#(Bothering Sonia is a new contender though!)

[more-than-a-princess]

Seated at the antique vanity table in her suite, Sonia had just finished sliding the last of the bobby pins into her hair when one of the windows interrupted her focus with a groaning creak. The sort that came from too much weight or pressure on ancient wood furnishings, something she was all too familiar with at home, in her younger years, as she devised various ways to sneak away from the various royal residences. In contrast, whatever was making this sound didn't want out: it wanted to get in.

In the span of a second, she'd made two decisions: one, that she did not have enough time to notify her security several doors further into the building that there was a trespassing underway and two, she remembered she'd chosen to keep one of the pistols in her possession in the bottom right drawer of the vanity. In a swift movement, she'd retrieved it, gotten to her feet, clicked off the safety, and took aim at the window before she realized who exactly it was who had disrupted her morning pre-breakfast, admonishing him with a reminder of proper window usage.

 "This was not exactly how I anticipated my morning to begin," She replied with a heavy sigh, flipping the safety back on before putting the pistol away in its proper place. "I apologize: after the first two kidnappings, my family refuses to take chances, especially when I travel. I'm protected by diplomatic immunity wherever I go, and they'd rather me safe than risk a third attempt."

She took a seat back on the upholstered cushion in front of the mirror, moving to affix a pearl barrette into her hair. The front sections had been pulled away and fastened behind her head, giving her some relief on what was anticipated to be a warm, end of spring day in Florence. She'd dressed for it too, with a linen sundress in a pale shade of lavender that was fitted in the bodice and flared at the waist ending just below her knees, complete with thin straps that tied into bows atop each shoulder. Beige espadrilles had been tied into similar bows around her ankles and a pair of white sunglasses, a straw hat, and a wicker basket bag had been placed on a chair nearby, a pink and red silk scarf tied to the bag's handle. Decidedly casual for royalty, right down to the gold pebble and freshwater pearl earrings in her ears.

"What sort of services would those be?" She asked, perhaps far too casually to someone who had just climbed through her window without warning. Though at this point, she was often expecting Shirou Emiya to turn up unexpectedly: in a private villa in the Maldives, in a casino in Monaco, and now, a villa-turned-hotel in Florence. "I don't suppose you're going to sneak into this hotel's kitchen next." She turned from her mirror then and grinned at him, having just finished dabbing a bit of cherry red lipstick onto her lips with her fingertip before wiping it on a handkerchief.

"I don't suppose I may ask what you're doing here, considering how we usually cross paths now," She continued, slipping both the gold compact and the handkerchief into the handbag before securing the tan leather top in place. "But I believe any situation may be perceived as strange as I had specific instructions to my staff that I wanted a day on my own in Florence before tomorrow's official schedule. I was just about to find a café for coffee: that's what they call breakfast here, regardless if you're drinking the beverage or not."

@more-than-a-princess ❝ People here don’t normally enter and exit through windows, okay? You should probably remember this information for future reference. ❞ (definitely for an older Shirou)

❝ Ah, it is just you. For a moment I thought I’d be in trouble. ❞ His nonchalant tone hid his genuine relief.

There are a few things one must know about Florence. It was once one of the richest places in all Europe during the Renaissance era, its most affluent citizens were so above everything else that their mansions weren’t located on the street level but always at least one flight of stairs above. It even became an intricate network of above-ground passageways connecting one villa to the next, its inhabitants hardly having to ever touch the streets during their lifetimes. Almost like an entirely different world right above everyone’s head, literally. Another thing is that many of the affluent families that held power during that time also holds power to this day. An old lineage that upholds its traditions hidden from the outside world. Shirou didn’t take any of that into consideration. The man recognized a few individuals from a previous run-in and didn’t want to have an unnecessary scuffle amidst a bustling street, so he climbed up the nearest drain to reach a balcony, pressing his body against the window. However, it wasn’t latched on properly and due to its uneven flooring he ended up inside the house – he barely had any time to curse his clumsiness when realized that there was a woman in there! – that was it. He was ready to accept his face and get into trouble. But it seems fate had a silly sense of humor and he soon recognized the person in question, which left him without reaction as spoke.

❝ My apologies. I didn’t expect to run into you or anyone for that matter. ❞ in fact, he was trying to avoid people when he got himself in this situation. ❝ Wouldn’t it be weirder that an unknown man is seen leaving the premises but wasn’t seen getting in? Perhaps I should offer you my services so at least you have an explanation if inquired about it.  ❞ … He had no idea where he was at. Was it one of the Novosonian royal family’s proprieties outside their country? An embassy? The house of one of their connections? Either way it didn’t sound too good for him. It was downright trespassing (again).

[morethanaprincess-a]

@b-erserk​ said:  ‘’ Hmm. . . ? ‘’ Could they see it? Could the vast crowd witness how a mere fourteen year old entered the ring? From all across the world, men gathered for the sole purpose of serving the Empress as her new mercenary. Promise of silver fanned the flames of greed, and she too has seen far too much bloodshed; a child though? It would be a wonder if she could stomach the fact that this ‘child’ was about to face a giant. Guts nonchalantly fixed his helm, whilst staring at his towering enemy.

"Please Sonia, I beg of you, pay attention to each and every one of the candidates. Whichever one that's chosen, they'll lead your personal security!"

It wasn't that Sonia hadn't heard her mother's request as they sat, side by side, on two thrones beneath a tent to block out the harsh light of the midday sun. It was that after days of tournaments, the amount of bloodshed was beginning to wear on her. Naturally, it wasn't nearly as gruesome as what her father must be facing: when King Alexandre himself  left the capital to help lead the defense for Novoselic's borders, that had left his wife in name only, Queen Valentina, as regent to the 17-year-old princess. Sonia sighed: her birthday couldn't come soon enough in autumn, though she felt sure that her mother would find something new and altogether more vain and shallow to focus on regarding her only child.

"I'm paying attention," She insisted. It was half-true: she did eye up each and every candidate who entered the ring. But she tore her blue gaze away from the action each time one of them fell or worse, succumbed to their injuries. This hadn't escaped her mother's notice either, the older woman's elegant face curling into a smirk as she eyed her daughter, appearing every inch a beautiful, eligible princess in her sage green silk gown, grimacing whenever one of the men lost a limb.

"And I thought this would be enjoyable for you, considering how much you're fascinated by the torture chambers in the underground passages," Valentina settled back into her throne, satisfied. The public saw their future Queen but she could, perhaps, finally stamp out her daughter's ridiculous obsession with gore, murders, and witchcraft. None of which were suitable for a princess.

"That is different," Sonia replied sternly, shooting her mother a glare. "The sort of medical education and disciplining of criminals are both performed on those who either cannot feel it or have been sentenced to it. These men have yet to pledge their allegiance to us, much less be convicted of a crime or dead!" In the heat of Novoselic's summer, the silver circlet she wore felt heavier than usual as she began to wring her hands that had previously remained folded politely in her lap. Pursing her lips and returning her gaze to the ring, Sonia could only think of so many other things she'd rather be doing: visiting the capital and other towns across the country and listening to the worries of her people, sneaking into another tutoring group supposedly limited to the male heirs of Novoselic nobility, going for a ride or reading a book, or perhaps most important, writing her daily letter to her father with the goings-on of Novoselic Castle and how much she missed him. At least with the King around, it left her mother with two people to bother. Though she wished that, for once, her parents might treat one another like the happy families she'd read in stories meant for children, full of love and support for each other and their children. The Novoselic Royal Family only engaged in the latter.

"Your Majesty, the next contender is here. A lad of fourteen," The Royal Family's leader of the guards spoke gently to her mother as Sonia kept her eyes on the shouting crowd below. He was a kind man and Sonia didn't have any grievances with him, save for the fact that he was in love with her mother and she returned such affections.

"Wonderful, they may begin at your command." Valentina smiled gleefully, looking forward to the fight ahead. She didn't believe someone so young really had a fighting chance, but it would keep the crowd in high spirits once he was defeated. It was as much for the spectators' morale as it was to choose a suitable mercenary for Sonia.

"Mother, you allowed this!?" Sonia gasped, gripping the arms of her throne with pale, slender fingers as she stared at the Queen aghast. "That's far too young! He'll be defeated in no time! Did this young man even consent to participating in such a tournament?"

But Sonia's concerns were dismissed with a wave of her hand, a giant emerald ring flanked with diamonds sparkling on the Queen's finger as she did so.  "He's already entered the ring, shall we not give him a chance?"

"Not if he isn't adequately prepared in skill or age to even face his opponent!" Sonia cried, her face twisted into both shock and disgust as she rose to her feet, approaching the barrier to the royal platform for a closer look. As her hands gripped fistfuls of the banners that bore her family and her father's crests, the princess chewed at her lower lip as she glanced from her mother, to the guards, to the ring. Not one of them made any move to call off the current fight despite her pleas.

[more-than-a-princess]

Sonia was conflicted the moment the elevator doors closed. For one, she no longer had Ms. Ishida to be concerned about, and all of the woman's well-intentioned prying into various facets of Sonia's life. That, and with many of her upcoming appearances sorted as far as her attire was concerned, there was less reason to be pressured into choosing new pieces for her closet.

However, as soon as the elevator began to make its descent, she realized she still had Ryuto to contend with. And without the company of others, he saw no need to maintain his princely facade and had, instead, reverted back to a certain smugness that he seemed to save entirely for her. She rather wished he wouldn't. Instead, Sonia wished his good manners were something sincere and full of gratitude instead of what they truly were: something to mask his biting, blunt attitude. That was how she regarded it, at least, and after that atrocious display on her behalf, it was unlikely he was going to let up soon.

Especially as, just when he'd emerged from the dressing room, he'd likely caught her throwing her mobile phone back into her purse with a considerable amount of force. The only way to bring some relief to the irritation his general attitude provided, the more and more often they spent in each other's presence. It was nearly impossible for Sonia to believe that just over an hour ago, he appeared truly troubled and she was there, offering her support however she could. A good deed that now was backfiring, apparently.

"I'm glad you had such a wonderful time," Sonia uttered through her teeth, forcing a smile as they continued their journey back to the more common, plain world, without VIP treatment and VIP gossip to follow. He would be smug, but that didn't mean she needed to give him the satisfaction of her annoyance. "I wonder if I've given you a new place to shop for your clothes where you will be undisturbed. Ms. Ishida gave you her card: you may telephone or email the addresses on the back in order to make future appointments."

Without me in tow was the unspoken addition to her feedback. Sonia hoped that his amusement hadn't simply been at her expense, but she was doubtful as the elevator doors opened at the bottom floor. "You may not want to look so satisfied with yourself," She quietly advised him as she led the way to the doors and out the side street, where Kobato, the limo, and the parcels would be waiting. "Even if you say nothing, that doesn't mean he won't ask, especially if you keep looking like that."

With an overly sweet smile of her own, Sonia strode right up to Ryuto's side of the limo and, with a glance over her shoulder, proceeded to knock twice gently on the glass before opening the door herself and sliding inside. A polite gesture to announce they'd arrived and it would bother Ryuto to boot: she needed that right now. At least he was feeling better from the day's earlier events.

"Thank you for waiting, Kazamatsuri-san!" She told Kobato cheerily as she waited for Ryuto to climb in beside her. "As you can see, we've sorted out Tsukishima-san's clothes and they should have been delivered to the limo's boot by now. Could you take us to this address next, please? I'll be treating you both to drinks, if you'd like."

Sonia showed him her mobile screen while repeating the address aloud. It wasn't terribly far, ten minutes or so by car, and unlike the shopping district there would be a garage nearby for Kobato to park. As long as neither of them acted like anything was amiss, nothing had to be wrong. Kobato wouldn't comment and, Sonia could only hope, Ryuto would soon forget it even though he promised not to. Didn't he have enough starry-eyed young ladies to annoy? She thought as she buckled her seatbelt and settled back against the seat.

    Naturally, since he had no desire to really prolong his stay inside the dressing room, Ryuto doesn't waste much time shifting out of his new clothes and shrugging on his previous getup. Just before exiting, though, he will type out one last response to Sonia with amusement reflected from his gaze.

Ryuto Tsukishima: It is of little consequence to me; after all, I have more than enough funds to afford tea for myself... in other words, your threat is hardly what I would consider a punishment. That you admit to adoring me, however, is flattery I shall not soon forget, but I will gladly keep it a secret from Kobato.

    Subsequently thereafter, Ryuto then wanders past the curtains, and by that point, he'll hand the clothes over to Ishida, who would hurry off to get them packed up. Once that was done, though, he soon makes his way over to Sonia while pretending for her sake that he hadn't just been cheeky with her, only moments prior.

    "Yes, we should be departing at once. I imagine by now, Kobato must be awfully bored, waiting for us all by his poor lonesome," Ryuto finally remarks. Of course, to Ishida, it might sound like he was expressing concern over his chauffeur, but Sonia would doubtlessly be able to catch the sarcasm lacing his words when he directed a knowing smile meant only for her to see.

    Mere moments later, however, he'll turn to briefly wave at Ishida while morphing his lips into a more angelic, princely looking one... and within seconds, he follows her back into the elevator; only, the moment they were alone, Ryuto proceeds to impishly smirk.

    Unfortunately, due to there being a mirror at the front and the back, Sonia would be unable to not notice his smugness, practically permeating through the elevator.

    "...Surprisingly, this venture wasn't a complete waste of my time; therefore, you have my gratitude for bringing me here, Sonia-san. Why, I'll have you know I enjoyed myself far much more than I would have initially hoped... and it's all thanks to you." Though his words were arguably pleasant, there could be no denying the fact that his reasons for 'enjoying' himself was nowhere near as innocuous as it seemed.