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       #Post#: 1025--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: Kimcora Date: June 16, 2020, 9:18 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Smooth. Real smooth Dimitri." Dimitri looked over at the maid
       beside him who was carrying a tray of a tea set. Marcella's tone
       was clearly sarcastic. But if that wasn't obvious enough, her
       lips were twisted in this annoyed frown that displayed her
       frustration with the man. Had he made a mistake telling her
       about his conversation a few hours ago with Miss Zoya? It had
       come in passing when Marcella had inquired about her, as she had
       been with Luna while Dimitri was alone with her. The Humana
       woman was a good match for Dimitri as she was feisty enough to
       give him his crap right back. However, she was a caring person,
       one with a lot of heart to give that Dimitri saw her try to show
       Luna. She was only a few years older than Dimitri, but was still
       so much wiser and experienced. Of course, he wouldn't tell her
       that as it would go to her head.
       Without her scolding, Dimitri had known that he had struck a
       nerve the moment he got the clipped answer and she left the
       room. 'Fan-fricking-tastic...' He thought with a sigh, shutting
       his eyes as he mentally kicked himself. He had a habit of
       being...Well, his sister called it insensitive, prickish, or
       boorish. Dimitri preferred to call it candid or to the point.
       However, when handling strangers and those that didn't
       necessarily like that. Which was most people Dimitri dealt with
       in a day.
       "Well I didn't know it was a sore subject. Most women like
       talking about themselves right?" He balked back and Marcella
       gave a heavy roll of her eyes.
       "Yes but not that personal with strangers. Definitely, not the
       ones that have obvious reasons for being aloof and a fighter. I
       don't know many women that take up such a lonely career that
       want to talk about their feelings and share personal details."
       He gave Marcella a bit of a look before he raised a brow.
       "So if I don't want her to despise me, I'm not supposed to ask
       her anything? Or compliment her apparently." He frowned, not
       understanding how a compliment could have gone over so poorly
       with the beautiful woman. But, perhaps it was the change of pace
       that kept him interested, even if he Marcella had already warned
       him against fraternization at work.
       "Yes. Start with more casual conversation or leave the poor
       woman be. Perhaps, also don't make snide comments about her
       helping with the chores. I would love help since you are
       forbidden from doing some of it because you're a man." Dimitri
       balked at the insinuation and gave a snort of disbelief.
       "She was talking about washing windows Marcy and you think I'm
       not going to say something? A hired guard shouldn't be having to
       scrub windows when I am quite capable of doing that myself.
       Besides, I assumed she would be happier with less menial work to
       do." His comment drew a huff from Marcella who gave him a bump
       with her hip.
       "Another suggestion. Don't tell a woman what she can and can't
       do." They entered the kitchen space, knowing that it was dinner
       time and Luna would be sitting down with that awful family of
       her's. He pitied that girl for those painfully awkward, silent
       endeavors. Would Miss Zoya choose to take part in that or would
       she be confined to the kitchen like the rest of them?
       He sat with some of the others in the back of the kitchen where
       one of the cooks had snuck out a bottle of wine and was passing
       it around for them all to enjoy with tonight's hodgepodge of
       leftovers. He caught sight of a flurry of black hair and a skirt
       and instantly his heart leapt. He leaned back in his chair,
       calling out to the Elvi woman that seemed keen on sneaking off
       somewhere. "Hey, Miss Zoya. Care to join us? There's room if
       you're hungry." He offered even if the small table of servants
       looked curiously at the woman there.
       #Post#: 1029--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: DolittleMax Date: June 16, 2020, 11:00 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nesryn had been excused from having to attend the family meal,
       which was reasonable and Nesryn expected it considering her
       status. She had already changed Luna's spot at the table, a
       change not really noticed or commented on- certainly not by her
       Lady anyhow. Nesryn had attended on Luna for the rest of the
       afternoon and once the assassin had realised her Lady wasn't in
       danger and was instead peacefully drawing, Nesryn allowed
       herself some time for thought. She had been stiff with the
       servant Valcrow, rightly so, but for a moment she felt a little
       guilt. His expression at her reply seemed almost shocked and she
       hadn't meant to be such a b*tch about it. Her training was just
       a dark part in her past; with little muscle and a very weak
       immune system she had the furthest amount of progress over any
       of the other 'rescued' slaves. She'd spent months so stiff she
       was barely able to walk- yet still being forced into that area
       to be beaten to a pulp by Farren and the other trainees. She
       lost her family that day... and Nesryn had forever blamed
       herself- Farren fed into this often with comments on how she
       could have saved them and how she'd never be able to bring them
       back but not being so weak was a start.
       All Nesryn wanted to do now was get to her quarters to shed this
       stupid skirt and get out into the gardens for some training. In
       fact, she was well on her way to doing that when she heard that
       familiar voice calling to her. With a small feeling of
       reluctance she stopped at the kitchen door and peered in.
       Dimitri again...
       She made sure to straighten her skirt once more as she
       gracefully entered the room, taking into mind all the faces
       there. One part of her mind wanted to daintily excuse herself
       with the reasoning of 'a dreadful headache' but the Guild part
       of her wouldn't let her leave this opportunity to learn more
       about the servants behind.
       "Indeed, that would be quite fitting. Thank you." she gave a
       respectful head-bow of thanks before taking up the empty chair
       between Farren and another servant she had learnt to be
       Marcella. Nesryn observed the table and it's contents, noticing
       there was some good food there. She glanced about but remained
       quiet, not wanting to impose on the already existing
       conversation. The less she said, the less she could give away.
       She cast a brief look to Dimitri, searching his face for any
       ill-feelings after her brash words with him- but she saw nothing
       except genuine interest in his eyes. She looked away quickly,
       feeling something odd. She supposed the smell of all this food
       was making her hungry.
       #Post#: 1031--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: Kimcora Date: June 16, 2020, 11:51 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ‘Well, I’ll be damned.’  Dimitri thought, trying not to show his
       shock that she actually agreed to join them. He expected her to
       breeze past them or come up with some lame excuse about ‘not
       being hungry’ or ‘having some ailment’. Instead, she actually
       sat by him and Marcella, the very last thing he expect to happen
       while he was still alive and employed in that house. He didn’t
       want to scare her off or make her uncomfortable, especially not
       when he thought she hated him only moments before. “Glad you got
       to join us. I think you should get to meet everyone or at least
       the ones that know how to have a little fun.” He joked before
       gesturing to the food that was in the center as he passed her a
       plate being handed down by the chef. “Take as much as you like.”
       He told her before his attention returned to Marcella who was
       giggling at something another maid, Livy, said about the sister
       Duska throwing a fit like a child over her dress. He couldn’t
       help but roll his eyes skyward before he jerked a thumb at
       Marcella. “I assume you two have met briefly?” He asked Nesryn
       and Marcella turned her attention to Nesryn.
       “We passed each other in the room briefly. Marcella Amorine. The
       other poor sod that gets to put up with his charming
       personality.” Marcella teased Dimitri who gave a shrug and
       spared the older woman a smile. She was basically an older
       sister to him and they picked at each other constantly. Besides,
       Nesryn might actually smile if it was a joke at his expense
       right?
       “I’m Livy! I work with Dawna and Duska.” A blonde woman said
       from beside Marcella and soon a few of the other staff were
       introducing themselves. The important ones at least were
       Marcella, Livy, Jorgensen (the cook), and Karl (servant of
       Hydrus).
       “Ah and you’ll see my sister, Alycianna, wandering around like a
       duckling after Lady Freida.”  He said, unable to understand why
       his sister changed so much...honestly the woman she became after
       she joined this house was awful. He missed having his little
       sister back, even if they fought constantly as children. He
       shook the thought off, especially when Marcella decided to speak
       up.
       ”How has your fist day been treating you? Anything we can help
       with to make you transition here smoother? We don’t get new
       employees often. Lady Freida likes to keep a very...selective
       house staff.” She told her, since she was was trying to make her
       feel at ease even past Dimitri’s fumbling attempts at making her
       feel welcome.
       #Post#: 1032--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: DolittleMax Date: June 17, 2020, 12:19 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nesryn listened to Dimitri's surprised flurry of words with a
       hint of irritation. Something about his voice- It was all tingly
       and made her feel... it was like it sent vibrations down her
       spine. It must have been the deep cadence it had- or the
       inflection of the way he said his vowels. Whatever it was it
       made Nesryn feel a little off and she just hoped he'd stop
       talking. As he introduced Marcella she took the moment to make
       eye-contact with the woman and give a polite bow of the head.
       She had indeed met the woman earlier, and Nesryn noted with
       pleasure that this woman was efficient and had her wits about
       her. There was something in this woman's character that she
       trusted. When the woman made a joke at Dimitri's expense, there
       was some relief that it wasn't just Nesryn who found him
       irritating and the only hint of amusement that she gave was a
       slight twitch of an eyebrow in an upward direction. It would
       seem that his 'charm' rubbed off on everyone.
       Dimitri's offer for Nesryn to help herself to anything on the
       table prompted her to pick up a knife, using it to stab through
       a roast potato in an almost aggressive manner and deftly flick
       it into her mouth. The movement was so quick that it wouldn't be
       able to register long enough with anyone to consider it
       impolite. While she listened to the conversation she was
       directly involved in, she also caught the snippets of gossip on
       one of Luna's sisters. It seemed her Lady was a great deal more
       polite than her relatives.
       Dimitri mentioned his sister and Nesryn gave a nod. She had seen
       the woman earlier in the day in passing and hadn't missed the
       look she shot Nesryn down her nose. It seemed odd that she was
       nothing like Dimitri in behaviour; yet again not all siblings
       were alike.
       When the woman enquired into how Nesryn's first day went, Nesryn
       swallowed her mouthful and daintily wiped her mouth on a napkin
       that was laying on the table.
       "It went well, though I dare say I might find my rhythm and
       settle in more tomorrow..." Nesryn found herself considering the
       woman's offer of help to Nesryn. In fact, Nesryn wouldn't mind
       taking her up on the offer.
       "Are there any gardens that aren't well used about the place? I
       was looking for a space to... perhaps retire to occasionally."
       #Post#: 1043--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: Kimcora Date: June 17, 2020, 12:16 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       It was hard for Dimitri to keep his eyes off of her, but he
       endeavored to try. It was rude to stare, even if he was
       interested in seeing those little changes in expression she made
       as she studied the room around her. She was withdrawn from the
       majority of the people, quiet and polite as the other's talked.
       Even if she was silent, he realized it wasn't out of shyness or
       confidence. That was clear from the quick work of her blade in
       finding her target meal. Instead, this silence for her was
       observant and pensive, as though she were committing these
       people to memory. That stoic expression on her face was hardly
       inviting, but Dimitri found that it accentuated the cold beauty
       she seemed to possess. She could make a flesh peeling glare look
       like a smolder with those eyes of her's...
       He caught himself smiling at the slight quirk of her brow, since
       it gave her look a hint of a sassy appearance. It was cute.. He
       realized then that he was still looking too much and forced
       himself to pay closer attention to the food on his plate rather
       than Nesryn. It let her have a moments reprieve from his
       attention as she told Marcella about her day. To hear she had a
       decent first day was good. Usually, by now they were able to
       weed out the ones that would stay or be sent away. Nesryn didn't
       seem to be running for the hill, so that was a good sign she was
       staying. That made Dimitri happier than he would openly admit.
       He wasn't sure his fascination with Miss Zoya beyond her beauty
       and mystery, but he was excited to see where it led and he
       wasn't afraid of trying. Even if it ended hardly in his favor at
       all.
       Her question about places to go to be alone made Dimitri perk up
       since he knew quite a bit about those. But of course, the
       question was posed to Marcella and so he would let her answer.
       "The northern courtyard is nice and quiet. Most stay away from
       there as it's quite far from the family's main wings." She told
       her and Dimitri instantly shook his head. That was a bad idea if
       Nesryn wanted solitude.
       "No no, we all know the gardening staff uses that as their
       hideout when Freida is being picky about the roses. She would
       never have any privacy." He said before then sparing Nesryn a
       softer look. "The small garden off of the library is your best
       bet. It used to be Lord Whitheres's personal garden. Everyone
       avoids that area, including the family. Not because it's closed
       off or we're not allowed there." He knew that would be the best
       bet for her to have space if she needed it. He went there
       himself when things were particularly difficult and he needed an
       escape...
       "That's because the garden is haunted! Everyone says at night
       you can see Lord Nazereth's ghost wandering the garden. They say
       you hear strange sounds during the day that sound like death
       rattles!" Livy squeaked with a shiver, genuinely believing the
       rumor. That made Dimitri roll his eyes skyward at the mere
       mention.
       "Livy, we all know that isn't true. I've been out there alone
       enough and I haven't seen a spectral Lord or dying breaths.
       You're being ridiculous." He was tired of the rumor since Lord
       Nazereth had been a good man that no doubt retired to heaven
       once he passed. Why would his spirit want to wander that dingy
       little garden? He shook his head before sparing Nesryn a half
       smile. "Don't tell me you're superstitious? I promise if you
       want true quiet and solitude, that's your best bet." He rose a
       brow eyes glinting with a bit of mischief. "I could show you it
       tomorrow? You know, so you don't get lost and wind up right
       under Freida's window."
       #Post#: 1050--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: DolittleMax Date: June 17, 2020, 7:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nesryn watched Marcella as she answered her mind going over the
       map in her brain to pinpoint this Northern Courtyard. The Elvi
       woman tried to ignore the blatant staring of the male to her
       left and focus on the woman but out of the corner of her eye she
       saw Dimitri begin to shake his head in disagreement. So he was
       one for secret places now was he? She hadn't taken him for the
       type to want to be alone, yet again Nesryn had met many a person
       whose first defence was a facade of perky confidence. Hell,
       before being a slave she had often found herself keeping people
       back with a smile. That seemed so long ago now...
       But she was eager to hear of a place even more recluse and
       private, a place Dimitri seemed to have a location of. The Lord
       Whitheres garden? How interesting that this would be a place of
       desertion and seclusion. One might have thought that with the
       Lord's death people may feel more inclined to frequent it in
       nostalgia or to reminisce. With a observant look toward the maid
       and her fearful words, Nesryn decided that this garden was
       definitely a prime spot. If people were afraid of it, not only
       would they not go in there of their own volition but if they
       heard strange goings on from there they would avoid the area
       rather than investigate. A prime spot for practising her
       weapons. Her attention once more zeroed in on Dimitri as he
       aimed his remarks to her once more.
       Her eyes scanned his face as he asked if she was superstitious,
       trying to weigh his intentions with that question. She was not
       superstitious... well at least not in the sense there was a
       deity that looked out for beings like her. That hope had been
       smashed along with her innocence.
       "I am not, yet I do believe there are many things which cannot
       be explained. As for a tour..." she already knew the garden he
       spoke of but perhaps if she allowed him to show her tomorrow he
       might be less bothersome for the remainder of her day "I would
       like to see the garden. Though, it must either be before
       breakfast or in the evening where Lady Luna has retired."
       Nesryn stood awkwardly, giving a slight bow, "I must retire for
       the evening. Today has been wearisome and I have still to unpack
       completely"
       There was truth in what she said, but she had a desire to go out
       to the garden regardless and get some training in. With swift
       steps, she moved to her quarters and changed into her assassin
       [spoiler=leathers][img]
  HTML https://em.wattpad.com/097927d217196cb88d155c782edb894a18b4ae08/68747470733a2f2f732d6d656469612d63616368652d616b302e70696e696d672e636f6d2f373336782f65392f35302f64392f65393530643938303965666161656362633833646563303038623835613163382e6a7067?s=fit&h=360&w=360&q=80[/img][/spoiler]<br
       />Using her ability to keep unseen, she hurried to the garden. I
       t
       was dark in the little alcove garden but the moon lit it to some
       degree- enough that Nesryn had light to work by.
       She took a moment to stand there, her cowl away from her face
       and breath in the night air and allowed her mind to clear.
       Focus... Focus...
       Her eyes snapping open and her senses fully awakened, she began.
       Drills of the body where she moved through stances and sequences
       with ease, tumbling and twisting about in silence. Then her
       weapons; so many hidden across her entire body, each discharged
       in swift motions and thudding into an old oak. Panting a little,
       she walked toward the tree to remove the various weapons.
       Her ears pricked up at the sound of feet scuffling and a blade
       was in her hand as she remained still.
       #Post#: 1056--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: Kimcora Date: June 18, 2020, 12:43 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Dimitri wasn't surprised that she wasn't superstitious. He
       himself was hardly the superstitious type and had only asked to
       confirm she wouldn't need someone to hold her hand to ward off a
       spooky ghost that didn't exist. Even if he would gladly offer up
       his services if she was scared of such beings. He was a
       gentleman at heart after all...
       He felt a bit of excitement when she accepted the offer, even
       though he kept it from his face as anything but a smile. It
       seemed she didn't dislike him entirely. Maybe Marcella was
       right? If he just talked with her without asking much maybe that
       wouldn't piss her off or make her avoid him? He nodded at the
       simple request as it wasn't that hard to meet. Perhaps it was
       better in the evening when everyone else was done with their
       chores and they had more time to talk. If she allowed it of
       course and he didn't mess something up.
       It wasn't long before Nesryn was excusing herself for the night,
       getting a chorus of goodnights from everyone. That was soon
       their own cues to get to work wrapping things up for the night.
       Dimitri saw to it that Luna had her nighttime routine attended
       to before he finally was dismissed by Marcella so that she could
       get dressed. Once alone, Dimitri gave a sigh, stretching upward
       towards the ceiling. He supposed he should go to bed and maybe
       get ready for tomorrow. But where was the fun in that? Sleep
       meant more dreams of childhood and thoughts of Ilydia Bay, a
       place he was damned never to return to. Nope, why dwell on
       things when there was still an open bottle of wine in the
       kitchens? Also he had a place to hide away and drink the
       memories away with at least a pretty view of the flowers and the
       stars? Not a bad place to pass out in if he really wanted to
       shake things up...He smirked a bit to himself, realizing his
       estranged sister would have scoffed at that in disgust.
       After collecting his prize, he made his way towards Nazereth's
       old library and subsequently his garden. He expected to find it
       empty, as it usually was at this time. Instead, he found a
       person there. The moonlight cascaded down on a figure that moved
       quickly and gracefully in the space. Their movements made little
       to no sound, like they floated over the stone. Briefly, Dimitri
       might have been alarmed that the ghost of the dead lord really
       was floating around these gardens. His cynical nature took over,
       however, and he sniffed the wine he had been sipping out of.
       When that came back fine, he had time to look up with
       fascination as weapons began popping out of nowhere and landing
       themselves in the nearby tree. His eyes widened at the precision
       and high level of accuracy, especially when one struck dead
       center of the tree with a vibration of force echoing in the
       space. What was more impressive was that the light caught the
       person's face and he realized it was Nesryn. Of course it was
       Nesryn...
       Dimitri found his pulse rising and the shock there turning into
       admiration for the Elviyenne woman. How could something that
       deadly and meant to be terrifying look so stunning...He was
       impressed by her, enough so that he didn't catch that his face
       reddened slightly at how elegant she look. But that wasn't for
       him to notice or even really acknowledge now...Realizing he had
       stumbled across something he wasn't supposed to see at all,
       Dimitri attempted to flee back the way he came. He didn't want
       to interrupt something that was clearly meant to be time for
       herself. However, in his attempt to be silent, he did the very
       opposite. A foot caught the uneven pavement of the courtyard and
       he stumbled, only catching himself by pinwheeling his arms. It
       was really unflattering and looked ridiculous. His cheeks burned
       with embarrassment, but paused giving a sharp inhale to steady
       himself and bring about resolve. He couldn't rightly run off now
       that he was sure the woman knew he was there. That would make
       him more guilty...So he would have to face her...And try not to
       look like he was stalking her....Great....
       He turned on his heels and came into the clearing area with an
       awkward smile. "H-Hey Miss Zoya. Well when you said unpacking, I
       hardly expected that to mean all of your blades into a tree...Or
       out here honestly. I was..." He raised the bottle and then
       winced when he realized that didn't help his case. Now it looked
       like he brought wine to the occasion of creeping on her. Running
       a hand through his hair to perhaps release some of that tension,
       Dimitri gave a huff before deciding he was going to sound like a
       moron or a creep no matter what he said at this point.
       "So...That was impressive. You were carrying all of that on you?
       At all times?" He asked, before realizing he had asked another
       personal question. "Right, nevermind. You don't have to answer
       that." He said to backtrack as he had said he wasn't supposed to
       be asking her questions about herself right?
       #Post#: 1079--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: DolittleMax Date: June 19, 2020, 5:53 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nesryn spun on a heel to turn and face the intruder, a blade
       dangerously close to leaving her hand. Though, the sight of a
       familiar figure and his sheepish smile, she caught the knife in
       her fingertips before it could sail toward him. He recovered his
       balance and greeted her; Nesryn spotted the bottle in his hand
       with a note of annoyance. Was he drunk? Had this man been
       following her? How long has he been standing there?
       Embarrassment at the fact she hadn’t noticed him sooner sparked
       a little bit of anger within herself. Being on the back foot was
       shameful for someone of her caliber in the guild and this chatty
       house-maid had managed to sneak up on her. She quickly began to
       tug weapons from the tree, strapping them to herself and
       sheathing then quietly.
       This man mustn’t have got the idea that Nesryn wasn’t one for
       romance and perhaps she had awoken some stalker part of him.
       He once again chatted away and then proceeded to ask if she
       remained that armed. Since they were alone and in a secluded
       place, Nesryn decided she could risk what she was about to do
       next. A few swift steps and a kick and he was on his back, two
       of her blades pressed to his throat as she glared down at him.
       She would attempt to dissuade him from thinking she was a
       potential interest and hopefully provide enough motivation to
       not make a habit of this stalking. She knew men didn’t like to
       be intimidated by women, it hurt their pride. Well, for most
       men...
       Her piercing look narrowed as the blades pressed tightly, not
       enough to break skin, to his neck.
       “Indeed I’m usually armed. If one were to ‘stumble’ into my
       quarters in any attempt to-“ her meaningful look spoke volumes
       “They would have half a second before I’d have to call the maid
       to mop them off the floor.”
       She remained there, kneeling over his stunned self with her
       knives to his throat before standing up and releasing him.
       “Good evening Mr Valcrow.”
       With that, she did retire to her room.
       #Post#: 1082--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: Kimcora Date: June 19, 2020, 6:39 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The last thing Dimitri expected was for Nesryn to come at him,
       but when she did he got the shock of his life. Dimitri's heart
       stopped when she kicked him, his eyes widening and his body
       tensing as he hit the ground on his back. He looked up at the
       powerful woman there, leaning over him with her weight leaning
       on his chest. She glared down at him with her blades at his
       neck. She was furious and no doubt thought he meant to be there.
       It was easy to see it in her eyes that she wasn't playing around
       and that her threat was real. She would end him if he wasn't
       careful and let a slip up like this happen again. Three emotions
       ran through Dimitri. One was terror, as most people would be
       terrified to have a skilled warrior with a blade at their
       throat, very close to an artery. One was shame and embarrassment
       for making her feel like she had to threaten him to get reprieve
       from him being near her. One was...well attraction. It was hard
       to explain, but the sight of her fury and the cold glare she
       gave him just did something to him that made his tongue feel
       tied and a heat rush through him. Especially to his face as his
       eyes stared up at her with this doe eyed expression. It looked
       like a mixture of fear and awe, something that he knew must have
       been just as strange to her as he felt it was. Maybe he was a
       creep?
       She shoved off of him and stalked away, Nesryn leaving Dimitri
       reeling as he lay there on the ground. When he was sure she was
       away, he groaned, throwing his hands over his eyes to mask the
       intense blush there and the fact he felt like such a moron. He
       had really screwed up any chance he had of even getting this
       girl to speak to him, let alone look at him now without wanting
       to skin him alive..."Smooth, Dimitri...Real smooth." He huffed
       before sitting up and drawing his bottle closer to maybe drink
       some of that shame away.
       By the time morning rolled around, Dimitri was up feeling only
       as rested as someone could with only a few hours of sleep and a
       headache forming. He didn't care, as the alcohol often helped
       sleep come faster and kept other thoughts at bay. He set about
       his chores, making a point to avoid seeing Nesryn as long as he
       could. Until, of course, it was tea time for Luna and he knew
       the two would be in her garden. He psyched himself up with a
       little pep talk that it couldn't be that bad to see her. After
       all, she was probably still pissed and going to ignore him...He
       could handle that right? The moment he came into the garden
       space and saw Nesryn standing in the sunlight, his resolve
       faded. She stood at attention in the background as Luna played
       her harp. The sun made her raven strands of hair look like pools
       of night and her skin practically looked like marble against the
       colors of the flowers that framed her silhouette . He was drawn
       back to the night before, her standing above him with that icy
       glare on her face and instantly felt the pang of attraction
       there that he knew he had to stifle. It was difficult, but the
       embarrassment of upsetting her kept him at bay. Quietly he came
       over to Luna and placed her tray down, preparing the tea how she
       liked it before he took a step back and simply waited for her to
       be finished. He tried to ignore the Elvi woman there, but the
       tense silence between them was killing him. Okay, maybe it was
       only tense to him....But still, he felt like he had to say
       something...Or maybe he should just give her distance? But then
       how was he supposed to let her know that he truly hadn't meant
       to upset her or do anything to make her feel uncomfortable?
       Damn, was he always such a coward when it came to women?
       He swallowed hard and steeled himself to speak, knowing he had
       to at least get something off his chest before it burst.
       However, he kept his eyes ahead at Luna's back as she played her
       harp. "For what it's worth," He began quietly, keeping it to a
       low tone so that this conversation stayed between him and
       Nesryn, "I hadn't meant to find you last night--But that doesn't
       matter. I'm sorry...I truly regret making you feel that way. It
       was wrong." He said but felt that perhaps he rambled a bit too
       much. But at least it was out there and he felt...well no more
       better since he was sure she still wanted nothing to do with
       him...The disappointment was there, but Dimitri still felt like
       he would have a hard time forgetting about Nesryn...
       #Post#: 1083--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Chapter 0.9: Duty and Disobedience
       By: DolittleMax Date: June 19, 2020, 7:25 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Nesryn had returned to her room that night in a mix of
       embarrassment and anger. There was a part of her that was
       mortified he even exited the building and into the garden
       without her notice. 1) She was a trained assassin that should
       always be aware of her surroundings.
       2) She was Elviyenne which gave her a natural physical trait of
       heightened hearing.
       Despite this, some drunk Humana boy had managed she draw up fear
       within her. Not only this, but she had caught the way he just
       stared up at her. Despite her literally being one twitch away
       from ending his life, he looked up at her with this... this...
       Nesryn tossed her coat onto her bed angrily as she felt that odd
       feeling again. Whenever he talked- that feeling.
       She sighed and rubbed her face, flopping onto her bed and
       staring up at the ceiling. Perhaps she had judged a little too
       quickly. She doubted he was following her, she’d been there more
       than an hour prior to noticing him and doubted he would have
       spotted her slinking about. Was she flattering herself by
       assuming that this servant had nothing better to do than follow
       her around? Probably. She’d have to be some type of arrogant to
       assume he was stalking her. With a sigh, she let herself relax a
       little. One couldn’t be calculated in their actions if they were
       so highly strung that anything could set them off. The strain of
       changing environments so quickly was not easy for a woman used
       to having everything sorted and out in boxes. She needed to
       adapt and assimilate.
       So by the time she was in the garden with Luna, admiring the
       lovely music, Nesryn was in a relatively calm and positive move-
       whatever that meant for the stoney woman. When Dimitri entered
       the garden, her eyes flicked to him and noticed he was quieter
       than normal and avoided her gaze. She wasn’t sure if this was a
       good thing. The peace was nice but was he-
       And then he spoke. This time there was some kind of relief in
       Nesryn. Things with him were normal and he rambled a little in
       apology. The Elvi woman let the apology hang in the air as she
       tried to come up with a response.
       “I believe you, and I apologise if my actions were a little...
       jarring. I was out of sorts”
       There, that apology didn’t sacrifice too much of her pride and
       she did get her point across to him. Hopefully it would elevate
       some of the tension she could feel. Of course he was scared of
       her, she very nearly killed him last night... Nesryn only spared
       him a brief glance, noticing he kept his eyes ahead, before
       looking down at her hands.
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