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((A ᴍᴀssɪᴠᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴅᴇsɪɢɴᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ʀᴏᴡs ᴏғ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀʟsᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ʙᴀʀʀɪᴇʀs ғᴏʀ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ᴍᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs ᴅɪsᴄᴜssɪᴏɴs))

Despite her irritation with the nobleman, Jocelyn had decided to take his advice and headed into the cavernous library. It was a little harder to mask her movements, every sound echoing through the air. Glancing around, she saw no one around, she slid off her pinching shoes, stepping out of them and bending to pick them up from the floor. She sighed with relief and decided to make her way through the winding bookshelves, careful to keep her ears open for anyone who might be approaching.
Jocelyn was fairly familiar with the massive chamber. It had a reputation for drawing out secrets. For this reason, she made sure to steer clear of any whispered conversation she might here. Jocelyn was in no mood to pick up any information today, especially if the Baron could use it to his advantage.

Hunter had his nose almost literally buried into the book he held before him. He had found it by accident and now he really couldn't put it down. He had been reading for almost an hour straight and he knew he had things to do, but he just had to finished. So he walked with the book in front of him, still swallowing up every word that ran across his eyes. Unfortunately, this didn't exactly leave much room for paying attention to where he was walk.
He ran straight into someone, dropped his book, and then growled softly under his breath. He didn't even both looking at the person until he reach down for the book and noticed bare feet. He frowned and straightened up, looking at the girl before him. He wrinkled up his nose. "If you're going to be in the royal library, the least you could do is wear shoes as if you were civilized."

Taking a turn, Jocelyn had to bite her tongue when collided with someone who had had a book in front of their face. Apparently it was not her fate to be isolated today. The man who had walked into her was dressed in fine garments, like the nobleman she had encountered earlier. It seemed he was none too pleased by the disruption and she tugged at her skirts to hide her feet when he mentioned them without so much as a hello or I'm sorry. All of her false politeness having been spent in the hall, Jocelyn remarked, "The least you could do is watch where you're going." Having noticed his footwear in her initial study of the man, she saw that he was wearing some well crafted boots. She doubted he had ever had the knowledge of what it was like to wear an expensive, woman's shoe. "And honestly, if wearing these torture devices makes a person civilized, than I am perfectly fine with being a savage."

Hunter gritted his teeth then closed his book for the first time since he had opened it. He tucked it beneath his arm. "Oh, well that doesn't surprise me in the least. You are a savage. Coming into the royal library as if you own the place when you have no business being here in the first place. Who invited you here? Hm? And where have they gone. If you're here as a guest then you should be being escorted. I know for a fact that you don't live in the vicinity and by the looks of you you wouldn't know anyone in the vicinity either. Who let you in, then? A fool they were, in any case. And you think you have the right to tell me to look where I'm going? This library belongs to my family, not to yours, young lady. Learn to watch your tongue or it is likely to be cut right from your mouth." He gave his whole speech with a seemingly pleasant smile on his face, though his tone was poison.

Jocelyn wore a rather unamused expression as she humored him by listening to his rant. Of course he was royalty; no one else would think they were so high and mighty to a complete stranger. "Well I know for a fact that I've lived in this castle for the past five years and wouldn't be surprised if I knew more people here than you do," she took pride in correcting him. There were few people she didn't know in this place, that didn't necessarily mean they knew her, but that didn't matter. "If this place were so exclusive as to only let the royal family in, it would be a grand waste of space. And it seems I was let in by the same fool who allowed you to set foot in here, what with you not paying attention to your surroundings and blaming your actions on the victim," Jocelyn said, her blue eyes aflame as she allowed herself the rare opportunity to speak her mind. "I assure you, I am watching my tongue; my eyes aren't staring at some dull words on a page."

"If you think words on a page are so dull," Hunter hissed, "Why have you bothered to come to a library? Your whole argument is now a contradiction and you honestly can't expect me to take you seriously. And, to be clear, this palace is a grand waste of space, especially if they are letting the likes of you walk around as if you own it." He moved around her now, shaking his head in disgust. The palace got worse with each passing day, it seemed. They were allowing savages to live there, and he had thought that it at least had class. He had never been more glad that he moved out.
"Wouldn't even surprise me if you couldn't read," he added as his final word, "Savages in the library of all places. Ridiculous." If there as one thing he liked about this place, it was the library, and now that was seemingly tainted as well.

Jocelyn released a condescending laugh at his claim. "Oh, how unimaginative one must be to think that people only come to the library to read. Either that or you're simply blissfully naive," she said with a sigh, refusing to let his hollow insults get under her skin. If he thought so little of the castle, why did he bother spending time here? It wasn't like he had some deranged nobleman breathing down his neck and threatening to turn him and the only father he had ever known over to the king. A smirk curled her lips as it seemed she was driving him away so she could have some peace at last. "Oh, yes, don't mind me. You move on along so I can go run rampant down the aisle, wreaking havoc with my bare feet." The nobleman had passed her now and Jocelyn had to resist the urge to throw one of her shoes at his back for good measure, but she figured she had to draw the line somewhere. An unrestrained heated exchange was one thing, heel flinging was another.

Hunter sighed and shook his head. "I can't even get further into this argument with an imbecile like you," he said before turning another corner and disappearing off into another part of the library. He couldn't stand those who came to the library with no intention of reading. He found it ignorant. The library was meant to be the home of books and those who wanted a quiet place to read them. He didn't think it too much to ask that just this one place be used for its purpose and nothing else. But, apparently everyone else thought the idea of a library for reading to be completely incorrect.
He sat down at one of the many chairs, this one in the furthest corner of the library. He wasn't going to go to be leaving after all, not after that encounter. He was going to stay, and he was going to do his reading. If he saw her again he would ignore her. She didn't deserve his attention, not that she even knew who he was. No one ever seemed to know who he was.

"Enjoy yourself!" Jocelyn called after him sarcastically. Once he was out of sight, she shook her head to herself, letting out a slow breath. She wouldn't have had to deal with him had she been alone, but Jocelyn would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy being able to talk without restraint. It was a surprisingly good way to unwind and she felt decidedly more relaxed, nearly halfway content as she allowed herself to get lost in the turns of the aisles, pleased to find that no one else was there.
After a few minutes of aimless wandering, Jocelyn allowed herself an almost genuine grin as she thought about living up to her proclaimed savage title, taking a seat on the ground instead of one of the plush lounging areas set up throughout the library. She leaned back against a shelf, curling her legs up beside her and closed her eyes. For a moment, Jocelyn wondered if this was private enough to remove the rather irritating metal mask from her face.

Hunter caught her last comment but chose to ignore it. He was done with her. He had no interest in further conversation with someone so ignorant. Of course, he believed everyone was ignorant, and that was probably the most conversation he had had in a long time, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to waste his time when he could be finishing his book...though suddenly it seemed far less interesting. He had lost his place and it took him a while to find it, but when he did find it he realized that what he was reading was starting to bore him. He had lost himself int he book before, but now he couldn't get back into that frame of mind. He sighed heavily and set the book aside. Another book would go unfinished by him, no surprise. He looked at it then shook his head, standing and taking it back in his hand. He walked back toward where he had found it, so he could put it back and it would be out of his sight. Unfortunately, when he reached it's spot he found here. "Are you serious?" he asked no on in particular, though maybe the universe.

((So sorry, did not get this notification!))

((It's all good! I'm going to drive home from school now then I've got to run a few errands. I'll be back in a few hours.))

Just as she was about to reach up to untie the lace at the back of her head to take her mask off, she opened her eyes and remained still at the sound of quiet footsteps. The Baron would never come to the library, Jocelyn assured herself, about to settle back against the bookshelf, but she couldn't help but notice that the sound was only getting louder, heading her way. She looked in the direction the footsteps were coming from, prepared to spring to her feet at a moments notice if they came around the corner, but when she was met with the sight of that ridiculously rude man, Jocelyn merely rolled her eyes, allowing herself to relax once more.
When he came to stand before her she looked up at him with disinterest. "Oh yes, always," Jocelyn drawled lightly, appearing quite at home in her spot at the base of the bookcase. "Finish your book?"

((Alrighty, talk to you when you get back!))

"No. I've grown bored of it and have decided to come put it back. Now, if you'll kindly move aside so I can put it in its rightful place," Hunter replied to her, gritting his teeth when he finished speaking. He stood before he and waited. He was not going to leave until she moved and he could put his book back. He wasn't going to put the book back just anywhere either. He was a stickler for organization and on top of that he really just hoped to irritate her by forcing her to move. And, if she chose not to move, then he would just stand there invading her space until she did.

"Hmm, I do recall telling you that they were just dull words on a page," Jocelyn mused, picking a stray thread off of her skirt absentmindedly. She could tell the man had no wish to be around her, let alone speak with her and she merely looked up at him innocently in response to his request. "I don't believe I heard you say please," she said peevishly. Even if he did say it, which she rather doubted, she probably wouldn't do what he asked. Jocelyn didn't feel like doing this man any favors, even if it was just moving out of his way. The childish impulse to retort, "I was here first!" crossed her mind, but she stifled it.

"They're beautifully written words, not that you would know, but you've soured my mood. It's never a good thing to read when in a sour mood, once again, not that you would know," Hunter said to her, moving closer so that the tip of his boot touched her foot. "Now, if you would please move. I have more important things to do than stand here conversing with a savage. Not that I would actually consider this conversation. I doubt you have a single conversation worthy thought in that head, in fact." He hadn't wanted to say please, but he head. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep it at a simple please. He had to go and keep running his mouth. He knew she would never move.

"Ah, right because I don't know how to read," Jocelyn replied, as if remembering the slight he had directed at her like it were a fact. She did in fact know how to read, she had just been a bit late to the game. When she had been taken under Weaver's wing, he had taught her all sorts of things, and not just how to survive as a thief. Reading had been one of them. The skill came easy to her, but she found that she had very little interest in using it. As a child and young teen, she would much rather set aside a book to hang around the people of the black market. If this noble thought she was a savage, he clearly didn't get out much.
"Even if I did have a topic of conversation in mind, you would never deem it worthy of your time. You see, you have already formed a bias towards me, so even if I come up with the most scintillating line, you will think it is completely pointless dwell on," Jocelyn sighed matter-of-factly, a slow grin having found it's way to her lips when she heard the one word she had asked for. "I would gladly move out of the way for you, but you see, please isn't really a magic word, and I'm afraid you would need nothing short of divine intervention to get me to do you a favor."

((I'm off for the night!))

((See ya!))

"Well then I guess you better find an extremely scintillating line, because I'm going to be here for a while. I have no where else that I have to be for the next three days," Hunter crossed his arms over his chest. He tapped his foot as if waiting for her to actually same something interesting. Unfortunately, he wasn't very patient.
"And yes, I have a bias toward a woman who walks into a royal library with no shoes and no intention of reading the millions of books it has to offer. Honestly, the least you can do is gain some culture while you're in here. Whoever you're hiding from would probably be pleased to realize you're not as much a fool as you act, if you had a book in your hands. At least pretend," Hunter gritted his teeth together again, a bad habit of his when he was irritated.

"It must be nice not having a busy schedule," Jocelyn thought out loud. Really, she couldn't understand why this man had such an aversion to bare feet, like it was an affront to everything he believed and held dear to his heart.
This time, she hardly gave his rant much attention, really starting to get curious about who he was exactly to think he could give her endless lectures. Then she heard something that caught her attention. "What makes you think I'm hiding from someone?" she asked, an eyebrow raised under her mask. If the Baron caught her lounging around reading, unless it was some stolen documents that could gain him some advantages at his next conference, he would probably take the book from her and smack her upside the head with it as a punishment for not using her time to go and sneak up and eavesdrop on his competition.

"It's incredibly boring actually," Hunter responded to her though he knew he didn't need to offer a response at all. He just felt that it needed to be said and he knew the truth of it better than anyone. He would love to have a job of some importance, or a job at all, but because of his position he was doomed to be nothing. He had very few court duties, but if he got a regular, townsperson job, he would be ridiculed by both the townspeople and his family. There was to be no winning.
He didn't realize that either of them had lapsed into silence until he heard her next question. He blinked a moment, not even knowing what she was talking about, then it hit him. "Oh, well you're sitting on the floor in the back of a library and you have no intention of reading. Obviously you're not here for pleasure and you keep talking to it seems you're not here for the silence either. So, that leaves hiding. People often come here to hide as if no one could possibly find them in such a place. I assume you are not different on that account."

Jocelyn refrained from letting out a rather unladylike snort. Of course he would disagree with her. She could say the sky was blue, and he would have to say that she was wrong and here's why.
"Truthfully, I came here to be alone, but you've made sure that that doesn't happen for me, it seems. I was told that it was a good place to find solitude, but apparently his advice was faulty. The maze of shelves does make for a good hiding place, though," Jocelyn informed the man, pretty sure she shouldn't spread the word to every nobleman she encountered that she was avoiding her so called uncle. "I was told that it was a good place to find solitude, but apparently his advice was faulty. And before you make an argument that I could be alone if I just moved for you, doing what you ask would imply that I'm letting you win by accepting your request. There's never much fun in losing."

"This isn't some game. I already admitted defeat by saying please, as you ask. You're simply being childish at this point. That, or you really don't want the solitude you supposedly came here seeking. Honestly, you just get more irritating by the second. You're really the most childish woman I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. All I wanted was to come here and read, in actual solitude, and you've ruined that. I don't know why you can't just move your bottom a few inches so I can put this book back and never have to see you again for the rest of my life," Hunter said, once again gritting his teeth in his annoyance. "You're so ignorant as to think I would really want to play a game with the likes of you? As if. If I wanted to play a game I could find a lady who chose shoes that weren't so inappropriate that she had to take them off."

She considered his words carefully. Maybe there was some truth to his words. There was a chance she was just being childish, but her childhood had been stolen from her. And it wasn't often that she got to speak so freely. Jocelyn was constantly holding her tongue, but there was something about this man that kept her from doing so and she had to admit it felt good. "If you actually wanted solitude, you could easily just reach over me, shelve your beloved book and be gone, but here you are arguing because you don't want to stretch your privileged arm," Jocelyn said, seeing no reason for him to not be able to get passed a curled up girl who was barely over five feet tall when she was standing and in heels. Speaking of heels... there he went again. "What is your deal about bare feet?" Jocelyn asked in mock exasperation. It wasn't her fault that she didn't have any comfortable shoes, she wasn't the one who bought them.

"Would you like me to push you over so that I can get to this book's spot?" Hunter asked, "Because I gladly will. Excuse me for being a gentleman and not wanting to shove you aside. Next time I will be sure to do so, since your bottom is right in front of where this book belongs. And yes, it does have to go back in that spot. It's where it belongs. I would like to keep it in the right spot in case I decide to come back to it at a later time. Is that so wrong?" Hunter ran a hand up through his hair, trying no to actually start growling in his exasperation.
"And being without shoes is disgusting! Do you know how many people have been in this library? Do you know how many filthy substances have been tracked along this floor? Who knows what you have obtained on your feet by now, but I guarantee at least a few of them can make you ill. I just don't understand why you can't find a comfortable pair of shoes and keep them on. Honestly, if you have no you like shoes then I will buy you a pair if you'll just promise to keep them on your feet!" This wasn't so angry, this was more exhausted and desperate than his usual.

Jocelyn just rolled her eyes. "Oh for the love of the few things good in this world, just give me the book and I'll put it away myself if you're really so keen on doing a public service. I may not know how to read, but I know how a library is cataloged," she said, holding up a hand to take the book from him.
"For someone as worried about the things on this floor, you much have had to be crawling on it to find this thing in the first place. You said yourself, this is the royal library, and I would perfectly content betting that the few nobles who have bothered to set foot in here would have shoes clean enough to eat off of. But if you are offering, I might have to take you up on it," Jocelyn said, not phased by his claim that walking across the plush, carpeted floor of the library with bare feet would lead to any sort of illness. She had been barefoot in far dirtier places and she could count the number of times she had been sick on one hand, even when she was half starved and living in a home with a dirt floor.

"Why can't you just let me put the damned book away?" Hunter asked her, "Why? Give me one good reason? Are you too lazy to move? Do you really just hate a stranger so much that you can't move out of spite? Do you think I'm not capable of moving my semi-royal hand and putting it back into place? What is the reason? One good reason and I'll let you put it away and you'll be entirely rid of me." He crossed his arms and looked at her.
"But if you do want the shoes, I will get them for you if you'll wear them. I don't like barefooted-ness. I hate it in fact. It disgusts me and if I can get one less person to do it, at least in a place like this, then I will. As for the royals' shoes. You're wrong. Royals spend too much time around horses. They wipe the tops of their shoes but never the bottom. They have someone to wipe up any mud they track so they don't care," he kept his arms crossed and tried not to start his teeth gritting yet again.

Jocelyn looked up at him, unimpressed by his accusations. He really was as uptight as the rest of the nobles here, but this one seemed like he wasn't sure where he stood. "I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth," she said, keen on having a pair of shoes that didn't cut off her circulation and give her blisters.
"It's not that I hate you. You simply have given me no reason to like you. Why should I have a good reason to put the book away, when you don't? I could be trying to do you a service, make up for giving you such a hard time, yet you throw the offer back in my face. Besides, you say royals don't care about having their trails of mud cleaned up for them, so why should a semi-royal find it so outrageous that his book could be put away for him as well?" They could talk in circles like this for days. In the first few years with the Baron, Jocelyn had done it quite often, poking holes in his arguments and frustrating him to the point where he would lock her in her room, which was of little consequence to her, knowing how to turn a window into an exit.

"I don't have a maid or servant and I'm not looking to obtain one. I'm more than capable of putting my own book away and you have still given me no good reason. Your argument is without substance. If you want to argue you should have your own ideas rather than just trying to poke holes in the other side, especially when you know nothing about the other side. I'm not a royal. I'm not looking for your help. I'm looking for you to kindly move so I can put my book back, and then I'm offering to purchase you shoes. So, that offer is going to be off the table in one minute. If you haven't moved by then you can continue with your shoes and I will physically move you out of the way. It is entirely up to you," Hunter said, falling further and further into a more serene state.

"If my argument is without substance, your argument is so full of holes that if it were a ship it would sink," she said with a sweet smile.
"You're right, I know nothing about you aside from the fact that you're rude, disenchanted, and don't like bare feet, and a hypocrite, because you know just as much or even less about me. And royal or not, you could stand to learn a little about accepting--" Jocelyn cut off mid-sentence, cocking her head to listen to the sound of feet headed this way. The steps were fast, heavy, and gave the illusion that the person walking had little patience. She knew those footsteps.
Her stubbornness pushed to the back of her mind, she snatched up her shoes and moved swiftly to her feet as she looked the man straight in the eye. "I wasn't here," she said before brushing past him, moving soundlessly as she slipped around a bookcase and out of sight just before Baron Whitaker stepped into the aisle.

Hunter immediately moved to put the book away as if that had been the only thing he had been doing there at all. Why he was helping this girl, he had no idea, but he was. He glanced to Baron Whitaker when he had finished putting the book in its place. "Can I help you?" he asked, turning to the man. "I only ask because you stormed over here so loudly. Is someone looking for me or are you just being obnoxious in a place that is supposed to be quiet?"
He wasn't sure if he was being rude because he knew that this man was after the girl, or if he was just in this sort of mood today. Either way, he was irritated with the man's presence. He already disliked this particular man from the few times they had met and he was rather annoyed to have had his argument with the girl interrupted. However, it was nice to finally have the book out of his hands.

The Baron frowned deeply, narrowing his eyes at the boy. He did not recognize him and seeing that he didn't have a full mask, he clearly wasn't royal, so he could only be some bratty, young nobleman. "Nobody is looking for you, and you would do well to respect your elders, boy," the Baron hissed. His patience had long run out, gone after 10 minutes of tracking down that blasted girl. "But we shall see if you can help me. I'm looking for my niece Jocelyn, she's about this tall, has a black mask with sapphire adornments," Whitaker ground out shortly. He doubted he would have any luck with this fool. In his experience with the street rat, if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be.

"And you've come to look for her in the library?" Hunter asked, "What a poor decision. No one except myself has been in here all day. You might try somewhere a young girl would actually want to spend time." He rolled his eyes then started to walk away from the Baron without another word. He had heard some things about that man, and none of them were good. He had met him a few times but obviously the Baron had no recollection of him. This was not unusual. There seemed to be almost no one who ever remembered him. For many years of his imagination he even considered the idea that he may not even exist.

Just as he thought, totally useless. Whitaker didn't refrain from releasing a soft growl of irritation. "You better watch yourself, boy," he called after him. "I could make your life a living hell," the Baron threatened, though that wasn't necessarily true. Jocelyn could make his life a living hell; everyone had secrets and as much as he hated to admit it, she had a knack for finding them. Turning away, he marched off, twice as frustrated as he had been when he arrived.
Jocelyn was a little relieved when she heard the loud footsteps continue but in a receding fashion, leading away from her. The man had actually helped her. It wasn't often that she was so surprised.

Hunter rolled his eyes at the man's comments. No one could make his life more a living hell than it already was. Plus, he didn't have any secrets and if he did no one would care. He was a nobody.
In any case, he was alone again. He didn't know where the girl had gone and the Baron had retreated from the library by now. So, he turned back to the wall of books and started to look for an interesting title. He didn't think he would actually be going on that little shopping trip for shoes so that meant that he was free once more, unsurprisingly.

((I might disappear for a few hours. Have a class then have to drive home.))

((That's alright, I've got some stuff to attend to as well. Should we end it here, move on to another topic?))

((Sounds fine to me. Wherever you want is fine with me.))

((I'll look around and let you know. If you could post there when you get back, that would be cool))

((Yup! Will do.))

((Maybe the garden?))

((Alright. I'm going to post there now.))

Viviana was smart. She knew that. But she was also curious, and always wanting to know more. Which was why she was tucked back in a corner, her legs pulled up and crossed neatly on the chair. "Wǒ hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ." She said aloud, moving her book and looking down at the pair of tortoiseshell cats curled up together on her lap. She laughed lightly at their completely ignoring of her It's nice to meet you. She continued to read the page of language lessons in the book, biting her lip lightly as she did, obviously deep in her book.

Lyric walked into the library, feeling a little unsettled as he had just left the stables. Of course he'd burned off steam by shooting at random objects outside much later, but now it was pitch black outside and he'd wasted all of his hours. He was just lucky that the library hadn't closed for the night. Though he was sure it was open all hours there were some sections only opened at certain times. He made his way through the stacks of books before hearing a familiar voice ringing off somewhere to his left. Grinning he laughed softly before seeing the Duchess with her usual cats curled in her lap. "Chinese?" He asked with his standard smile. The language sounded familiar, but he was unable to tell just exactly what dialect it was.

Looking up, Viviana smiled at the familiar face. "Correct." She agreed, shaking her head. "It's worse than Russian was, mostly because of the characters." she mused, closing the book and just holding her place with her finger between pages as she set it neatly beside her. She had always been good at reading people, which only made her a more dangerous politician. And it was easy for her to note his uneasiness, and natural for the concerned frown to cross her face. "Are you alright?" she asked gently, managing to find a scrap of paper to place in her book. She set it on the small table to the side, one hand absently scratching behind a cat's ears. 

"That, and they don't have the usual alphabet." He added, taking the seat across from her. Naturally he ignored the usual instinct to fumble around with his mask as he crossed his fingers in front of him and on his lip before giving her a shrug. It made him a little uneasy that she could read him so easily, but she was like that with everyone. The problem that was on his mind didn't particularly bother him all of that much, and it was in the back of his mind so he was surprised she could even see it. "Yup, I'm all good." He said with a nod of his head as he watched her pet the cat. "What're you up to besides learning yet another language?"

Viviana shrugged, watching Lyric as he sat down. "Not much. Just, as you said, learning Chinese." She smiled, nodding to the book she had been working from. She studied him intently, deciding to drop his problem as obviously he didn't want to talk about it. "Now. What about you?" She raised an eyebrow at him, clasping her hands neatly together and setting them on her lap.

"Ahh, and how's the Duke?" He asked, resorting to making small talk. In a way he was rather jealous of their marriage. His first one had been a sham if not anything else, and he wasn't too eager to start any relationships soon. So how had hers worked for so long. Oh, that's right, Lyric thought bitterly, they loved each other. When the conversation was directed towards him he shrugged, "Politics and business is all. Can rarely find the time to get out of this stuffy castle."

Viviana smiled at the mention of her husband though, as always, there was a hint of worry behind her gaze. Everyone had weaknesses, and her husband was strongl connected to her biggest one: paranoia. It wasn't that she suspected him of cheating on her and hated every woman he talked to, she was not as petty as that. Her paranoia took the form of fear: scared he didn't actually love her. Of course, that extended to friends too, always wondering in the back of her mind if they actually hated her. "The castle is large, and even when confined to it there can be plenty to do. I understand though, sometimes that's not enough." She smiled. "I read a book to escape to other worlds, or play with the children. Or there's always sneaking out to the city, or for a long one, just asking to tag along with or act as the ambassador to one of the countries."