forum "Run away with me" (OxO closed)

Started December 03, 2022 by @AnxietyGremlin group

tune

Okay. Where do you want to start? @Dayzed

Maybe set the scene before everything goes down? Like a few weeks prior to their escape.

got it

Here's the template, I'll get my character up shortly

Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Gender:
Pronouns:
Sexuality:
Race:

Appearance:
Clothes:
Condition(s) (if any):

Personality:
Background:
Other:

Name: Azami Brevil
Nickname: Azzy/ Mimi
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Pronouns:She/Her
Sexuality: Pansexual
Race: Asian

Appearance: She has dark black hair that falls to just above her shoulder blades, and fair skin. Her eyes are a cloudy blue, and she has a few scars here and there
Clothes: She wears simple yet elegant clothes. Befiting of her status, but never to outshine the royal family. A light blue dress with a white corset and apron, paired with white flats. she wears a simple necklace with just a white diamond dangling. She also keeps her hair tied up neatly in a bun, one simple braid on each side of her head, and a white crystal band adorning her bun.
Condition(s) (if any):

Personality: She's loyal and obedient, making her the perfect servant. She carries out orders with efficiency and grace, keeping out of everyone's way and going about her business swiftly. She's a very kind-hearted person, keeping other people in mind, and rarely focusing on herself.
Background: She was but a simple errand girl for her fathers buisness before scouted by the king. Her parents had sent her to live with the royal family, as the heir was about her age. She became a servant for said heir, rising through the ranks quickly using efficiency and timeliness
Other: Her necklace is her most prized possession , given to her as a gift by her father. The crystal band is second, gifted by the heir

The week had been tiring. Azami ran around all day and night chasing after the heir, cleaning up after the arrogant king, and helping the other staff with whatever they asked. She laid in bed thinking however, clutching her diamond necklace in her palm, 'Maybe this is worth it' she thought about how tired she was, then about her dad, and how he busted his back every day and night to provide for her as a child, and how this would all make him so proud. She got lost in her thoughts and fell asleep

By morning, she was just as energetic as ever. She jumped out of bed and got dressed. She went to the kitchen, and began cooking. She cooked bacon and eggs, and poured some fresh-squeezed orange juice. She put it all on a tray and went to the heirs room. She knocked on the door. "Good morning my leige. Rise and shine you have thing to do today!" she said sweetly. Loud enough for her to be heard through the door. She had learned the heirs sleeping pattern. Usually she had time to make breakfast before knocking on the door.

(Here he is- I realized that our characters have a lot of similarities but I decided to go with him anyways, though, if you'd like I can switch him out for someone else)

Name: Alec Jared Ross
Nickname: Alex
Age: 27
Gender: Cis Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Sexuality: Bicurious
Race: Asian Filipino

Appearance: Alec's eyes are a bright blue which reflects honesty, yet cunningness. Alec has a soft gaze and it comes off as delicate to anyone who doesn't know him. Little do they know how much risks shine in his eyes before he throws himself in harm's way. His eyes are very calculating and he knows when he can push his luck and when he'll straight up fail. His eyes can hold a lot of determination, but just like Jenestder, they are more defiant than anything else.
His face is diamond-shaped with soft features and his nose is short and upturned, rounded. The bridge of the nose is wider than most, as some Asians have. Alec's lips are thin, though not extremely.

His hair is a rich dark black but has a matte look to it. It's not very shiny because he washes it often, stripping the natural oils from his hair. Alec always has it combed back in a neat slick manner since that's what his family expects from him, it's kinda sorta jelled back with a few strands of hair hanging in the front of his face since it does come undone when he's been training.
When he's not practicing his fighting skills, he leaves it alone and it just sits on his head, which already has a lot of volume to it- on occasion, it'll have little ripples in it, giving it texture, but his hair is straight most of the time.
He is 5'8 and weighs 139 lbs.
Alec has a fair warm complex. Because he was an athletic kid, that meant he spent some of his time outdoors. His parents encouraged him to explore as much as wanted, but not so far from the castle.
(If you want a visual: https://s3.amazonaws.com/notebook-content-uploads/content/uploads/original/4755130b-087b-4d1d-bc56-b08659d5b657.jpg?1537238758)

Clothes: Usually he's in uniform, wearing the clothes provided to him by his family. The color scheme is white and gold.
The top blouse is a long sleeve, being a white color, he fits a vest on top of the long sleeve, the vest being mostly gold. His pants are plain white pants, ironed lightly so as to not ruin the material it's made of.
(More formal attire: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c9/7e/18/c97e18a811338339fecc4d58dde43ab9.jpg)
(And more casual attire: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/44/3b/3f/443b3f478ad3c2e3cb2bbdeea3f9e960.jpg)

Condition(s) (if any): None

Personality: Is the textbook definition of nice. He makes sure to be kind to everyone unless they give him a reason to not be nice. And even then he gives people chance after chance to fix their mistakes and change but for some reason no matter how much he forgives others, they always take Alec's forgiveness for granted, and eventually Alec gets fed up and cuts them off. Just because Alec seems like such a good kid, he's far from a pushover. He's always stood up for what's right, being raised in a household where rules were everything. The thought of helping others has always been a subject of interest for Alec, he likes helping others in any way he can, which is why he tries his best to give people as many times to redeem themselves until it seems like bullshit and there's no redeeming left to be had.
Alec is not hotheaded and instead stays quiet when something bothers him, his icy eyes glaring down the person who managed to piss him off. He doesn't like to resort to violent measures, but if someone takes it too far he has no problem getting involved, even if he gets in trouble. He's not a completely strict person per se, so he does break the rules on occasion with his friends if they drag him into things, though, he keeps them to a minimum and makes sure no one gets hurt or caught.
Alec wasn't always nice though, and it's taken years for him to be tolerant of other people. At first he was very cold, not necessarily cruel, but very dismissive of others. From time to time he'll slip back into his old habits, but only when he's had a very rough day.

Background: tbd; you'll discover things as we go.
Other:

(thanks, i will haha, sorry this is really long, i got a little carried away)

Alec had very strict demanding parents, so when they told him he would be meeting several ladies from neighboring countries, he hadn't exactly had room to protest. That's how it always was. He wouldn't be allowed to say anything. Because just like Alec's grandfather had done unto his son, Alec's father would do unto him. Alec's father wasn't above punishing his children- or only child. He believed that the more discipline given to kids, the better they would turn out. And somehow it had worked, but not in a healthy way, as the discipline was for every little thing Alec did wrong. It served to frighten him. So he never stepped out of line. Alec's mother however would always stick up for him. She was kind and Alec had inherited that kindness as well, still, she would take his father's side when he got angry, and Alec understood that. The king would never do anything to his wife, but in past history, several of queens had gone missing when they disobeyed their husbands. Alec had learned about that when he was younger and till this day he wondered if it was the king's doing, or simply because they had run away. Alec was one of those. He didn't exactly like the life he had been given. Yes, he had everything he could ever want, but everything he did was under the eyes of the public. He pondered what it was like to live a fulfilling, silent life, away from the responsibilities that were soon to be laid upon him. He wanted to run away and fantasized about it, getting lost in his own daydreams whenever they held meetings to discuss the politics of it all. Nothing of the sort ever interested Alec, but still, he was forced to show interest or he'd get a stern talk.

That morning he was not in the mood. Another day, another tiresome routine of pretending as if he cared. He had gotten used to wearing the mask, as it seemed to please his father, but all he wanted to do was rip it off and yell at his parents to give him the freedom he so much wanted and deserved. It was a silly little dream and he indulged in it, but it was also foolish to believe that he wouldn't get punished, even at his age.

Then the servant was at the door. It served to irritate him. Her cheerful voice and how she casually mentioned that the day was filled with things to do. He groaned and covered his head with the silky blankets. God, he wanted to just sleep forever.
But it wasn't her fault. She was only there to work and take care of him, he couldn't lash out at her for his sulky mood, for his father's demands.
More than half the time he realized how spoiled he really was- taking most things for granted until they were no longer there. His mother taught him to be grateful but his father did the opposite.
Alec reluctantly got up, not wanting to keep the servant waiting. He quickly put on a robe to help with the coldness of the morning as the fire had not been lit yet.
He opened the door, only slightly cracked as he stared at the girl in front of him. He sighed and opened it fully and gestured for her to come in.
It had been a while since his last servant had gotten replaced, caught for stealing. Alec and said servant had been very close, to the point of teasing each other and being comfortable with calling each other names. That had been the mistake. She hadn't really stolen anything. She hadn't been like that, but Alec suspected that his father had caught onto the affection growing between the two, so he sent her off. To the guillotine. When he found out it had absolutely ruined him. From that day forward he swore he wouldn't make that mistake again, to get any closer than he need to with the servants.
It still pained him, her absence and having someone new made his stomach turn. He hadn't been allowed to mourn her death so he constantly shoved his emotions down when they threatened to boil over.
"Hard first month?" He questioned as the girl came in. What was her name again? He hadn't exactly paid that much attention to her, his caution being a little too much to the point where he neglected to know the names of anyone new.

"A little. But it's okay. Today you have a physical conditioning at 10, which is in about an hour, a meeting with your father at noon, jury duty for a royal hearing at 2, a few royal interviews to find a bride from 4 to 6, a meeting with the royal advisory at 7, and then your day is done prince." She said politely, entering and setting down his breakfast on the nearby table. She stayed standing, and looked towards the prince. She hated going on that whole speil every morning, as the prince hated it. She knew his royal responsibilities stressed him out a lot. She had known about her former. She had known about the woman she had replaced, and how much her being there pained the prince. She tried to stay out of his way as much as she could, whilst still doing her job. She had a feeling the prince didn't like or care to know her. "How have you been this week Prince Alec? What do you want to start with today?"

(sorry it's short, i didn't know what else to put)

Alec almost physically cringed at the list of things he had to do that day. He gave the servant a tired look but said nothing on the matter. She reminded him a lot of who he had lost, it was jarring to the point where he felt that his father had specifically picked her out to taunt him. He could hear him now. The words Test me again. rang in his head.
He looked up at the girl having been disturbed from his thoughts.
"Oh, so-so, I mean, being here is everything I could want. Right?" He gave her a tight-lipped smile, though his eyes showed incredible sadness.
"I'm glad you're okay, if you ever need anything, you can ask me. I'm more than willing to accommodate, I don't need everything done for me you know" He said, a genuine smile now on his face. He knew it was their job to be servants for the royal family. After all, what better job was there that to serve and die for them? The thought made his heart sink. It was a lot of guilt that swam through him, knowing that so many had died because of them. Whether in a war or for crimes they hadn't committed. Their hands were filled with blood and all Alec wanted to do was wash his till they bled.
"I think I'll take a bath first and change after I eat. Then we can go to the- er, nine o'clock conditioning?" He said, already forgetting it was at ten.
He looked over at the tray of food and smiled. He wasn't hungry, but out of respect he ate what they gave him, or they would get in trouble for his rebellion.
"Thank you for bringing this, and making it. I'm sure it was a lot of work." Truth was, Alec didn't know if it was a lot of work or not, he'd never stepped foot in a kitchen, as requested by his father. So he only said what he thought was appropriate.

"It's quite alright. I don't mind the work" she said. She really didn't. It kept her busy, and employed. She knew the prince was as competent as possible with the limitations put on him by his father. "It really wasn't much. I'll get out of your hair now." She said, leaving the room. She didn't want to patronize him, but she did know that he couldn't boil an egg on his own.
As she walked, she got lost in her own thoughts. She was curious of the woman she had replaced. She had no idea what she looked like, or what she was like as a person. She had heard about her in passing from the other servants, as there were rumors circulating that she had stolen something, but Azami didn't believe it. The servants weren't treated like royalty, but they surely were treated well for the most part. The king was awful, but the queen was kind, and the prince didn't really seem to care either way. He was polite for what it was worth.
She thought back on the prince. The look in his eyes always seemed to show great sadness. Greif even. It was rumored that he was incredibly close with the woman before Azami, and when she was executed, he shut off and built his walls back up.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she ran directly into a person.
"Watch it!" The person exclaimed, as the two fell onto the floor. It was the queens personal handmaided. She would certainly have an issue.
"I'm so sorry Abel. I wasn't watching where I was going." She scrambled to her feet and offered her hand out to the woman. Abel slapped her hand away and stood on her own.
"Shouldn't you be staring at Prince Alec or something?"
She said angrily. Abel had always made a point of teasing her for being a personal servant of the prince. She seemed to expected her to get as close to her charge as the woman before her. She also seemed to want to be close to the prince. She always pushed Azami to the side to get closer to the prince, and Azami hated it. She could tell the prince wasn't currently in the state for romance, but Abel didn't seem to respect his boundaries whatso ever.

Alec watched the servant go, he hadn't gotten her name, but he wondered if it was disrespectful at this point to ask. He should know, but it slipped his mind. He wondered if he came off as closed off, he certainly acted like it sometimes, but he tried his best to keep himself open to new relationships, right now though, he was deeply wounded.
Alec moved closer to the tray and sat down. He'd eat first, to get it over with, then he'd take a shower. A bath was reserved for more relaxing days, but Alec preferred to take a shower, it made him feel cleaner for some reason.

After he finished eating he walked to the bathroom. Showers had always been his favorite thing to do. Get fresh for the day and be eager to see others. Right now though, it felt like a chore. Alec slowly slipped off his clothes and turned the faucet on. He got in and tiredly scrubbed at his skin. It took a few minutes, but once he was out, he wrapped himself in a towel. It was always cold coming out from the warmness of the water, that part, he didn't like.
Soon he made his way over to his closet and picked out his clothes for that day. He scowled. White, white, white. He wasn't allowed to wear anything else that wasn't white or gold. It symbolized his status and connection to the royal family. He couldn't be caught not wearing it.
Alec's eyes skimmed his wardrobe until they landed on the last piece, a blue coat, simple, and it was his prized possession, something his father hadn't found out about yet. He was sure if he did, he'd rip Alec a new one for having such a "filthy" thing in his possession. It was the last thing he had from Vixen, the servant who died. She had sewn it for him. It wasn't the most extravagant thing, but he liked it. It held value in his heart.
He sighed and picked the white clothes he was meant to wear and dressed. He was very particular about that. He didn't like having others dress him, it was something he had put his foot down on, even though his father had demanded it. It embarrassed him and he simply couldn't for the life of him.

Azami wandered around the castle for about half an hour after her encounter with Abel. She looked around, and tried to mind her business. One thing she hated about being a servant was the fact that she was pretty much useless if she wasn't working with the prince. When she wasn't around him, she walked around for long periods of time, only to return to him and do the same boring routine. If she wasn't doing either of those things, she was yelled at to get back to work.

By the time she looped the castle, she meandered back to Alec's room. She knocked. It was around 10:45, and it would take about 10 minutes to get to his conditioning. "Prince? Are you ready? You have conditioning in 15 minutes." She said in a more monotonely cheery voice. She tried to sound up-beat and excited around the prince. She had no idea why.

She waited outside his door for a response, as she knew his feelings towards being dressed by someone else. She was honestly glad about that, because she respected him, and his privacy. She also respected herself, and did not want to be the one dressing a full grown man

Alec had just finished putting all the ridiculous clothing on and was in the process of combing his hair when his new servant knocked and announced they should be leaving shortly. He walked over to the door and opened it to see the familiar face again.
"I'm ready," He said, his mood seemingly having improved greatly from the time she had left to the time she had returned. It was the usual mask he put on every day since the death of his friend. Friend. He repeated in his mind. They could have been more. Maybe ran away, and lived a better life away from everyone.
That's when it struck him. What if he ran away? He was no stranger to the concept, but it would have to take a lot of planning, he'd also need to confide in someone to keep this a secret, after all, he couldn't do it all by himself. He needed someone who could move around freely….
He stared at his servant with electric blue eyes, analyzing the woman who was patiently waiting at his door. He hesitated before he asked.
"I'm sorry, I seem to forget a lot these days, but…what was your name again?" He asked, feeling his cheeks grow hot from embarrassment. A prince. And he was too high and mighty to remember his own servant's name. What an imbecile.

"Azami. If it's easier you may call me Mimi. Whatever works for you." She said politely. She didn't mind that he didn't remember her name. Not a lot of people did.
She was never very popular in any crowed she was in. She used that to her advantage. She blended into the shadows. It was so much easier in this ginormous castle. No body knew her name, aside from the king and queen, and a few other servants. No one could ever find her unless she wanted to be found.
"We have about 5 extra minutes, if you still need to do anything else beforehand" She said, ignoring the staring, and dismissing it as him trying to remember her name
She stood at the doorway. Ready for him to either invite her in or turn her away. She didn't mind either way. As long as he wasn't late, she wouldn't get in trouble. The king was not a very kind person when angry. Or at all for that matter

Alec thought about it for a minute. Azami was better, he didn't want others to think they had something special going on.
"Azami it is then" He decided on that but smiled kindly to her, trying to convey that he didn't have a preference. He looked past her to some servants who had stopped to look briefly. He finally opened the door fully and gestured for her to come in once more.
"You can stay with me while we wait for the time to pass. Meanwhile" He said, walking over to the table that was by the window and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Tell me a bit about yourself. I know it's not really something someone like me should be asking, but I like to get to know all the people that work here, even if just a little. If that bothers you or you rather keep to yourself, I understand. But I will try my best to keep this between us" He said. Truly, he had nothing else to do, and he was quite curious to see what type of person Azami was. She was new and he hadn't gotten the chance to pay attention to much around him these past few weeks.
He felt like it was time to pick himself up and start performing again. Even if it drained him. The people relied on them to do things right, even if they didn't feel like it. He didn't have the luxury to mope around or lay in his bed depressed all day.
He had already done that, for a good two whole days. Something his father hadn't known about. But now all his responsibilities had stacked and he need to get caught up.

"Okay" She said, returning his smile and entering. She sat on the couch nearby. "If you want to know then I don't mind sharing." She said.
"Well I like gardening and baking, if that's something your interested in knowing. I explore the castle in the little free time I have. I don't really get along well with the other servant's but I would like to. And that's pretty much all I can think of right now. If you have any questions I don't mind answering them." She said.
She didn't want to ramble but he probably didn't care much either way. She bounced her legged rapidly, kind of an anxious habit of hers. She didn't know why she was anxious. Maybe because she didn't want to get up and walk around in his room, but she couldn't sit still for the life of her. She didn't think much of it, but hoped he didn't notice, or mind.

Alec nodded in acknowledgment of her words.
"Baking," He repeated. "It's something I've wanted to do, I mean, who doesn't like eating pastries? The ones the cooks prepare are heavenly and I wish I could do that. Maybe one day" A small laugh left his lips.
"Gardening sounds wonderful, I'm not allowed but I have tried it maybe once or twice" he winked at her, hoping she would keep this secret, it wasn't anything major, but his father didn't like that he picked up useless hobbies when he could be applying his intelligence elsewhere.
When Azami mentioned not getting along with the others, Alec frowned. He wondered why that was. Maybe because she was new? Even between the servants, there was a semblance of hierarchy, even if no one spoke of it, Alec saw it.
"Well," He gave her a tight-lipped smile, there being warmth to his expression. "If you ever get in trouble you can come to me and I'll put them in their place. I'm not sure what kinds of trouble you go through, but I hope it's not too bad. Again, you're at my service, but I'm also at yours" He said, a more serious tone to his voice.
"Questions….how did you get the job here? It's very hard to get a position this high up. I don't mean to be condescending, but the spot was filled rather quickly when there's usually a line of people waiting, not to mention the screening process" He said. It wasn't an unusual question as Alec's father never shared such things with Alec, he deemed them 'useless information', something Alec didn't need to know. But Alec was curious by nature and anything that his father banned, he wanted to get his hands on in some act of rebellion.
This was no different. He wanted to know why she had been chosen specifically, and if his suspicions were correct.

She smiled. "Baking is fun. I'd teach you if i wouldn't get in trouble for it." She giggled a bit. She would. She thought the prince was a really polite guy, and seemed nice enough despite the distant exterior. If he wanted to learn how to bake she wouldn't mind helping him.
"I doubt the other servant's like me very much." She said calmly. The other servant, did in fact, not like her. She climbed the hierarchy really fast. She had no idea how or why, but she didn't mind. She got to serve someone she didn't mind being around, and she got paid a pretty penny along with residency inside the castle. She sent a good portion of her money to her father, who was getting old, but she wanted to provide for him like he had so well for her. "That's very kind of you Prince"
She smiled a little at the prince's defiance. Even if it was minor, it was the wink that made it funny. She wouldn't dare tell the king though. He was mean, even if it was as little as gardening
She replied to the last question honestly, with out the service smile that she put on every morning when she went to knock on the prince's door. "I actually don't know. My father used to be a delivery man for the palace, but when I applied, I got an audience with the king two days after, and was told I had the job. I was a lowly maid at first, but within a month, I was here, serving you. I don't mind not knowing, but it does lead me to wonder sometimes." She caught herself before the last sentence. She didn't want to bring up what she wondered. It was the girl before her. She wanted to know what she was like. She'd seen her a few times in passing, and she knew that she was very pretty, and looked quite similar to Azami herself, but she couldn't help but wonder why she was special. Why she got the position of the prince's personal servant when so many other, more deserving men and women would be more suited for the job.

Alec's eyes widened slightly.
"Would you…? Truly ?" He asked, suspicious if this was another trap, but even if it was, the excitement of learning how to bake his favorite pastries energized him.
"We could be careful, maybe during the night?" He asked, already planning the small adventure to the kitchen. He was bound to get found out- if he wasn't careful enough. He had gotten away with many things that to this day, his father knew nothing about. This was just another risk, another impulsive thing that hopefully would get swept under the rug. The escapade sounded a little like his fantasies, in the sense that adrenaline was involved and he finally got to be free. It fueled him.
When Azami's expression took a dive, so did his. He listened intently to her words.
"I see.." He said at last. Well, it wasn't a surprise that his father kept everything a secret from him. Alec always wanted to know everything that went on around him, but some things he could never keep his mouth shut on, which caused rumors. It was his tongue that caused the death of his beloved.
He had spoken too eagerly, his face showed too much excitement when speaking about her. Oh, how he had praised her to the king in hopes that she could be given more, but it had backfired and taken an ugly turn. He regretted it with every fiber of his being. He never knew how to hold his tongue, he was too much of a free soul to be contained. He didn't want to be contained but found that he was within the walls of the castle, like his own little prison. How delightful.
"It is quite the mystery" He spoke, though, now he seemed deep in thought. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. Not that he had any problems with Azami being his personal maid, but he would rather avoid another tragedy if he could. Because knowing him, he'd also get her killed. Not for the fact that she looked similar to Vixen, but because he found her quiet personality charming. He preferred it to those who threw themselves at him, the attention was great for his lonely heart, but he found it to be a little much at times.
He rather liked someone he could confide in, someone who could speak to him like he wasn't above them. Like friends.
He wanted friends.