In Honey and Venom | oxo | open

Rodya had made his rounds, making sure his face was seen by enough people so he didn’t seem lick a recluse. Even though he totally was a recluse, sorta. He would definitely spend time with others at a party. Though, that required him dancing, and though he was really good at dancing, both the Russian danced and English dances, Rodya wasn’t a fan that he had to do it with a woman. Because the woman would swoon over him and use pretty dresses and words to fight each other for his attention. All so they could marry him.

Royda laughs softly, if only they knew he wasn’t interested, and he wasn’t the kind of guy to marry and then be unfaithful. But then, he was going to take his father’s place someday, and Rodya would need kids of his own. He could also name on his his sister children as heir, but father wouldn’t like that very much. He snorts a laugh; His father would be dead by the time Rodya would need to be thinking about an heir.

He makes his way to his room, entering it quietly and closing the door. He pulls at the collar of his jerkin, and then frowns slightly when he see’s an envelope on his desk. He walks over, his hands stilling as he picks it up and opens it, not recognizing the handwriting. He smiles slightly and reads the letter. He nods, it was a reasonable time, giving him plenty of time to relax and change into something from home instead of wearing the, what he found to be stupid, English court attire. Russian attire was much more practical and comfortable.

He picks up a paper, then quill and ink pot, writing a reply in his neat, loopy hand writing. He accepted the kings invitation, stepping out into the hall and pausing a passing servent to deliver the short message. He smiles at them, ducking back into his room, getting changed into his own clothes from home and practically throwing himself onto his chaise. He plucks his book up from the table, staring to read it.

The letter arrived quicker than he had anticipated. What Basil had failed to anticipate was waiting till tea time. He still had a few hours until he could go out without waiting in the sun for so long. Nevertheless, he did his best to waste every single second while avoiding boredom. He had given orders for arrangements then spent the rest of his time going through a bookshelf. It was a bit difficult for him to read a few words here and there. The "king" was pretty sure that he spent ten minutes reading through three pages.

No matter how much effort he put into killing time, it didn't work. Basil couldn't handle just sitting around in the study for much longer. To solve this, he picked up the nearest book, tucked it under his arm, then strolled out into the hall. He wound up in the courtyard half an hour early. The small table was still being set up. His sudden appearance startled the poor servants. Was King Alexander known for being an early person? He doesn't recall reading about it in any textbooks.

Basil assured that everything was alright. Frankly, he didn't know how to calm his nerves. He sat down in the one chair then had the book opened up on his lap. His eyes staring at each and every single word on the pages in front of him.

Rodya didn’t really know what to do with his free time. He wasn’t one to have much free time, but that was usually because when he did get free time, he would write. He debated sitting down to write for the few hours he had until he would have tea with the king. He shook his head, he didn’t feel like writing at the moment. He looks back at the book he had set down and then picks it back up, flipping it open to his page.

He looks down at the pages, reading quietly. This was what he supposed he’d do for the next few hours. She shifts, turning his body and kicking his feet up on the couch, laying back and getting comfortable. He’d be here for a while yet. . .

~~

After a few hours of reading, Rodya had gotten up and fixed his clothes. There was no way he’d be changing back into the clothes of English fashion for this occasion, but he could at least make sure his clothes weren’t wrinkled or dirty in any place. After making sure his clothes were neat, he looking into a mirror, frowning at the slightly disheveled hair and then sighs, deciding to leave it be. It would only get worse outside with the breeze today.

He smiles, turning and walking out of the room, heading towards the courtyard. He managed to avoid anyone who would want to stop him and talk. He didm’t want to talk, especially to any of the ladies present. But he did give nods and smiles, even laughed at a few comments tossed his way. Eventually though, he reaches the courtyard, looking around and then paused, surprised to see the king already there. He wondered how long he’d been there. Probably a while if the open book was anything to hint at.

He stands there debating if he should just walk over or stand here and wait to be called over. He went with the first one, walking over to the king and stopping a few feet away, bowing. “You majesty, it is nice to see you in a state of warmer dress and that you look well. I’m supposing you didn’t catch cold?”

There was a slight breeze that came by while he read from the book. Basil didn't seem to notice. He didn't notice anything. Even though he is sitting in the courtyard, he felt like he was in another world with his eyes glued to the pages. He couldn't help it for he loved reading as much as he loved the feeling of the pages against his fingertips.

He was sucked into his reading to the point where he didn't even realize that Rodya was in front of him. Hearing his voice suddenly made his eyes dart up from the book. "Ah Konstantinov," He smile while shutting the book. He shook his head, "No, supposed if I had stayed out a little longer, I would have caught one. Thankfully I had a good man to give me his suggestion of going back inside."

Basil gestured for the lord to sit down. Briefly looking over his shoulder, he sighed, "I suppose the tea will be arriving a little late." He turned to look back at Rodya. A faint smile swept across his face. "My apologies for the wait. It should be here shortly, I'd assume. Oh well, hopefully neither of us will be catching a cold anytime soon, yes?"

Rodya took in the surroundings with a flick of his gaze before he sat down, still smiling and ready with a laugh if need be. The breeze was nice, it felt nice. Better than nice, it felt good. Despite having spent most of his older years at the English court, Rodya still wasn't used to the warmer weather. It was a lot warmer than most days in the northeast part of Russia where his childhood home was.

He smiles and slides easily into the chair, looking at the king, "Not a good man really, just common sense, you seemed to be shivering. You were barefoot. And you Englishmen are not used to the 'cold' as you call it."

He wondered if he was being too candid with the kong, and he supposed he didn't care very much, but he smiles, showing he was only jesting. "I doubt I would have caught cold. This day is more like a nice late spring or early summer for Russia. It gets a lot elsewhere I grew up."

His face flushed pink when thinking about what happened earlier in the morning. Basil stared at Rodya, taking note of the way the man smiled at him. He didn't know what to say in response, but he lightly grinned.

Briefly, he glanced around the area. Once he lowered his chin, he gave a nod. "Ah, I see. What we lack in frigidness we make up for in bleakness here," He chuckled. Basil had never been to Russia, but he always has seen the country in pictures and movies. One of the first things he's learned about it was how cold it tends to be there. While weather in England is always dull, it's never as frigid as it is over in Russia.

Oh what is he thinking? Sitting right across from him is someone from there. Not to mention the fact he can maybe use weather and Russia as a starting point for a long conversation. He rested his elbow and pressed his fist against the side of his face. "Tell me, Konstantinov, what is your homeland like?" He asked. Basil's eyes stared into Rodya's, widening with eagerness. "I know you have been in my court for a while now, do you miss home?"

Rodya gestures his hand in a so-so gesture, "Eh, not really. I've seen some beautiful places here. To be fair, many people get tired of seeing the same thing over and over. Eventually, they'll call it bleak." Rodya had always loved the sights of home, but like he said, he got tired of those views most times, and the views he'd seen here in England, well. They were not as foreign to look at, especially since he didn't see them as often as the ones at home.

Rodya leans back, thinking for a moment, "It is beautiful. My favorite time of year when I was a boy was the middle of fall, when the first snows of the year came. The green becoming dusted with white, and the sun still warm enough to warm your skin. It was some of the best times to play outside. I would often beg my tutors to take my lessons outside on these days, however impractical it may have been."

He sighs, "I love traveling, to be fiar, but I do miss home. I miss my sister very much, as well as my own personal horse. Her for is too thick for the weather here, she said be overheated, so I left her at home. I also miss having time to myself for a bit, here it's always that I'm needed. By my father or some such other person. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with you, your majesty, but I must say my free time is certainly limited here."

(poke)

(Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting. I lost interest in this, I'm sorry. I'd be happy to start another rp with you if you'd like to. Again, I am really sorry.)

(Blegh, it’s fine. Haven’t we already? Lol. The Chains one or something?)

(Oh yeah we did, lmao. I mean still though, if you want to do another one that's royalty related or whatever, just let me know.)

(Nah, it’s fine :)