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[ivoryxsteel]

closed starter. @aphrcdisiacs @steelfyre @coldwindcoldwords @shebambi

no one could tell who he is , lord zalyne had noted with amusement. it was exhilarating , giving one a certain freedom to do as he pleased , to be anyone he wanted to be for the night , to be freed of duties and himself . he carries dornish red in one hand , making his way across the room - darius had already indulged himself in too much of the sweet crimson drink , so it comes as no surprise when he bumps into someone on accident, bodies colliding , drinks spilled. " i hope you will accept my sincere apologies , my liege. "

[ivoryxsteel]

lord zalyne lets himself get dragged away by red haired noble, amusement painting his features. he did not care for westerosi lives lost, the sudden solemn atmosphere at the red keep almost unbearable. good thing, after all, someone kept the spirits up. " ah, yes. funerals do get me going. " he muses, a hand delicately placed on the other's waist as he joins them in dancing.

          𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛 ୨୧ 𝗆𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗂𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗌

the   ghosts   of   the   red   keep   weep   ,   but   the   gorgon   ,   influenced   by   the   meed   on   their   breathe   ,   𝘨𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥   .         ⸻         𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎   𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜   ,   𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎   𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐   𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜   .   none   tied   to   the   acursed   daughters   of   the   witch   isle   .   sabine’s   tender   fingers   gripped   at   unsuspecting   hand   ,   pulled   like   a   flower   in   the   spring’s   breeze   .   trouble   sought   company   ,   and   two   was   better   than   one   .         “      come   dance   with   me   !   this   melody   is   far   too   beautiful   to   be   standing   alone   .      ”

[ivoryxsteel]

.🌊

[ivoryxsteel]

his eyes followed the children princess martell spoke of, but the sight did not evoke any feelings within him, their carefreeness, childish joy a foreign concept for lord zalyne, as his younger years did not involve any of those things. " you are forgiven, princess. " darius teases, bringing up his own chalice up to his lips in return, a lighthearted smile painting one's features. " i do envy them as well, i must admit. my childhood was quite tedious until it was not. what about yours? "

 irem  nearly  jolted  ,  the  braavosi's  voice  bringing  her  back  to  reality  .  "  forgive  me  my  lord  ,  "  she  plastered  on  an  apologetic  smile  ,  glancing  down  at  her  barely  touched  dornish  red  ,  "  the  children  in  the  distance  ,  "  angling  her  head  to  catch  a  better  glimpse  of  them  .  "  their  giggles  sound  so  melodious  ,  i  could  not  help  but  watch  them  play  .  "  finally  ,  she  took  a  sip  from  her  own  chalice  ,  letting  the  familiar  warmth  of  the  red  slide  down  her  throat  .  "  i  find  myself  quite  jealous  of  their  innocence  and  carefree  nature  .  "

[ivoryxsteel]

atmposhere of conversation takes a shift, tensions rise, as if joining the dread and gloom of the rest of the castle. lord zalyne can only assume the cause would be recent events involving a velaryon, but he cannot be sure, and still, he is smart enough not to bring it up. " i apologize if i have offended you, my lady. it was not my intention. " words come out as sincere as he can make them out to sound. he's intrigued above all, and hopes usual charm will work. " i do know a place that would help clear your mind, one that feels a little less.. king's landing. if not, i will leave you be, of course. "

there's an unsettling feeling that resides in the pit of her stomach. flashes of laughter similar to that of lord zalyne's echoing in the recesses of lady velaryon's mind; causing grief to rise like bile in the back of her throat when harmlessly teased. reminded of all the times jacaerys' tried to lure araceli back to driftmark, to westerosi lands that currently feel foreign to her. ❛you may have a point but I rather be on any other plot of land than this. you can have king's landing and it's rot.❜ she then spits out in anger.

[ivoryxsteel]

dark eyes silently follow younger lord indulging himself in more wine; he'd have to keep an eye out on him, lord zalyne decided. empire's children far from home, they had to look out for each other. " you better arm yourself with plenty of patience, lord moraqos. i have a feeling we will be here for quite a while. well then, here's to the empire.. and all the lives lost tonight. i fear the dothraki will begin to envy westerosi feasts. " his goblet is raised, before he takes a few generous gulps out of it, high tolerance letting him indulge in dornish red as he pleased without worry. demeanor suddenly turns slightly more serious. " purple harbour and all other destinations can wait. right now, princess intira needs us. she might be a future dragon queen, but she will always have her people. because we have each other's backs, don't we? "

          a voice that reprimands pulls at familiar heartstrings and to defy comes with rounded shoulders and attention averted. his first inclination, as natural as the breath he takes in, sucked between teeth.  but this is not a father.  this is not a brother. this is a lord, a house of essos and in that is shared camaraderie in the lands of dragons and lions. “ no, ” a note as indifferent as the glance he offers to lord zalyne. certainly it is not the weeds that grow among cracks in stone that interest him more. “ a busy mind. nothing that cannot be fixed with another cup. ” aryros claims the next in his grasp, dornish red the elixir to fix a stilled tongue. and for a moment, the miracle is performed, “ i had made plans to travel to purple harbour. soiled, of course, and now we are all here. ” 

[ivoryxsteel]

lord zalyne lets out a laugh, finding the other's distress both endearing and amusing. " i understand you perfectly, lady velaryon. the sea calls for me, too. " he felt equally comfortable on water and land, a need for good balance between the two before boredom settled over like a gloomy, dark cloud. " but we must make the best out of our situation on dry land, must we not? i believe king's landing, despite its faults, has a lot to offer. "

❛like the ocean's currents, you can never tell if I'm coming or going.❜ laughed lady velaryon with slight awkwardness; nerves on edge, araceli ready to flee at a moment's notice. the prankster unable to stomach being in king's landing any longer. surrounded by everything she detested—like fire and brimstone. ❛water. I need to be on it, in it, surrounded and protected. safe.❜

[ivoryxsteel]

he swirls the dornish red around silver goblet before bringing it up to his lips. he doesn't believe her, but lord zalyne won't push the matter; well, not outrightly so. " starfall. " he remarks, mind flooded with memories. braavosi lord had visited so many places, sometimes most of them became a blur. " it has been a while since i last set a foot in dorne, i must admit. but your home is certainly remarkable, lady dayne. " words were genuine; the dornish castle was certainly one of the places that stood out, the sort you wouldn't forget. " do you miss your family? or is king's landing stench getting to you? "

❝ my apologies,  lord  zalyne.  ❞  her  gaze  returned to him, apology further present in her smile. picking up her own glass of dornish red, alara took a small sip, careful, despite possessing a high tolerance for the alcohol, to not let her mind grow foggy.  ❝ nothing at all. ❞   nothing she would divulge to anyone. her secrets kept locked safely away for now.  ❝ i was thinking of my home. ❞