“Alas, there is virtually no place that is not accessible to those pesky advisers; however, the library is likely the quietest room.” Mishal suggested.
Symphony of A Crown // oxo romance // CLOSED
"Oh, perfect." Amira nodded, tendrils of brown hair brushing her cheeks, prompting her to tilt her head somewhat to put them out of the way. "I have a few books I've been meaning to look for, on suggestion, so that…how do you say that, kills two birds with a single stone? Though, I'm not too happy about the killing of birds in any sense."
Mishal chuckled, “I would imagine. Luckily, it is only an expression.” He turned and began guiding Amira to the Library.
"It would really be horrible if your people actually killed two birds with one stone." Amira said, letting out a small laugh at the, at least in her opinion, absurdity of the phrase, as she followed him.
“I agree. Birds are important to the balance of the ecosystem. It would be a shame if the country went to ruins before I had a chance to govern it, would it not?” Mishal commented. Even if ruling wasn’t what he truly wanted, he was already resigned to it. He’d come this far in preparation. It was simply the promise of the future, his destiny as one might say.
"Indeed. You would have so much more to fix and change. And while change is a very good thing, it would not be in that circumstance." Amira said, shaking her head. Despite her usually fairly shy demeanor, she was actually…looking forward to ruling. She had so many things she wanted to fix and change and make better, not to mention, the step up in terms of freedom when it came to travel. When she was younger, she hadn't been as eager, but Zarya had somehow managed to convince her that it wasn't an opportunity to be wasted.
Mishal nodded. He turned the corner, causing Amria’s company to be completely out of sight. “The library is very close. We are nearly there. That door.” He pointed to an ornate door, black with gold. It might seem silly to say, but that was his favorite door.
"Oh, good." Amira said, her smile brightening at the sight of the library door. She loved libraries. Loved the peace and quiet, and the air of knowledge and the smell of old books. A happy place for her. "How much time do you spend in there?"
“Whenever I have the time.” Mishal replied. The door opened as they approached. It was opened from the inside by the two library attendants. Yes, there only job was to maintain the library and fetch requested books.
Amira nodded gratefully to the attendants as she followed Mishal into the library, hands clasped neatly in front of her as she gazed around the room, eyes lighting up. Her love of libraries was obvious, written plainly on her face and in the eagerness of her stance.
Mishal smiled, “You seem excited.” He leaned in, whispering to only her, “For the record, you can drop the proper postures and delicate words around me. We’re just people here.”
"Oh, alright then." Amira nodded, letting her shoulders drop from the perfect posture she'd had them in, allowing a full smile to reach her lips. "I am excited. So many books, and I'm guessing your library has plenty of books that my own doesn't."
“There’s only one way to find out.” He gestured out to the great expanse of the library, inviting her to explore the shelves. He stepped forwards to encourage her.
She clapped her hands together with a bright smile, wasting no time in hurrying forward towards the nearest shelf. "And here I am, already finding books I've never even heard of.
((Do we want to skip, or continue here?))
(I figured Zarya would bust in all dramatic and then Mishal would be suspicious and that would be the launching point for the central conflict, and then we’d time skip after that. But we could also just skip now, I’m flexible.)
((When you say 'all dramatic', how d'ya mean?))
(Oh just kinda like abruptly opening the door and then being like Amira let’s go somewhere else * secret looks hint hint * type stuff)
It was fifteen minutes before anything happened. And that 'anything'? Was Zarya striding into the library, a determination sparking in her eyes that looked like it could take down Kingdoms. And who knows, maybe it could. "Your Highness, I need to speak with you!"
Amira poked her head out from behind the shelf she was browsing, looking slightly concerned as she approached her friend. "What is it, Zee?" Her voice was low and worried, not carrying like Zarya's had.
"Not here." She didn't explain further, just cast a wary look around the library before grabbing the Princess's hand and pulling her out into the hall.
Mishal looked on with bewilderment. The pair moved much too quickly for him to react. He stood in surprise before gaining his bearings. He hastily decided to attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation. He tried to move as silently as possible, and out of the line of sight to get into a better position.
In her slight, though hidden, panic, Zarya's normal discretion was slightly hindered. Her speech was a mix of her home language and the language they used to speak with Mishal, just enough for bits to be picked up.
"Murder-""-It wouldn't be my first, you know that-""-worth it?-""-treason-" These were just bits, but the others continued to fall in the same sort of line, little clues to her past, what she was discussing, and questions. Amira's were the same in language, mirroring Zarya, but they seemed to be more assurances and confusion and worry.
Mishal derived only the most vague fractions of dialogue. He made out ‘my first,’ and ‘tree’. He decided he did not hear enough to have any idea what was going on. He couldn’t even hazard a guess, he was so confused. What could have possibly been so urgent, so distressing?
A suspicious voice whispered in his mind, ‘Perhaps your guests are plotting against you.’ He pushed the idea away. Surely not. Surely….Surely….
"Zee." Amara stepped closer to her friend, placing her hands on Zarya's shoulders in an attempt to get her attention and ground her. "You are my best friend, but I can't make this decision for you. You have to decide, and I-I trust you. But allow me to give you my opinion?"
It was odd, for the princess to be asking permission from someone of a lower status. Many people had commented on it before, forgetting that friendship and professional class differences were completely different things. Zarya took in a shaky breath and nodded once, prompting Amara to keep speaking.
"Don't make any rash decisions, in either direction. Take your time to decide, then do what you must. Use that incredible mind of yours."
Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, Mishal made his way to the pair of women.
“Is everything alright?” He asked in an attempt to gather more information. He could already see the unsettled look in their eyes, that much was clear. The source is what he wanted to know.
Amara's eyes flickered past Zarya and to Mishal, widening slightly. The sorceress had stilled almost immediately. She didn't do well with people sneaking up on her. "Yes! Everything is quite alright!" Amara said hurriedly, an absolutely atrocious liar.
"Everything is fine." Zarya assured, reaching up to wrap her fingers around Amara's wrist. She squeezed once before letting go and stepping back, turning to face Mishal with an easy smile. No trace of the earlier panic was visible, and she was so convincing that even after seeing and hearing everything, one would find themself almost starting to believe her. "I received some slightly worrying news, but it should all be cleared up soon. My apologies for cutting into your time together."
Thick tar seeped into the crevices of Mishal’s mind, pulling out his suspicions and casting them away. “Of course— I mean, um, no worries. I apologize for interrupting. I’ll have someone guide you to your chambers now.” He motioned for one of the posted guards. “Again, my apologies.”
Mishal left then. He felt unsatisfied with Zarya’s reassurances, though he believed her all the same. Perhaps he was just drama-hungry. Still….
"Did you just-" Amara was cut off by Zarya's warning look, which quickly turned to a slightly flirty smile directed at the guard assigned to guiding them to their rooms. The last thing she needed was her friend accidentally alerting the entire palace to her abilities. Besides, she hadn't used too much magic. Just enough inflected in her voice to ease his suspicion. It was better for him, anyway.
Zarya hadn't even close the door to her chambers before they were thrown open again by the princess, who quickly shut them again. "You can't-Zarya, if they find out you-"
"They won't."
"And you shouldn't even be using that ability! It steals your energy and your voice, and you know it!"
(That’s so dope. This is so interesting)
Mishal slunk to his own bed chambers. What a fool he’d been, assuming the worst of his guests. He went to the window where the sun was low on the horizon. He stayed there in his melodrama for some time.
Then he remembered the strange sensational he felt when Zarya assured him nothing was amiss. Any ideas he may have were intangible, slipping away whenever he got close to capturing them. It was if they were being purposefully elusive. It frustrated him. He decided to find out the cause, and he had a feeling it had something to do with Zarya.
"Amara, the only way to get any better at using it, the only way to improve my handle on it, is to use it." Zarya said, making her way to the window and pushing it open. The fresh air, cooling with the setting of the sun, was good for clearing her head and helping her focus. "I only wish I had not had to use it on the Prince." She added, resting her arms on the windowsill and leaning out just a bit. Her chambers had a view of the gardens below, and she suddenly found herself wanting to go down.
"Just…be careful, Zee." Amara said, shaking her head as she placed her hand on the door handle. "I'm going to go unpack, try not to get into too much trouble. And no robbing the nobles of their riches."
"You really are no fun, miss voice of reason." Zarya quipped, shooting her friend a smile. She watched the Princess leave before slipping out herself, forgetting to make sure her belongings were secured with their usual charms. A few minutes later found her in the gardens, the water snake that had been her companion for a few years draped lazily around her neck as she hummed. She was sitting cross-legged in a patch of grass amidst the flowers and plants, her arms outstretched and her smile carefree as a few colorful butterflies curiously fluttered around her.
From his place at his windowsill, Mishal saw Zarya amble her way into the gardens. This piqued his interest. He rushed to compose his image and make it down there in order to…well, to spy on her. Maybe she was hiding something. He wanted to know what it was.
He reached the side entrance where he wasn’t too close to her while she remained in his line of sight. He got low to the ground, trying to be quiet.