“No, feel free to ask anything! Seriously. You have been rather open since I have entered the place, and I want to return the favor,” Finley said, remembering his confession from earlier. “Please.”
Arranged and Illegitimate // Fantasy OxO // Closed
He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Alright…why are you here?" he asked slowly. "Why did you get found out?" he bit his lip a little bit, studying her carefully.
“Well, um, okay. Strong way to start out,” Finley said with a little chuckle. “There was a little boy playing in the street, and a horse spooked and broke free of its cart, which let the whole shipment of barrels loose. They were rolling towards the boy and he was about to be crushed, so I jumped in and held them back long enough for him to escape. I ran back to my home after and hoped no one had noticed, but when the guards burst through my door and chained me up not an hour later, I realized that someone had reported me,” she explained.
He nodded, and listened quietly. "Right. I'm sorry." he said softly, shaking his head. "You didn't deserve this just for helping a little kid." he ran his fingers through his hair, looking at Finley. "I'm really sorry."
“Hey, it’s not your fault. The Gods work how they will, even if I don’t like it very much,” she snarked, though rather gently. “I made my choice and faced the consequences, and now I’m determined to make everyone in this palace face the consequences of me.” Finley’s eyes darted to the floor, unable to meet his gaze.
He nodded a little, then frowned. "Finley…please behave." He replied. "Really. You have no idea of the danger that could happen if you cause trouble. I don't have a legitimate claim to the throne to keep you safe."
“I know, I know,” she said with a sigh, folding her arms over her chest. “I just don’t really have any other options. I’m not going to be the perfect, obedient princess, and you know that. If there’s nothing for me to do, I’m going to go mad.”
He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Right. I know. I just…I don't know, Finley" He replied softly, biting his lip a little bit. "I don't know."
(Was the use of the name Aliana on purpose?)
(fuck! no it wasn't! I'm sorry he's in another RP and I got mixed up or something. Sorry!!)
(No worries! I mix up my rps too!)
"Hey, it's not like I expect you to be the perfect guy who always knows what to do all the time. You don't have to be that for me," Finley said, her voice a bit rough.
Callan shrugged a little. "I'd like to help you, though." he replied slowly. "But…" he sighed. "You have free rein of the library, if that's any help." he looked over at her.
“I mean, that would be great, if I could read,” she quipped, starting to get a little drowsy. “I can sniff the pages and pretend, I suppose.”
He blinked. "Oh, right. Shit. I forgot about that, sorry." he frowned a little. "I can try to teach you, like I said, or we can try and rope Ezra into it. He has a hell of a lot more free time than I do."
“It’s okay. I think it would be more proper if you were the one to teach me, with the court and all that, right? Though I suppose they might wonder how we exchanged romantic love notes when I can’t read,” she joked with a little smile. Her eyes were almost half-closed, and she was starting to slump in the chair.
He laughed a little bit. "It would be more proper. I'll have to talk to Captain Mikhail, but i should be able to make time to teach you. At least a little bit."
“That’s good,” she replied with a little yawn. “Is it just me or did it get dark rather quickly today? Something was different with the sun today, I swear it.”
He chuckled at that. "I have no idea." he replied, stretching. "I'll go get the cot set up. Uhm…do you have anything to sleep in, or…?" he trailed off, not sure what to say.
Finley gestured at herself. “It’s not like I was able to bring anything with me. I’ll just…” Her eyes darted around the room. “Do you have, like, a place to change? I don’t want to ruin this dress,” she said with unusual shyness.
Callan nodded a little bit. "I have a place. Bathroom closes, obviously, so you can change in there." He stood up. "Come on. Do you wanna borrow, like…I have a shirt that should be big enough for you to use as a nightgown, for now?"
Finley stood up as well, swaying a bit. “Sure,” she said with a sigh, stretching her arms above her head. “Just for now.” She followed him to the bathroom, the slightest hint of a blush on her face.
He nodded, and led the way over. He went over to his dresser, and pulled out a shirt that was already about a size or two too large for him; on her it would be ginormous, probably hanging down nearly to her knees. He held it out to her.
Finley grabbed the shirt and gave him a little nod of thanks, walking over to the bathroom and shutting the door. She made quick work of the clasps down the back of the dress, and slipped it off, carefully folding it and placing it on a nearby counter. Tugging the shirt on over her head, Finley adjusted the collar and exited the room, the hem of the shirt brushing her knees. It was rather indecent for her to be seen like this, she knew, but as she let out another yawn, she was really too tired to care.
Callan set up the cot while he waited, putting a pillow on it and a few blankets. He pulled back his sleeve, checking his wrists for signs of the stone, for the curse. He didn't see anything beyond the faint grey that was normally there, and let his sleeve fall back down again, finishing setting up the cot.
Finley caught a glimpse of gray at Callan’s wrist, but figured it was just a shadow from his shirt and didn’t ask about it. She flung herself onto the cot facedown, her braid winding around her head like a snake. “See, I win. I get the cot,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by a pillow.
Callan looked up. "Hm? Oh." he said slowly. "No you don't. You get the bed." he bent, picking her up and plopping her down onto the bed. "I'm taking the cot."
“Hey!” Finley said indignantly. She grabbed a pillow and flung it at him, her arms glowing slightly. “You get the bed, you big oaf! It’s your bed!”
He chuckled, sitting down on the cot. "I'm trying to be a gentleman." He replied. "You're taking the bed." He smiled over at her, laughing as he caught the pillow.
Finley hopped on the bed and sat down next to him on the cot, giving Callan a little nudge with her elbow. “Gentleman, my ass! A real gentleman would let the lady do as she pleases.” She batted her eyelashes at him mockingly.
Callan sighed loudly. "No, as a gentleman, I'm giving you the bed. I'm taking the cot. I'm not letting my new wife take a cot."