Niamh leaned in slightly, her gaze fixed on Fifi, tilting her head as she listened with rapt attention. She imagined it: a coast so alive with light it pulsed, far from these damp hills and cold chandeliers. Creatures untouched by courtly artifice, glowing in wild, untamed beauty.
"Bioluminescence," she murmured, her voice low and thoughtful.
"It must be… mesmerizing. And terrifying. Light from creatures who never knew the sun."
Niamh smiled wistfully, her gaze still distant, as though the thought of it could pull her away from the room, away from the calculating eyes of the court. It was an honor, truly—though Niamh suspected the Princess of Aluray had no idea what she was offering. The princess was young and for the lack of better word, seemed uneducated regarding such things. One didn't simply invite strangers into their kingdom like this. Unless, of course, they were naïve enough to believe their power wasn't already slipping through their fingers.
"One day," Niamh continued, her voice softening with the weight of her own hidden longings,
"when I'm too old for politics, too tired of the rainforests and swamps, I'll vanish into Aluray's glow and never come back."
The words felt almost like a secret, a fantasy she could share only in fleeting moments like this. Moments where there was a rare clarity between them. She smiled faintly at her own words, but her eyes stayed locked on Fifi, as though she were searching for something in the young princess's face. There was truth in that fantasy. Even owls grew weary of watching, of waiting.
But now was not the time for dreams. Niamh had plans to execute, strategies to think of, alliances to maintain. The game had only just begun, after all.
"Until then," she added, her voice smoothing into velvet once more,
"I'll settle for asking questions and hearing the stories."
Just then, a sudden disturbance pierced her delicate calm of the evening. Two men, voices rising in petty bickering. Niamh didn't flinch. Her posture remained poised, angled just so toward Fifi, as though she hadn't noticed the ripple of tension sweeping through the room. But her eyes flicked sharply toward the disturbance, like a hawk sensing a shift in the wind.
The bickering itself was petty enough to be ignored, but it wasn't that which caught her attention. It was the reaction. The way heads turned too quickly. The too-smooth movements of those around them. Watching, yet pretending not to see.
And there. Like ink reappearing on old parchment when warmed by a candle's flame, was the Vallan Princess and the Empress of Palaikastria.
Niamh exhaled softly, almost amused, as the pieces of the court began to shift. Her gaze lingered just long enough to draw her conclusions, then she turned back to Fifi as if she had never looked away. Her smile returned, unchanged in shape, but deeper now, as though shadows had crept into its corners.
"Forgive the interruption, milady," she said gently, swirling the wine in her glass, the motion almost meditative.
"But I believe this is where things get interesting."
Niamh raised her glass towards the royals at the center of the room: the Vallan Princess who's beauty is similar to statues: meant to be admired, but not touched. A princess offered for alliance. Not far was the Empress of Palaikastria, whose intrigue never seemed to fade. An empress who doesn't want to rule like an empire but outlive one.
Niamh's lips curled slightly. There was much to be gained by aligning with such power, but much to lose as well. Every gesture, every word, could tip the balance. And here they were, at the very edge of it.
"I wonder, Lady Fifi…" Niamh mused, her voice carrying a touch of amusement now,
"Have you already greeted your betrothed?"
Her words hung in the air, delicate yet full of implication. The invitation was clear, yet layered with unspoken meaning.
"I am curious to see what you'll do." Niamh leaned back slightly, her posture elegant, effortless.
"Will you leave this table and stand with power, or stay here to observe and watch everything unfold?"
Interaction: Lady Fifi
@Lyrikai
Mentions: Vallan Princess
@Fluffy | Empress of Palaikastria
@Zarko Straadi
Imperial Palace, Palaikastria, Two Months Ago:
Palaikastria!" the stentorian voice of the guard called out as the gilded double-doors of the ballroom swung open to admit her. She was accompanied by Meryt Milenia, Foremost of Scholars and Librarian of Palaikastria. The Scholar was also Ur-Hekau, an Enchantress of formidable power, which was why Zosime did not feel a need to have a squad of Imperial Marines or Praetorians tromping along at her side.
