Ces Soirees La~ [open]

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

Night had fallen on the Kingdom, bringing with it a humid-ness that was quite undesireable. There was no moon, and the sky was instead brightened by the twinkling stars -- shining a light upon the cast iron decorations of the carriages, and bringing a sort of silver sheen to the black horses that pulled them across the dirt road. Riatha stifled a yawn behind a satin glove, looking away from the fiber glass window and back to the inside of the carriage. The seats were covered in red velvet, pulled down in some places by buttons to give it a quilt-like appearance. A blanket rested across her lap, though it was unnecessary -- since it was the middle of Spring. She setled her hands there now, her ankles together and legs tilted to the side -- hidden beneath her formal attire. The dress she wore was a milk chocolate color, with a heart shaped neckline. It wrapped tightly around her corset, and gradually fell wider to the ground. Pearls and diamonds decorated the top, with a foliage-like trim. A choker-type necklace was wrapped tightly around her neck, connected in the back by a pearl button. It was rather lace looking, but diamonds rested on the top and bottom of each strand.. The leaf-like extensions were bronze, and the center piece a rather large bit of opal. It was a rather humble accessory, but accented a sort of glamour that Riatha prefered. Tear drop, opal earings hung just above her shoulder, and a diamond bracelet wrapped about her wrist. Earlier that very evening she had over heard someone asking if the diamonds were real. It had taken all of her power not to scoff and say something along the lines of how dare you?. But no, instead she had smiled, continued her chit chatter and pretended not to notice. It had been the night of a young Lord's birthday -- a Lord she new little of. But that was the custom, of her class. You were invited because of your social status, not because they actually knew you. Riatha knew this well, as for her birthday in the past she had invited those she hardly even liked. It had been a relatively relaxed evening, but full champagne, dancing with young bachelor's and chatting with girls about things they hardly knew of in the powder room. Riatha was not in the carriage alone, as her escort sat across from her, emersed in a moderately large book -- lit only by a small candle in the upper corner of the small space. This was a fact that Riatha was not happy about, as the whole point of going the back way was to avoid attention, and the bright light of the candle could no doubt be easily seen from outside. In normal circumstances, Riatha would have loved to ride open carriage through the most popular part of town, but that was hardly conventional considering that there was little light and there were dangers aplenty. All of the carriage drivers had a defense ability of some sort (some force fields, others transportation), but it was no doubt best avoided. They were following another carriage, containing her Mother and Father. Riatha was at the age, now, when riding by herself (escort provided, of course) was considered a show off move. But the Princess (or her parents) hardly cared. They were the rulers of the Kingdom, and of the highest class. Regardless, though, Riatha did just enough charity work and kept that charm about her that she stayed good in the public eye; and the public eye included more then just her own Kingdom. With a bump the road beneath her turned into a cobble stone street, and the carriage came around the large fountain in front of the door. The door opened and Riatha tossed the blanket off her lap and onto the seat. Crouching as she stood, one hand went to hold her dress as the other went to meet the hand of the coach. She clutched his hand as he helped her from the carriage, and landed on the cobble stones below. From the corner of her eye she saw her father doing the same for her mother, but she payed them little attention as she walked up the front steps. The doors were opened for her as she swept by. She went directly to the stairs and to one of the hallways high above. She passed pictures aplenty as she went to her room, and disappeared into it. Once safely inside she closed the door and sat on her bed, waiting for her Lady's In Waiting to arrive.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington}
Word Count---->
seven.eight.zero
Comments---->
It looked so much
longer in Word -__-"

[/size]

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I looked through the large window in my dark room, the stars lighting up the night for me. The rest of my family had gone to another event, one which I hadn't been interested in. it was just for another high status family throwing a party for some reason. I sighed quietly, wondering why so many people prefered to dance all night. The night was growing older by the second as I awaited my family to arrive. Once they were asleep I would be able to get out of the Palace and into the city. My commoner clothes were hidden within reach, in the chest I was resting on. I looked intently out the window, wishing for them to return quickly. The faster the better. But as I looked out the window, I decided it might not be the worst idea to just leave now. I opened my door, one of my servants walking by. I called out to her and told her I needed a favor. She was a trustworthy servant, or at least trustworthy enough to handle this small favor. I had her get close enough for me to whisper before telling her what I needed. "Please keep my family away from my room. I'm not feeling well and I'm afriad for them to fall ill as well." I said, putting a strained tone into my voice. The servant nodded and rushed off, probably not wishing to catch whatever I "had". I carefully closed my door, before quickly opening the chest and digging for the clothes and dnages at the bottom. I placed everything back where it had been before undressing and taking off the jewelry I wore. Tucking the black dress into the chest, I decided to have it washed later. I closed the chest, placing the clothes on top of it. Before dressing, I made sure that my chest was bound well. I still hadn't lit any candles, not wanting to ruin my well adjusted eyes. I dressed quickly, knowing that my family would be here soon. After all, parties didn't last too long in the spring. Summer was more the season for very long parties. Once dressed, I opened the window and looked down. Though it was a high drop, I knew that shadows would catch me. I stood on the windowsill, waiting a moment before taking a breath and falling backwards as I faced my room. Better not to look. I had a hat in hand and carefully held onto it until the fall ended as a shadow jumped from the ground and stopped it. I landed on my feet and drew up all my hair into the hat carefully, tucking in some pieces before it showed no longer. I looked around, only to see the rest of my family arriving. I crouched close to the ground, using the shadows around me to wrap myself in the darkness that surrounded the Palace's walls.

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

Her frown casted a shadow across her face, but she quickly erased it at the thought of frown lines across that ivory complexion. Her still gloved hands rested in her lap as she shifted uncomfortably in her dress, as if the glamour it held just moments earlier had disappeared entirely. Still in her brown heels, Riatha got to her feet and seemingly floated to her vanity. Staring at herself in the mirror, she turned to the side and ran her hands down her figure with a critical look in her eye. Blinking once or twice, she moved closer to the mirror to check that none of her sparkly eye shadow had fallen (it hadn't) before moving over to her window. Looking down, she noted how her Mother and Father were yet to come inside -- but instead were talking a walk to the slightly small gardens. The fact that the gardens were relatively small was not an issue for Riatha, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn't happy with the lack of glamour. Most of the plants were full grown, and yet none of them had reached the fullness of those in the Sanchu gardens. She would speak to her mother about this in the morning, and afterwards the gardeners. Riatha watched as they disappeared around a corner before she let out a small, frusturated sigh. Where were her Lady's? It was most unlike them to be late, as both their lives and jobs depended on Riatha's happiness. With the rustling of cloth, Riatha turned and swept across the room and out the door. Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she walked down the hallway and to her sisters room, hoping to find her maids there. Reno, her older sister, had her own maids, but on the rare case that they were sick Riatha's maid would pick up the slack. "I must advise against you seeing Princess Akia this evening, she is quite ill." A servant girl said, bowing low. "Nonsense, my sister doesn't get sick. I'm sure whatever she has will be gone by morning." Riatha said sternly, waving the servant away. "My apologies, Princess Riatha." The sevant whispered, bowing once again before disappearing around a corner at the end of the hall. Riatha smirked as she watched her go. Something about making people apologize made her feel even more powerful than she already was. Turning back to the door, Riatha smoothed her dress once before tapping twice on the door and opening it. "Reno, have you seen--" she cut herself short as she found that her sister was not, in fact, there. With a puzzled expression, Riatha checked the closet and bathroom, as well as the adjoining sitting room before coming to the undeniable truth -- Reno was gone. A breeze tossed a curled strand across her face, and she turned to find the window open. Walking towards it, she looked down to find a shadowy form hiding in the bushes -- a form she knew to be her sisters. She pulled back from the window with a shocked expression. If her sister was caught out in public at such an hour her reputation would be ruined. Another part of her, however, wanted to go too. It wasn't that she wondered what it would be like, or had any desire to be normal, but it would be fun to flaunt her beauty without being under the criticism of every person who reads the paper. With a determined look, she left the room in a rush; closing the door quietly behind her, she hurried back to her room. Reno would be caught there for awhile do to the fact that her parents had just come into her view. Her Lady was waiting for her there, gushing apologies. "No matter, Cynthia." she said with a wave of her hand. "Shall I undress you now, My Lady?" she said lowering both her head and eyes. "No, I need to be dressed....casually." Riatha replied, slurring the word with something very similar to venom. Her maid just stared at her, completely convinced that her Princess had lost her mind. "WELL?" Riatha urged, putting her hands on her hips. The servant rushed into the closet and pulled out a selection of Riatha's casual clothes. "No no! None of these will do!" Riatha exclaimed, causing a look of fear on the servant. "Go see what my sister has." The Princess ordered. The maid rushed off while Riatha sat on her bed, tapping her foot impatiently. "My Lady." The maid whispered as she lay an outfit on the Princess's bed. "What are those?" Riatha said, putting a hand to her mouth. "I believe they are called 'leggings'," Riatha was so stunned by the thought of wearing them that she didn't notice that the servant had forgotten her title when addressing her. But, she had seen those of a lower class wearing them before, and so forced herself into them. Her maid undressed her (laying the gorgeous dress across the bed to be hanged, putting the shoes away, and taking off the corset) and helped her into her new outfit. It consisted of a little black dress with ruffles down the front and a square neckline. Beneath it was the black leggings. "Are you-are you sure I don't look like a..." she trailed. Short dresses were frowned upon in the socialite class, but her maid assured her that she looked casual but beautiful -- as if she could look anything but gorgeous. Pulling the clip out of her hair, she let the chocolate strands fall naturally around her face. She straightened the curled piece with her fingers so it matched the wavy look. Her maid grabbed a black butterfly clip and pulled a side of it back and out of her face. The look was completed with a pair of black boots. They took off her white necklace, and replaced it with a dark butterfly necklace. There was no time to change her eyeshadow, but luckily it was a dark enough shimmer that it matched fairly well. "You are not to tell anyone that I am gone, is that understood?" Riatha instructed, turning away from the mirror. No sooner did the maid nod that Riatha was out her room and in Reno's. "You better catch me!" Riatha whispered as loud as she dared, referring to Reno's shadow ability. She took a step back from the window before jumping out of it as her parents finally went inside.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington}
Word Count---->
one.zero.eight.eight.
Comments---->
This is SO going
against every personality
trait she has >_<""

[/size]

[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I sat there crouched on the ground, waiting for my parents to go inside. If I dared try to walk away from the Palace while they were outside, they might notice me. Actually, they would notice me. My clothing matched my shadows well, though I wouldn't use them once I had reached the public. Dark black pants that stopped at my ankles and a fitting black tanktop that wouldn't move around to expose the bandages. My shoes were black flat boots for males around my age and I also wore the black hat to hide my long hair. The band for the hat was tight enough to not fall away unless I or or someone else pulled it off but not tight enough to make my head ache like social events did. Tonight my daggers were in plain sight, stripped to the inside of my wrists so I could easily pull them out. The sheaths were a normal brown color that most people used to use and they were also well worn. One could tell that I had pulled my daggers out more then once. The dagger's hilts here a grayish color and the blades were only six inchs long of the silver metal. My parents wandered around the corner, chatting about whatever topic they decided to discuss. I rolled my eyes as I heard something about the party they had gone to with my sister. Well, at least they hadn't made my maids dress me in some pink gown and ship me off to whenever they had gone. I cold breeze travelled over me and against the castle wall. After a few long minutes, my shallow parents decided to retire to their room and walking into the Palace, disappearing from my sight. I stood up, only to hear something on the wind. My head shot up, hat almost falling from my head, and saw something surprising. My sister falling towards me from my window in a short dress and leggings. I was so surprised I almost forgot to catch her. Shadow hands shot up once she was far enough down and I placed her gently on the ground. "What are you doing Riatha?" I asked, looking at my sister like she was insane. One, my sister was wearing a short dress which she would never do. Two, she was wearing my leggings, also which she would never do. And three, she had just dropped from my own window (a shadow now shot up and now closed the window quickly) and was expecting to come with me to the town? Perhaps I really was in bed with a high temperature. Or maybe I had fallen asleep while waiting for them arrive. Either way, how was this happening? My appearence was just a form of darkness for my loyal shadows were still wrapped around me but I did not release them, wondering whether or not to show my little sister my male disguise. Proper women never did such things as crossdessing but by now I didn't know if my sister knew about my commoner-like thinking. After all, I didn't feel like I was right to be a noble. I hated the attention people gave me when I walked without a disguise on. I hated the Balls, dances, and partys. And most of all I hated the pointless rules of being a noble. So many restrictions were placed upon high status people. Short dresses, crossdressing, certain areas of work, and friends with too low a status were usually not seen within people of my family's rank. I didn't even have any friends, though my parents were no doubt going to invite total strangers to my Birthday Celebration, which was coming all too soon. This fall I would be another year older and another year more tangled into the rules of my parents. Soon they would try to set me up with a high standing noble to bear children. I shivered slightly, not wishing for that to happen. But even if I had renouced my place in line for the Crown, it would taint the family's name for me to not marry before too old of an age. The stupid rules always found a way to catch me.

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

The feeling of free fall was unfamiliar to her, and because of this quickly became a scary feeling. Crossing her arms across her chest and closing her eyes, she was almost completely unaware of the shadows wrapping around her lithe form. They came up and around her body, bringing with them a chilled sensation and instantly causing goosebumps to rise across her arms. She had been touched by Reno's shadow's before, but only when she was young and incredibly curious. It had been weird even then, but Riatha did not fear them. Opening her eyes and unfolding her arms, she let the shadows turn her right side up and landed gently on the cobble stone circle with a small click. Pulling at the hem of her dress once, she put a hand on her hip and tilted her head, "Following my older sister, Reno." Riatha was the only one who called Reno Reno, as it was her middle name. She always had, as Reno's given name had been far too hard for the toddler to pronounce. Her parents had insisted on calling Reno by her first name, but they had come to a compromise. Out and about Reno was Akia, but at any other time Reno was Reno. Riatha walked a few strides ahead and looked about the grounds with an approving eye. Even if the garden was lacking, no one could argue with the fact that they were still stunning. Fountains sat in the center of flower beds, throwing water up into the air. Dark green vines were just begining to creep up the castle walls -- twisting around the iron decorations. The stable (located in the back of the castle) was on the other side, and a lantern gave of a goldish glow. The darkness of it all withheld such a mysterious elegance that could hardly be found any where else. This evaluation lasted only a few moments, and when it was over Riatha turned back to her sister. Reno was slightly taller than Riatha, but the clothes had fit perfectly -- seeing as Riatha's body was a little more feminine "The maid said that this was casual wear, what do you think?" She said the word casual with the same venomous tone, and did little to hide her distaste of the outfit. In public, such a show of expression was forbidden, but this wasn't in public. This was with her sister. Reno and Riatha had an odd relationship for being related. They didn't fight, but this was due to Reno's indifferent mannor and Riatha's fear of stress lines. To say they loved eachother was accurate to degree, but to say that they would give their lives for eachother was too much to ask for, it seemed. But, there was a sisterly understanding between them. Secrets were kept a secret (as had Riatha not followed, she would not have told her parents of her sisters disappearance), and outfits were commonly shared -- like tonight. Riatha stared at her sisters clouded form for a moment before squinting her eyes and leaning in closer, "What are you doing?" she asked, wondering why her sister was going through such trouble to keep herself hidden now that no one could see them. Their parents were probably in their chambers by now, and the carriage boys were done attending the horses. Riatha could only wonder where exactly they were going. It didn't surprise her that Reno was going out, as it was well known that she did not think too kindly of her Royal bloodline. Riatha, on the otherhand, did not really know why she was tagging along; it was possible that her childhood curiosity had caught up to her, because she knew very well how dangerous it was. The Princess didn't have much of a disguise, but the fact that she was wearing a short dress and leggings would deter people from thinking her their Princess. Instead, she would probably be seen as just a freaky look alike -- which, at the moment, was fine by her.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington}
Word Count---->
six.seven.eight
Comments---->
*slaps Muse*

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[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I looked over my sister again, wondering what had gotten into her. I knew one day she would probably see me sneaking out but I had thought she would have just left the matter alone. And now here she was, ready to follow me wherever I may be going. I payed no attention to our surroundings, not really caring for our garden. The type of flower I liked was no where in sight and even if it had been in the garden, it certainly wouldn't be the right color. Mother and father weren't ones for the darker colors like me. When Riatha asked me about her outfit I rolled my eyes. "If your asking me if you look like a prositiute, then no. People with lower status then us can wear short dresses without being viewed in such a vain way. For them, it's normal to wear short dresses, skirts, and pants. And I think it looks fine on you." I complimented, wondering why she hadn't put on more of a disguise. Or at least one of my cloaks or something to that extent. I viewed Riatha as a sister to a certain degree. We weren't the kind of sisters that would stay up night in one of rooms, talking about gossip and whatever most girls talked about. But we weren't the type to be at each other's throats either. We shared clothes at times, like right now, but didn't exactly steal from each other. When something was shared between them secret wise, it would stay shared between only them. I leaned backwards a bit as my sister leaned towards me, squinting at me. I was still covered in my shadows, which moved slightly on my body as if I was a part of the scenery at times. Until to most people, my shadows felt warm to me. They had been like a security blanket to me when I was younger. Often at a young age did I wander around with multiple shadows either following in different shapes on the ground or I had them wrapped around me. I gave a small sigh and released them from my body, my disguise not hidden any longer. I knew Riatha wouldn't tell anyone but it was slightly embarrased to be caught crossdressing so I could sneak out. I didn't look at my sister, only adjusted my hat so that my long hair was sure to be hidden and with that I began to walk towards the town.

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

Riatha returned the hand to her hip at the roll of her sisters eyes, and bit back the snarky comment that was quickly rising to her lips. Instead, she dropped her hand and looked at her sister with a very cool and calm gaze. "Well, thank you for the compliment, Akia." she said dryly, falling back on her normally noble behavior as a method to avoid her confrontational nature. Her hands were once again in gloves, as she had refused to leave without them. The black satin gloves ran up to just below her elbow, and looped around her middle finger. It was the most expensive clothing she had on, she was sure, but casual enough that they otherwise would have been seen as a fashion accessory. The fact that they were satin, in this light, could not be told without touching her arms; and Riatha would no doubt freak out if an unknown, uninvited, person tried to touch her. It intruiged Riatha -- the extent to which Reno was going to to hide herself. But she shrugged and waited for her sister to come forth from her hiding spot. She turned her back, so that Reno wouldn't feel too under pressure with showing her what she so badly wanted to hide. Letting her eyes drift, she waited for Reno's soft sigh before turning towards her. A stab of shock ran through her at such a distasteful selection of clothing. Of course, years of keeping her feelings under a calm fascade worked in her favor here, and she managed to keep a loud gasp from passing the raised hand to her lips. Coughing lightly once, Riatha looked around once before following in her sisters wake. Her boots weren't exactly made from long distance walks, but Riatha's feet were well adjusted to normally uncomfortable shoes, so it prooved to not be a problem. Some where during the duration of their walk, Riatha's mind drifted (as it commonly did) to her future and how things would be when she got older. Things would work out perfectly, as she wouldn't have it any other way of course. She would get married to a handsome man, take over the throne, have a baby or two...It would be the dream life. Full of glamour...It made a soft smile cross her face. The happy outlook on life slowly faded, however, as she realized that they were walking some where. "Reno," she began, walking slightly faster than she ws used to to come beside her sister, "Why are we walking? It is quite a long stretch. Why not borrow a stable mare?" she offered. She was unsure if her sister would agree, as to take a stable horse they would then be responsible for it. The horses were trained to come home if left alone for a certain amount of time, but they may alert the household to the disappearing daughters and the lack of their presence. But, if she did, Riatha would not be the one to control the beast; no, she would ride side saddle as elegantly as she could manage. It was already bad enough that she would have to actually ride the horse, instead of being pulled along behind in a carriage. "It would cut the time, and do less harm to our feet." she urged, knowing how against it her sister may be. Daika was well known for the prized horses they kept in their stable. They had the strongest, blackest friesians for war. Andalusians for carriage pulling and some times battle, and Arabians for show and spice. A book was kept in the castle (some where, she wasnt exactly sure of its exact location) that carefully recorded the lineage of every horse they owned. The stallions were always kept inside during the night, but the mares some times occupied the fields during the evening under the watchful eyes of the royal sheep dogs. This was one of the nights where you could find them grazing under the stars. Passing the dogs would be no problem, as they knew who was and was not allowed in the field. The Princess had never entered, but had been aquanted with the dogs when they were young so that on the off chance she would, she would not be attacked.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington}
Word Count---->
seven.one.six
Comments---->
Kinda choppy,
but there you go =3

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[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I could tell that it had been a small mistake to allow my sister to see my state of clothing. I didn't comment, a slight blush on my face from the way she reacted. Though she had stopped whatever she was going to say, it was clear she was shocked. "It's easier to act like a male. Unlike you, my hair would be a dead give away. Not many girls are cursed with such a strange hair color." I said quietly, looking at the stars. If I were to walk into town as a female, everyone would be able to tell it was me. So, short of cutting my hair off, this was my solution. My mind began to wander and soon I thought about my future. If I couldn't get away, my parents would marry me off to some man I didn't know. I hated knowing that. But what could I do? The blush had gone from my face and was now replaced by a grimace. There were no options short of running away but that would make me a coward. I couldn't live with myself if I ran. But still, did I really want to be stuck with soe stick in the mud as my husband? To have children just to make the royal bloodline continue? Even if love wasn't real, I didn't want to marry a stranger! Especially if they were anything like my parents and viewed the world in the same way. Then I would be stuck in a cage forever. I mean, I wanted to be free. I wanted to be able to travel, to actually duel like I had in my disguise. In the Palace I could only put on Battle Performances, were everything was staged. It was fun, yet not as fun as the real thing. When swords actually clashed against each other with loud noises and you actually had to plan ahead what to do. If not, you would actually become injured. But the sense of danger with real duels were the thing I loved about them. In performances, you knew how it was to end before it started. But in real life, it wasn't always the good character that won. Also, sometimes there weren't even good or bad people. Just two pieces of mixed goodness and evil. It was always interesting. I wondering if my sister had ever really fought with blades and real danger. It was quite thrilling. But I was sure she hadn't ever really fought while in danger. Why would she? My sister had her guards to protect her at all times. I was my own guard when I went into town. As Riatha spoke, I nodded. I actually had been heading in the way of the field at that moment. I always borrowed the same one because he was the friendliest and seemed more fitting of me. We were almost there, the horses in sight. I saw my borrowed horse by a guard dog and smiled. Without a noise I jogged forward to pet the horse's neck, whispering to hm that he was to carry both me and my sister to the town. The gaurd dog gave us no attention, only sitting in place. I looked back at my sister, nodding towards the horse. "We'll share him. Do you know how to ride without a saddle or a cushion under you?" I teased lightly loud enough to be heard by her. This might just be a fun night.

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

Riatha nodded politely, but she hardly understood why her sister had to dress up Male. If the color of her hair really was an issue, than Riatha was sure it could be dyed. She invisibly shrug it off, though, and left the issue alone. Riatha knew that her sister was bound to run away, it was only a matter of time. Would the sisters ever see eachother again afterwards? It was doubtful, to say the least. Reno had always been the adventurous type, and it was an unspoken secret that everyone expected her to disappear one day. Her sister still, at the age of 17, participated in Performances. This wasn't a bad thing, in Riatha's eyes, but did show a lot about Reno's character to those that didn't know her personally. Riatha was confident in Reno's densive abilities, as well as her own. You may be laughing now, but even Riatha had the basic defense skills. She could use a dagger moderately well (and she knew that Reno had one to spare), and had no problem sprinting over wooden or rocky terrain in her heeled boots. Riatha was happy to see that Reno agreed with her on taking a horse instead of walking. The Princess walked into the pasture and by the dog without paying to any attention. She closed the gate behind her, and then followed behind her sister at a much calmer gate. Riatha stopped a foot or so behind as she tried to get over the fact that she would actually have to ride bareback. "I'm sure I can manage." she said hotly, a small blush coming to her ivory cheeks. This would no doubt be an interesting night. Tugging at the hem of her dress, she quickly realized that the only thing that would keep her clothing appropriate was the fact that she had leggings on. She was no doubt uncomforted by this fact, but she figured that that was the whole point of the leggings anyway. She hated them. The freedom they gave made her feel quite out of line. As scandalous as she was, she had her limits when it came to certain things. Riatha knew that by the time they got back, she would be dying to get into the finest dress she could find. Looking back over the horse, she noted exactly how small it was, for a friesian. He was hardly up to the stable standards, and it was a wonder that he was still there. She couldn't help but think that Reno had something to do with that, but didn't say anything about it. Princess Riatha also couldn't help but wonder where this night would take them. With luck, nothing dramatic would happen, and Riatha would just be able to observe. But, ha, how often did that happen? Trouble was bound to find them, especially since they were doing something they weren't supposed to do.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington}
Word Count---->
four.eight.seven
Comments---->
My shortest one
yet XD

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[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I held back a laugh as my sister blushed, the fact she hadn't rode bareback obvious. But walking wasn't much better and though I could sneak into the stables to get a saddle easily, it would probably take too long. And either way it wasn't such a long ride. It was only to the nearby city and not to Obscur. I was unaware that people were actually waiting for me to just disappear. Though I was clearly hated my current life and loved adventure, I didn't think that it was that obvious. But I still thought that running away would be too much a move like a coward. And though I was many things, a coward was not on the list. I looked at Riatha for a moment before looking away, back to the horse. Did my sister like the way she lived? I could never be sure what she thought even though we were related. She seemed to hide everything down inside herself so that it would never see the light of day. She didn't even know how her sister was thinking about all that was going on at the moment. Riatha didn't perform in Performances but at my own age level, it was only males left to fake battle with. I already knew that nobles that didn't know me all to well all said things about it. And that my parents weren't very happy with the fact their daughter was acting as if she was the same as commoners. Most females stopped at an earlier age and it surprised me. Why did it matter if you were male or female really? I even did real battles, which even some male nobles denied unless they had to. But in the commoner's city, I always saw woman and men alike with weapons. So why was it the higher your status, the less likely it was for you to fight, especially if you were female? It angered me in a way. Shaking the thoughts away, I used my shadows and hopped onto the horse, who whinnied it return. I petted him again and looked over to my sister. "Shall you be joining me up here or will you be walking all the way to the town?" I said, a small smile on my face as I waited for Riatha to get up on the horse. He was smaller then the others and had patches of different colors on him unlike the other horses. I had made the stables accept him after I had bought him and he now lived with the other horses. After getting him, I had named the stead Teito and introduced him to my shadows. Though other horses were scared of the ink shadows, Teito learned that they wouldn't hurt him and were not dangerous unless I made them so.

[Kuri]

I sighed as I walked down the dirty street, the jeering comments and looks were really starting to get to me now. It was always like this, I was treated more like an animal than a human, or whatever I am. To be honest, I don't really know what I am. The people in my home village called me a demon, so perhaps that's what I am. A demon. But do all demons look like a human? I didn't know. But what I did know was that whatever I was, wasn't welcomed here. Some boy from the city ran from a shop and ran in my direction, even though it was still so late out, and kicked me right in the shin, but luckily for me, there was very little light on this street, and I was able to simply walk straight through the boy, causing him to fall on the ground in fear and surprise, because for a short moment, he was lost inside complete darkness. There were a few screams from the people watching from afar, but I paid no attention to them. I was used to being considered a freak and a demon now.

I stared down at my white shoes as I walked, with no idea where I was going, or what I was doing here. My stomach gargled a little too, so I guessed I was hungry, and my throat felt dry, so I assumed I was hungry. But I didn't think that anyone would be kind enough to sell me some water or food. So I would just wait until I made it out of the city and go into a forest somewhere. Maybe I would die, maybe I wouldn't. I wouldn't really matter what happened. I sighed slightly as I came to the main road that led to the palace and sat on an empty barrel that was up against he side of a shop, somewhat in the shadows so I was a little hard to see. I couldn't quite understand why people could be so cruel to someone that they didn't know. What had I ever done to them. I was pretty sure that I hadn't even been in this city before today.

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

Riatha looked over the horse again and got a bad taste in her mouth. It was a paint. It made her stomach turn. If she were to ever be seen riding upon this horse's back she would be the talk of the town. She was good at hiding this distaste, however, and even went so far to touch the neck of the horse. Riatha held back the desire to stick her tongue out at her sister, as she so commonly had done when they were young. Putting her arms on the horses back, she pushed down and hoisted herself onto the horses back. It wasn't until she had swung her other leg over that she realized how tired her arms already were. It wasn't often that she had to actually use her muscles, and with her slim appearance came the startling lack of them. She looked down to either side of the horse, fascinated by this new point of view. It was an unnatural position, and as she sat there she had to quickly banish her self-conscious feelings. Riatha never showed such a lack of confidence because she banned herself from having it. It was that reason alone that kept people looking in her direction when she walked into a room full of her fellow (if not lesser) socialite friends. Her self-assurance was just strong enough to attract attention, but just soft enough that people had a very peculiar urge to go talk with her or ask her to dance. It was a talent that had not taken long to learn. Riatha was unique in the sense that the rules of Royalty were seemingly in her blood. She had adapted easily to growing up into a young lady, a feat her sister obviously had not. Riatha wasn't complaining, however, simply because it was her sisters hate of this life style that had let her swipe in and become next in line. Had it happened in any other way....well, lets just say that the two Princesses wouldn't be so close. It was the thought of ruling an entire Kingdom that kept Riatha on her toes. This silent ambition, however, was a secret. Everyone, her family included, thought she was the perfect little Princess. She had gone through every caution to keep it that way, and she probably would the rest of her life. During her years, she had (through trial and error) come across the perfect balance of sweetness and malice. Riatha kept herself liked by almost all people, including the goodie-two-shoes of the neighboring Kingdoms. Riatha was crazy manipulative, so well that no one knew. Shifting back and forth in an effort to get comfortable (an effort she soon found, to her dismay, to be quite useless), she almost toppled right off. She quickly wrapped her arms around her sisters waist, her heart beating quickly now. "Lets just go before I kill myself on this thing..." she muttered, not letting go.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington}
Word Count---->
four.nine.one
Comments---->
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[{{Roxï-kun-+]

I could tell that my sister did not approve of the of horse, though Riatha had hidden it well. It was just that after so much time together, I knew what my sister would usually like. My thoughts flashed back to the day I renounced my position for the Crown. What would have happened if I had accepted my role? One thing that would happen would be that my sister and I wouldn't be as close as we are now. Whenever there was more then one sibling in the royal family, things usually got very bad once one of the siblings were close to the Crown. One of them would perish most of the time. And if it was twins as the oldest siblings, things just got worse. Which one would rule? But I hadn't even had that in mind when I renouced my role. Me, running a kingdom? Having to live by the rules every second? Not something I wanted. One day I wanted to become a normal person. That was my only real goal at the moment. As my sister got onto the horse, I could tell she was surprised at her lack muscle. Even though I appeared weak, I knew I still had muscle. I could walk on my hands for long periods of time and things of that sort. As my sister wrapped her arms around my waist, I wondered how fast I could risk going. Normally I rose very quickly but I could tell that I couldn't tonight. I walked the horse over to the gate, bending to open it and thenclosing it again once we had gotten out of it and turned around. It was pretty hrd to do but I managed, mostly because the lock was so high up from the ground. I turned the horse towards the main road and kicked him lightly, sending him into a slow run. I had my arms around the horse's neck lightly and held on, careful not to hurt Teito. It was for the best I had given my position to Riatha. Better for her, better for me, and better for the Kingdom. I smiled as the town came into view. A strong wind passed by us though, my hat falling from its place as we passed an empty barrel. Without seeing the person sitting on it, a nearby shadow popped up from the horse's shadow, catching my hat before it fell from my head to show my hair. Once fixed into placed, the shadow disappeared back into the horse's running shadow again. Teito brought us a bit closer to the town before a small stable came into view that was slightly away from the town. I slowed the horse before I looked back to Riatha with a smile. "Time to get off." I said with a teasing smile, wondering what Riatha had thought of hiding a horse bareback.

[Kuri]

I looked around across the streets, wondering how long the owners of the shop would let me stay like this, I doubted it would be too much longer. I decided that it would probably best to try and get some sleep while I sat here. I very rarely ever got sleep in such a warm place. I guessed that the shop I was sat again, was a bakery, because the warmth of the wall behind me was hotter than it should be. I decided not to think to much about it, it didn't really matter anyway. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back against the warm wall and very slowly closed my eyes and fell into a light slumber.

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but it could have only been for a few minutes, because I didn't really feel any different than before, and it was still dark outside. But when I did awake, I found myself somewhat surprised. I had been surrounded by a group of young boys, I think they were in their early teens. I only really recognized the one who had tried to kick me before. Their faces were smug, and angry. Though, I didn't really think anything of it, they couldn't hurt me while I was in the dark like this. But then something caught my eye. One of the boys was holding something that looked somewhat like a torch and was trying to light it. I could feel my body start to tense up as I tried to back up, only to remember that I was against the wall. ”Shit...” I whispered to myself as I pressed myself up against the wall as much as I could. The group of boys all started to laugh as they watched me struggle. There was a spark, and a burst of light that caught my attention. The torch had been lit, and the boy that was holding it was holding it as close as they could too me. How did they know? Had someone informed this city too? How could they hate me with such malice? Some of the boys cracked their knuckles, while others pulled out weapons that they had hidden, luckily they were all blunt, but I knew that they'd still do some damage. I clenched my fists as tightly as I could and looked around for an escape route, but as I did, one of the kids kicked the barrel from underneath me and I fell the ground with a thud, and hit my head on the hard floor, causing it to bleed a little. I placed my hands flat on the ground as I struggled back up. I felt so weak, It had been a few days since I had eaten anything, and my body was really paying the price for it. I could hear the kids chuckle again as one of them kicked me in the gut.

I let out a yell of pain as the kids foot slammed into my stomach, and coughed up a a bit of blood. But I knew that no matter how much I yelled for help, that no one would come. I just closed my eyes tightly and hoped that it would end soon. The kids continued to kick and beat me. I didn't know why, but they did, and pleading for them to stop wouldn't be any use. I just had to accept it and lay here while they continued to destroy my body with their fists, feet and weapons.

[/Dream !]

Riatha !!
x-I'll Keep The Sweetness On My Tongue-x
x-But The Bitterness In My Heart-x

Riatha tightened her grip and didn't loosen it for the entire duration of the ride. She hadn't ridden on the back of a horse in years. The Princess had been around the age of eight when she stopped riding. She had ridden side saddle since then, but only during things like parades, and always with someone leading the horse from the ground. And didn't like it any more now than she had then. Because she was without a saddle, she figured she was slightly lucky -- however -- that the horse was so big. Smaller horses had a tendency to have bony backs. Couple that with the continuous rocking motion and it would have been an even more uncomfortable ride. They rode at a slow canter, and Riatha was happy that Reno didn't just take off in a full out gallop. Despite all these lucky additions to her "night-out", Riatha was still not pleased by that particular style of traveling. No, she would have much preferred to be back in her covered carriage, sitting on a seat of velvet in one of her dark, chiffon dresses. The life of glamour was most certainly for her, and as they rode closer and closer to the city (one she would never be caught in otherwise, as all the high-class houses had their own land), she was silently thinking about how she may have been better off back in the palace. This was most certainly very out of character, and she knew that when she was safely back at home she would refuse to believe that any of this was anything more than a dream. Her grip finally loosened on her sister as they came to a stop. There was a momentary silence, but it was short lived. A yell came from around the corner, and Riatha looked towards it with a mild curiosity. Fights broke out all the time in Daika (more so than in the other Kingdoms, she was sure), and this was most surely not any different. Though, the reason for this particular dispute was something to figure out. The soft buzz that was almost always in the back of her head slowly came into focus, and violent thoughts slowly replaced her own. She managed to keep just enough of her own conscience that she didn't hurt her sister -- a skill that had taken a long time to learn. When she was younger she had been known to do things she otherwise would not have done, had it not been for a thought from another. It was a wonder that the lack of silence in her life didn't drive her insane. In fact, the only place she could be sure to not be bothered by anothers mind was her own bedroom. Inside the walls were a special fabric that kept thoughts from entering her little haven. She didn't know what this lining was, but knew that it had been bewitched by some sorcerer. It had to be replaced every ten years, which was turning into quite a problem since the previous sorcerer was dead. Though, Riatha always got what she wanted, and that silent part in her life was no doubt something she would fight for. Luckily, she had another seven years before she would be bugging her father about finding someone else with similar skills. As she pushed the thoughts away, she quickly realized that this was no fight -- this was an ambush. She wasn't sure how many peope there were, as not only could she not place a thought with a person at this point, but she also knew that there was a possibility that she could not hear the thoughts of everyone. The Princess had been taught at an early age to stay out of such things, but if she knew her sister well enough, Reno would most likely want to check things out. So instead of dismounting, she slid backwards on the horse so that Reno could get off first. If it turned out that Riatha was wrong about it, then it would hardly matter. It was a long way down from where she sat, and she wasn't getting off it without some sort of assistance.

Characters Involved---->
{Riatha Marie Carlington|Akia Reno Carlington|IDR his name xD}
Word Count---->
seven.one.four
Comments---->
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