#flcralhaze.

[daysdraem]

            disappearing   into   the   gardens   of   the   versailles   palace   had   been   a   welcomed   break   from   the   madness   happening   inside,   and   julia   was   thankful   for   the   breath   of   fresh   air.   she   wasn't   going   in   a   particular   direction,   going   where   her   heart   wanted   until   a   soft   timbre   catches   her   ear.   "   this   place   is   gorgeous.   i   was   only   ever   see   it   from   afar   when   i   came   for   fashion   week.   "   a   soft   grin   takes   over   her   features,   turning   toward   guinevere.   "   have   you   gone   inside?   it   looks   like   something   straight   out   of   a   gossip   girl   episode.   "

open starter ›› guinevere & anyone . where: the royal gardens of versailles, near the palace.

        delicate  fingers  traced  along  the  petals  of a flower she'd plucked from a nearby bush. with the amount of blooms filling the vast grounds it'd hardly be missed. it was a shame her outfits lacked the pockets for even a small sketchbook; gardens as pretty as these, with only moonlight illuminating the, deserved to be captured. sound of footsteps drew her attention. a smile washed away previously neutral expression.   ❝ beautiful, isn't it? ❞

[thenxghtwemxt]

@flcralhaze | Kaito and Midori, Late Night at The Soldiers Taverna

"The last time I had this much to drink, I nearly fell head-first into a river in Ethiopia!" She exclaims amidst the guitar and drums, features lit by the bonfire behind the taverna. Within days of their arrival, she caught wind of the soldiers taverna. With its reputation for fun, whilst safely within the Fortress' walls. It is the perfect place to bring Kaito a few nights before his betrothal celebration. "Mind you, there was a whole damn giraffe just twenty feet away." Fortunately, there was no wild life in sight. Only a handful of everyday soldiers, commoners, and disguised Japanese soldiers in their company. "So!" She calls out, moving to the rhythm of the music. "Are you prepared? To be a married man?" Midori mocks playfully.

[umitvar]

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: NRP SAGRES, TOP DECK 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌: PRINCE NABIL BADI 𝐓𝐎: QUEEN MALAIKA SOLOMAN ( @flcralhaze )

another journey so soon, nabil can only hope that it won't lead to more trouble. it's hard to not be apprehensive about it all, though he calms himself by saying that they will do their best to prepare, and he will be all ears in case something feels remotely off. and at the very least, they will be in a friendly territory: he trusts brazil and its rulers. taking a stroll through the top deck, he hopes to put his mind at ease. one he has spotted the royal, the prince makes his way towards her, tilting his head forward. "your majesty — how are you?" a pause, to gaze into the sea. "how do you feel, now that you won't be hosting?" the prince asks kindly, not wanting to assume the burdens would be less, but thinking it must have been. hosting a group, as big and important as this one, couldn't have been anything but stressful.

[bourgeoning]

she  falls  back  into  the  rhythm  with  ease  ;  contrasting  chaos  with  calm  ,  for  others'  benefit  .  in  spite  of  a  continuously  pounding  heart  ,  and  fear  gnawing  at  her  stomach  .  nails  rapping  against  the  table  ,  isra  replays  the  bedlam  in  the  grand  jury  hall  ,  hoping  to  achieve  any  sort  of  understanding  of  the  tangled  mess  left  in  its  wake  .  but  the  memory  ebbs  into  the  background  when  she  hears  approaching  footsteps  .  reflexively  ,  she  sits  up  ,  offering  a  warm  smile  to  @classiqals  @flcralhaze  @umitvar  @verenduss  @monarhrh    @whispcrings  , "  how  can  i  help  ?  don't  be  shy  now  .  "  almost  a  joke  ,  or  ,  rather  ,  an  attempt  at  bringing  levity  .

[rubynoble]

° • — CLOSED starter for kaito ( @flcralhaze ) ° • — in japan's quarters, morning.

it had been days since the little princess had left japan's quarters. at first, she hadn't left her room. now, she emerged — but only to the common areas. she was afraid to leave, afraid she would catch a glimpse of xinyuan again and be unable to keep it together. she was barely able to keep it together now, behind closed doors.

the exiled princess sat in the window seat, looking out onto the view. she didn't desire to be out in the sunshine, or to go sketch the flowers she had been searching for. her rosy cheeks were tear stained, but none currently flowed down them.

when she heard a door open then close, at first — she did nothing. then, she turned her head to look that way and gave the emperor a smile; what may have been the saddest smile the princess had ever given. " good morning, oniisan. " kai-ming said softly, lacking any of her trademark brightness. " " did you sleep well? the owls were so loud last night, i was afraid i'd never sleep. " she attempted to keep the conversation as light hearted as she ever would have.

[petalsruined]

closed  starter  for  aranya  chakri  (  @flcralhaze  )  .

hoping  to  lessen  the  anguish  of  all  that's  going  on  presently,  adisorn  lays  out  a  spread  in  their  sitting  room  of  treats  from  café  do  paço,  freshly  made  hot  cocoa  placed  on  respective  coasters.  "  you  know,  i've  heard  from  the  finest  physicians  that  cocoa  is  excellent  for  those  with  child.  excellent  for  the  mind,  too,  "  is  there  any  scientific  truth  to  those  statements?  not  that  they're  aware  of,  but  underlying  worry  for  his  sister  is  enough  reason  to  play  it  up.  "  so  have  your  fill,  as  i  fear  i  may  no  longer  be  welcome.  "

[diamondnoble]

° • — closed starter / @flcralhaze + stefan ° • — the lodi gardens

rose sat before a small canvas, easy enough to carry around but large enough to capture a decent painting. she had yet to start a painting since arriving to india, but now after all the turmoil of recent events and her own personal . . . discoveries — rose needed to relax, to detach from reality for awhile and get lost in her paints and her own world.

and she was doing just that, until a shadow crept over her canvas and snapped the brunette out of her process. with a heavy sigh, she dropped her brush from the canvas. " do you mind ? " the minister hissed, not even bothered to see who it was behind her. all that mattered was she had been in her headspace and now someone was disturbing her.

[umitvar]

to see her shoulders drop alongside the expression on her face only brings more guilt. it twists and turns the heart in his chest, and he moves forward to pull the chair next to her, to gingerly sit on the edge. she is one of the few that makes him connected to thailand, lets him associate it with home from time to time. and the fact that it is his duty to come to them with information, yet how he fails to do so, makes him feel incredibly guilty. he evades her gaze, looking at the tablecloth, hands clenching into fists on top of his legs. "that... seems to be the case. i- i don't know who to blame, either. there is so much loss..." she continues, and only at her final words, he looks up, desperation crossing his eyes, helplessness that he despises. a hand reaches up to hold her shoulder, teeth sinking into his lip. "aranya- i — i am so sorry." and to think, noi is having doubts, in a moment of political tension such as this. when innocent lives are affected. there is a frantic edge to his words when he speaks. "this might be- too forward of me but- you are assigned round-the-clock guards, aren't you?"

hope  hung  on  a  thread  that  was fraying once again, an exhausting cycle aranya wasn't certain how to escape. the pre-tribunal was meant to deliver the justice she hungered for; instead, there'd only been more violence and thailand's losses had been pushed aside once more. her fingers dug into her palms. would the person or people who orchestrated her children's deaths never stand trail? she knew it was unlikely that noi would possess any new information, but her shoulders still drooped. defeat never became easier to swallow.   ❝ i fear the only ones who aren't in the dark are those behind all of this. ❞   slender fingers fidgeted with the cloth napkin on the table. aranya wondered if it would be better if they returned to thailand, but there hadn't felt fully safe since the deaths either.   ❝ i'm unharmed. but . . . ❞   she swallowed the lump in her throat.   ❝ i'm frightened. ❞

[succiducus]

when: post drop w/ @umitvar & @flcralhaze (not a group thread/muse of your choosing)

where: turkish apartments, sitting room.

gathered were the courtiers of turkey amidst furniture and sculptures being addressed by their sultan in the aftermath of the pre-tribunal. rostam grew tired as the days went on; with every passing moment, he was consumed by worry that someone would come for ariyan soon enough. although he had tried to push the thought away, time spent with his spouse during their time in brazil made it stick to his insides like glue; he couldn't lose them. rostam speaks to his worries, to his anger and disappointment but the loud creak of a door and familiar face break his chastise, turning to face the person who had interrupted their meeting. with a wave of his hand, they disperse and the entirety of his focus falls to them. "what is it?" the sultan's irritation is clear in his voice yet his hands come up in apology; anger seemed to be the most prevalent among many emotions.

[thcrnedthrones]

CLOSED STARTER - Lunara and Timur @flcralhaze Where: Mysteries of Osiris Gala

Lunara didn't love big gatherings after what had happened at the Reckoning and how close she had come to being killed herself, but events like this while bringing back the terrifying memories of Lal Qila also had her thinking about the handsome stranger that had been there saving her one minute and gone the next. Everyone she spoke to since had insisted that he'd been just a figment of her imagination - or a result of her bumping her head a little too hard in the midst of all the chaos, but she swore that he had been real and she'd felt his touch as he saved her, and even standing there in the middle of everyone talking and making connection, she swore that as she looked on, she saw traces of him. Glimpses of him through the crowds and in between spaces that separated others.

With so many people around her it was easy to lose track of the familiar looking stranger, but when she had managed to fins a clearing it was just like before and he was nowhere to be found. Thinking that maybe her family and everyone else had the right idea and she might have been seeing things all along, she excused herself and walked out into the garden, the humid night air hitting her face as she sat down, only to jump up again when she heard footsteps coming behind her, turning to find him standing right in front of her. "Y-you..." she murmured, her eyes fixed on him like she was scared he would once again fade into thin air. "You're real?-- you saved me that night... at Lal Qila.."

[ccnsenescere]

when: post drop w/ @espionisms & @flcralhaze (can be a group thread or a muse of your choosing)

where: a palace corridor outside the courtroom

the trembling started prior to the violence. for awhile, abdullah had been able to pretend that all was well; his sisters were among safe courts, he and cailean were well on their way to developing something more solid; his advising the stuarts, while troublesome, had allowed him to influence their decisions for peace rather than its opposite. yet, the world they lived in would never cater to such a thought; to peace. where once he would've ran toward cailean for comfort, the sight of knuckles meeting eye amidst the struggle had made him walk in another direction. the reckoning had ruined his courage, he is reminded of it by his own thoughts and by the way startle causes him to jump when another closes in on him. "do you believe we will ever live to see this world fall into peace instead of chaos?" he asks, his sigh holding weighty emotions and dead-end thoughts. perhaps, he thought, running away might be the solution to his weariness.

[opalnoble]

“ i do not think this city ever sleeps, “ aurora said with a giggle, taking a bite of the sweet bread in her hand. “ it is magical, the way it lights up with energy and music throughout the night. wouldn’t you say? “ the princess asked, “ i wish to have experiences like this often, it would make life far less dreary. “ though, aurora knew her life would no longer be dreary, not like it was before ethiopia. her world had been changed forever; even if no one knew that. aurora then looked to the plate of pastries he held, gesturing to it. “ — and the sweets, they’re simply addicting! “ something aurora had always adored, be it on the street of paris or a wondrous ball; were sweets.

a sense  of  time  had  been  lost long ago. if asked, he couldn't even tell how long it'd been since the sun had set and been replaced in the sky by stars. in one hand, he held a plate of food and in the other a small prize he's won from one of the carnival games. he surveyed the area around the bonfires, looking for a place to sit, and luck graced him with its presence. he gave little thought to who he was sitting down next to; his true focus on enjoying the pastries he'd piled on his plat, but when she spoke to him, teddy granted her his full attention.   ❝ how can i when the city is still alive? ❞

[thenxghtwemxt]

@flcralhaze | Kaito and Midori, Within Japan's Royal Apartments

The fatal blow to their friendship is no longer fresh. Nearly a year since she failed Kaito, the immediate emotion has seized to come. Instead, the ache is quiet and eerily familiar. Unable to look upon her best friend, her Emperor, without knowing the pain she's caused. But a mixture of obstinacy, desperation, and maybe even hope keeps her in his court. Midori waits for him outside of his newly anointed chambers. Polite hands on her lap, silk dresses properly cinched. She could be good, now that the war is over. She could be his confidant, once more. "Your Highness." Midori interrupts, formal where it was once easy. Clearing her throat, she comes to her feet, lowering her head in respect. "The last of the invited nations have settled into their apartments. I believe the Solomon's will start breakfast soon." And though she's ravenous to eat, she waits until polite company allows it. A look in her eye, desperate as she looks at Kaito; see, I can be a good person, too.

[umitvar]

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: FRONT OF THAILAND'S PALACE, EVENING 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌: NOI JIRAYU CHAROENSUK 𝐓𝐎: QUEEN ARANYA CHAKRI ( @flcralhaze )

it's later in the day that noi finds the right time to approach the queen. he's extra careful about the whole ordeal, both about her availability, as well as making sure no one sees him talking so closely with the thai royals. it is a tightrope that he is walking on, and there is even a part of his mind that tells him he should maybe wait a few days longer. however, the part that knows aranya to be so close and wishes to see his dear friend again, wins over. so, he makes his way, as quiet as possible, to the miniature castle with their flag on it. hides between one of the pillars near the doorway, long enough that he hears the guards approach. slowly, with his hands held up, he takes a step forward. "your majesty." to make himself known, accompanied by a bow. his phin instrument is hanging off his shoulders on his back, though he thinks thai soldiers will know what it is, and won't mistake it for anything dangerous. a gentle smile pulls the ends of his lips upwards, one that he tries to push down for now. they are still out in the open. "would you have some time for a performance? i have been sent to entertain you for the evening." which is, a load of lies, and noi is sure aranya will pick up on it. once they are in private, he will get to speak much more freely, and he is truly looking forward to catching up about everything.

[bourgeoning]

he's  never  frequented  his  study  —  not  for  work  ,  anyway  .  even  in  the  year  after  the  reckoning  ,  hugo's  space  in  the  hatzfelds'  castle  had  been  more  of  a  refuge  than  a  workspace  .  now  ,  however  ,  decidedly  more  restive  in  the  wake  of  the  day  before  ,  he  gravitates  toward  it  ,  remaining  there  ,  undisturbed  ,  for  stretches  of  time  .  which  is  the  reason  eyes  narrow  ,  and  brow  furrows  when  the  door  opens  .  an  expression  that  only  slightly  softens  upon  recognizing  @diamondnoble  @flcralhaze  , "  before  you  say  it  —  "  the  lord  leans  back  in  his  chair  ,  a  short sigh  leaking  from  his  lips  .  "  i'm  not  going  to  stop  brooding  on  your  account  .  something  is  horribly amiss  ,  and  i'm  done  brushing  it  off  .  "

[rubynoble]

° • — CLOSED starter for kaito ( @flcralhaze ) ° • — five days after the storm, the day of kai-ming's exilement, near japan's apartments

it was almost like the world was entirely in a fog — kai-ming couldn't think straight, couldn't even begin to fathom the events that taken place. how suddenly, in a fell swoop, she lost everything. she lost her home, any sense of belonging that she had —  everything. the first thing that came to her mind, upon realizing how much she lost ? she wasn't safe anymore. apparently, she hadn't even been safe in china as the snakes were inside the palace itself.  not even xinyuan could've protected her from her own actions and the vile ambitions of her ste-brother. kai-ming's heart sank at the thought that she's lost him, too. her eyes begun to well up with tears. the weight of what she lost was crushing and she was beginning to weaken under it.

taking the flower from her pocket, the discarded princess thought about giuliana's words from that night. that she was strong, she could use her words and her wit to find strength where she thought there was none. kai-ming knew then, she had to do something in the form of self-preservation. though she had never been on her own before —  she always had her sisters to take care of her, to guide her. to help her. now, who could she possibly turn to ? who would want to help someone considered a traitor to their own country, exiled and damned ?

an idea came to mind, and before her mind could tell her it was foolish — her heart told her to give it a chance. after all, what could she lose ? with that, the young girl rose and headed straight towards japan's apartments, with a certain emperor in mind. however, she ran into him much sooner then she expected and a squeak of shock came from her. " your majesty ! " she exclaimed, bowing towards him. " i . . . . was looking for you, " the princess mentioned, eyes glancing around at the guards that accompanied him.  " can i speak to you ? about something of . . great importance ? " she was obviously nervous, and had begun to wonder if perhaps she made a rash decision.