow him, “It was nice seeing you ladies, save some burgers for me and I’ll get back to you as to when the pizza will be rescheduled to.”
Cassie signed her name at the bottom of her letter with a flourish before smiling. She'd promised Vincent she'd write once a week to recap what happened with a bit more detail and a bit more of an inside scoop than the Report gave. She stuck the letter into an envelope and sealed it before handing it off to Jessie, one of her maids. She stood, smoothed out the dress that she thought was absolutely ridiculous, she was a woman of simple fashion, and left her room, glancing around the immaculately decorated hallway. What to do, what to do?
(Why thank you! Originally, she had red hair but I didn't want her to just be an America Singer knock-off.)
Zia had her bag in her hand, and followed him, still blushing slightly. She hadn't expected the prince to be quite so tall, as evidenced by her outburst earlier. She had known, of course, that he was, but not THIS tall. Her head only came up to his lower chest, and she had to look up to see his face. Not quite ideal. Maybe she should wear heels to make herself taller. That was always a possibility. But she wasn't good at walking in heels, not in the least.
“So, where are you from that the summon took so long to get to?” He asked as he headed up the staircase towards the floor the ladies of the Selection were staying on, looking back at her for a moment. When he saw her bag in her hands he slowed, motioning that he could take the bag. His mother had taught him to be polite and courteous and he intended to follow her instructions.
Footsteps coming towards her brought Cassie out of her thoughts. As much as she wanted to stay at her desk until dinner, she knew she had to get out of her room and do something. Kylie, the second of her three maids, had told her that the gardens were always open during the day. Maybe she could take a walk, let the fresh air clear her mind. She smiled to herself and began for the staircase.
She handed him the bag slowly. "Well…my family and I live up north, near the border, and I had gone camping over the weekend, so I didn't have any way for them to contact me, and they didn't know where i was camping." She shrugged. "So when I can down the mountain, I got ambushed and hustled to a jet." She looked downa t her clothes. "Luckily I got to take a shower, though I only had outdoor gear with me to put on." She shrugged again, then realized that that might have been too much information, and turned red.
He smiled, nodding and finally reaching the right floor. “What’s it like up there? If you don’t mind me asking.” Talin felt like he was acting like a little kid with his questions, but the Northern border was one of the only places in the country he had never seen. Starting down the hallway, he looked for an empty room while he waited for her answer.
Cassie hummed to herself as she wandered down the hallway, more in her thoughts than reality. Well, that was until she turned the corner and smacked into someone. She caught herself on the wall, almost falling flat on her back. "Okay, not dead. I told Casey that heels were impractical." She finally looked up at the person she ran into and her heart froze for a second. "Oh! Your Highness! Forgive me, I was lost in thought." (Don't mind me, just existing here)
She hummed softly, thinking. "Well…there's a lot more mountains there than there are here. It's less flat. In the winter time, we get a lot of snow and ice, which sometimes makes transportation difficult, because railroad tracks get covered in snow, and the roads are buried in layers of it. But it's beautiful. The winter time, and the mountains." She shrugged slightly. "The mountains are my favorite part. I like hiking up into them and exploring. They're really the only area left that doesn't have roads and cars and people and everything." She smiled lightly. "I could show you some pictures, if you want." She jumped slightly as another girl appeared.
Talin backed up a step when he was ran into, looking at the girl and waving a hand dismissively, “No need to apologize, I seem to be getting in everyone’s way today.” He cracked a small smile and tried to imagine what it was like up north from what Zia had said, “Seeing pictures would be lovely, though let’s get you settled a little first.”
She smiled apologetically before sweeping past them, glancing at the girl he'd been with who she recognized as Zia. She hadn't spoken to any of the other girls yet but she knew who all of them were. As a writer, she learned to observe from a distance. It was kind of her talent, being able to read people. She shook her thoughts away and headed downstairs and into the gardens.
Beatriz had definitely wandered down the wrong hall. There were portraits everywhere, and everything in the hall looked like it was worth more than her. shaking her head, she turned around and went down a different hallway, only to see the prince with two other girls. She froze. For some reason, her brain had gone completely blank. Was she supposed to turn around and leave? Should she apologise for intruding? She shook her head once, quickly, to clear it, but it felt like her brain had been filled with stuffing and dead flies.
Zia chuckled softly. "Right right, I know. I just meant, at some point, I can show you if you like." She shrugged. "Pictures are nothing like the real thing, but i can't imagine you'd be allowed to go there. Security would be a nightmare, especially if you actually went higher up in the mountains themselves." She shrugged slightly, fidgeting a little with the bottom of her shirt.
Zaera walked into a new hall to spot two other girls, one who had been at breakfast, the other who seemed to be new, the prince, and Beatriz. Beatriz seemed to keep her distance, but the others were speaking directly to the prince. She decided to observe from a distance, but then thought that rude. She walked up and gave a slight curtsy to all three of them, as her father had so ingrained in her before looking up to speak with them, "Hello your highness. I would greet you two as well, but I don't believe I've met either of yet. My name is Zaera."
“Miss Zaera,” He acknowledged her before smiling at Zia again, “Yeah, security would be a nightmare, especially right now. I’ll have to go visit there sometimes.” Talin looked around at the hallway and spotted an open room down a ways, his eyes brightening momentarily.
Zia smiled at Zaera. "I'm Zia. Nice to meet you." She said. She looked at Talin. "Of course. If you ever do visit, there are plenty of good guides in the area that'll show you some great spots." She shrugged. "The best way to go is to just explore, though. Then you can pretend no one else has ever seen what you've found." She shrugged slightly, then blushed. "Sorry if I'm talking your ear off or anything. Just tell me to stop talking if you want me to."
Beatriz, having worked up enough courage to move, walked over to stand by Zaera, offering the prince the most she could give him, which was a shy smile, not wanting to interrupt anything.
Zaera gave a nod to Beatrix and then a nod to Zia, "Nice to meet you as well."
He nodded and his smile grew, her rambling was quite fun to listen to. The prince bowed his head in acknowledgment when Beatriz came over but stayed silent so the girls could introduce themselves.
Jade had been lost in thought for a moment. Once the prince had left with the new girl, she turned to Sonia. "I don't think that we'll ever be allowed anywhere close to the kitchen again." She took another bite of her burger. "Ugh. I didn't tell her my name, I was just… thinking about something. I hope we see her again, she seemed nice. Don't you think?"
Zia looked at the other girls. "So what are your names?" She asked them curiously, brushing a few stray bits of hair from her face again. She wished that she had had time to change before coming here. Right now she looked like exactly what she was: a hiker plucked up from the mountains and plopped into the palace. Not the greatest first impression to give a prince, or any of the other girls.
(Ah well if Jade had had the time, she would have said that she loved Zia's outfit lol)
(lol)
Beatriz jumped slightly. "I'm Beatriz," she said, smiling slightly. "I'm not sure I know yours, though."