Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Aug 10, 2023 21:31:02 GMT -5
Morgan watched them go, holding his thoughtful silence until Kyra turned her attention on him. He looked down at her. "Experience? None at all. Not unless you count dragging secrets out of Seth and Cami through tickle torture."
☆~☆~☆ The soldier gripped Parker’s jaw, forcing his lips to part as he brought the vial down. The liquid swirled to the edge —
And then the glass exploded.
With a hiss, the soldier yanked his hand back and shook the spilled liquid off. A few drops of blood went flying as well. "What the hell," he muttered.
A shadow melted from the darkness lining the path. "I believe that's my line," Sol said, in a deadly calm tone. All the soldiers went perfectly still. "I suggest you let him go, boys. Now."
"Don't you dare—" Jupiter started, but the soldiers had all already released Parker and stepped away from him. Jupiter growled. "You bunch of cowards."
"You're the only coward here, Jupiter." Sol circled the small courtyard, hands in his pockets. He didn't look at Parker, but he casually put himself between his lover and his step-brother. "Using Whiteout is the lowest form of low."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Aug 11, 2023 19:41:53 GMT -5
"You can't be serious, right?" Kyra asked, trying to hide her irritation. It wasn't successful. Sighing she turned to survey the mansion below them. "You better hope you can still think as fast as you used to, charming, otherwise, you're in a lot of trouble. No sense in staying here. Let's get closer and see what our options are." Without waiting for his response, she began to find a path that would take them down to their target as quickly and unnoticeable as possible.
~*~*~
Parker was ready to try and bite the hand that grabbed him, but as soon as the hand was clamped on his jaw, he had no hope. Still, he struggled and fought as best as could.
And then the vial burst.
He twisted his head as best he could to avoid the glass and it's contents, but he still felt a shard nick his cheek and the mysterious liquid splash across his skin. None entered his mouth, at least, not that he could tell. The relief he felt as Sol's voice rang through the dark was almost enough to break through his anger. Almost.
As soon as he was released, Parker was up on his feet, moving forward to pass Sol. "Fight me like a man, you pathetic excuse for human flesh!" He shouted. He didn't care if he was talking to the crown prince of the country. Didn't care about the fact they were at the palace, at a ball, or the consequences. Juniper had belittled him, insulted him, and tried to harm him. He had settled many scores that started this way, only less severe, and he would settle this one too.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Aug 12, 2023 18:14:27 GMT -5
"which is why being on time and ready for these things are important," Kyra returned. "Had you not wasted all morning taking your sweet time, you might have had the opportunity to gain some of this information. On top of that, I can't even help! I don't intend to play babysitter for the actually mission, and I'm not going to know. If you can't figure out how to get this man on our side, I'm stepping in. No arguments. Am I clear?"
~•~•~
Parker turned his glare to his lover. He had been training for months now. Even if he couldn't win, he was at least confident enough to land a hit or too. "Anyone who slinks in the shadows and harms those that mildly infuriate them for their own amusement is no royal in my eyes," he spat, returning his gaze to Jupiter. "He is no Prince of mine, nor will he ever be!"
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Aug 18, 2023 17:34:34 GMT -5
Morgan rolled his eyes. "Oh, would you relax? I know what I'm doing. You're spoiling all my fun, you know."
☆~☆~☆ "That's treason talk, you know," Jupiter said mildly. "I could hang you for that."
Sol grabbed Parker’s arm and yanked him farther away from Jupiter. "You could, but you won't. There's no fun in it for you if you do it that way. So why don't you just admit defeat today, and try again next time? If I give you a next time."
Jupiter chuckled, sliding his hands in his pockets. "What makes you think I've lost? You're still on my turf, little sailor."
Sol didn't answer right away, just held up a gand to stall any comments from Parker. "Where are my dogs?" he asked suddenly.
If Jupiter was surprised by the change of subject, he didn't show it. "In the kennels, where they belong."
Sol's brow furrowed slightly but he said nothing more. "We're leaving now, Jupiter. Try to stop us, and you really will be the loser tonight."
Jupiter just waved him off, as it was his idea. Sol, with a firm hold on Parker, turned and walked away without a backward glance.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 4, 2024 17:59:18 GMT -5
Kyra was close to giving a snide remark, but she held in back. Morgan wasn't one for conflict, and she knew his question was possibly geared towards making her feel like she had some say in what went on. "Surveillance is something that should always be done first, even if you only have a couple of minutes to do it," she responded. "Only fools go in blind. A rare chance might happen where someone makes it out in one piece, but I've seen too many people not come back due to poor surveillance."
~*~*~*
Parker wasn't stupid enough to try and head back to Jupiter. Even if he did remember the layout of the castle, the likelihood of the prince staying in the same spot for that long was low. not to mention, Parker would be greatly outnumbered. So he walked along with Sol, following slightly behind as his anger simmered and stirred. Really, what else did he expect? He was a peasant walking into the home of kings. Even if he was dating a sibling of the royal prince, that wouldn't mean anything. Of course, things had went south. But to be humiliated and tested like that? And to not even be able to put Jupiter in his place himself wasn't helping matters either.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 5, 2024 12:37:47 GMT -5
Morgan rolled his eyes. "Not every mission is life and death, black and white. Personally, I saw everything I needed to from the hill."
☆~☆~☆ A few turns later, the faint sound of barking reached them. Shortly after that, the royal kennel came into view. With it, the sound of barking intensified. There were many different dogs yapping, but Sol could distinguish the panicked and furious barks of his own dogs among them. No doubt they were the reason the whole kennel was causing a ruckus. His pace picked up a tad.
Sol yanked the kennel door open. The barking became almost deafening, but it didn't drown out the piercing whistle he let loose upon stepping inside. Every single dog went silent.
Then there was a whine, and Apollo and Artemis pressed themselves up against the kennel gate keeping them from him. Sol crossed the distance to them in a few quick strides and reached for the latch. He froze upon seeing the padlock there. The kennel master and trainers didn't use locks, so this could only be Jupiter's handiwork. He likely had the only key, and was smugly awaiting Sol to come beg for it.
The lid he had been keeping on his temper slipped. With a soft snarl and a sound like crashing waves filling his head, Sol yanked at the padlock, his eyes flashing bright silver. The metal snapped like a twig. Unfazed, Sol threw the broken lock away and let his dogs out.
They slipped right out and circled him, brushing up against his legs. Ears low, tails wagging furiously, they looked both elated to see him and ashamed of themselves, as if they knew they'd failed and were begging forgiveness. Sol simply bent down and ran his hands gently but briskly over each dog, checking for injuries. Finding none, he gave them each a pat, murmured a quiet word, and waved them off.
Artemis just sat down beside him, but Apollo gave himself a vigorous shake, then trotted up to Parker, tail wagging and tongue lolling. He licked Parker’s hand and leaned his weight into his side.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 5, 2024 13:10:51 GMT -5
"No, but it's still good to know all you can in case you need it," Kyra replied, but left it at that. It wasn't her mission anyway. "What did you gather from the hill? Other than the layout of the surrounding lawn and gardens."
~*~*~*
Parker hadn't felt like talking on the way to the kennels. Instead, he had been planning to wait until they had the dogs back before suggesting that they just leave the castle. It was clear their presence was less than tolerated, and leaving early without proper goodbyes didn't seem like something that would bother either of them. However, even if he hadn't planned on waiting, the show of force Sol used when ripping the padlock from the gate would have silenced any comment he would have made. For a moment, his own anger and offense was put on pause as he took in what just happened. Sol was strong, that fact was common knowledge, but even he shouldn't have been able to remove a padlock like it was nothing more than paper. He has questions, but he wasn't about to ask them yet.
"What now?" Parker asked instead. His hand found the top of Apollo's head and welcomed the dog's comforting presence. Having his ears to scratch helped keep his hand busy if nothing else. "Will Jupiter try something else?"
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 8, 2024 20:32:48 GMT -5
"That may be, but for as much of an evil [w]itch she is, she's cunning too. So I still wouldn't rule it out completely. Genevieve herself might not have done anything, but you don't know if any of her supporters might be making friends and trying to win favor on their own," Kyra stated. But, Morgan was right. If it was a lost cause completely, then they wouldn't have been here in the first place. Still, better to keep the "could be" in mind, just in case something had slipped past their intel.
~*~*~
Parker met Sol's gaze evenly. Truthfully, it was a little late to try to hide his reaction from Jupiter. He spatted out treasonous words to his face after all. The likelihood of Jupiter believing that he was unfazed by the stunt was at an all-time low. "He deserves a lot more than just anger," he muttered as he fell into stop behind Sol once more.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 9, 2024 19:41:26 GMT -5
Morgan grinned, shrugging one shoulder. "I try."
The trees thinned, and then they stepped out into the field that separated them from Alfrick's estate. They were on the east side of the grounds, and would need to circle to the south if they wanted to enter through the front gate. There were no other entrances through the thick walls surrounding the main property.
Morgan stopped at the forest's edge and studied the wall for a minute. It was fifteen feet high, which made it taller than all the buildings save the mansion. There was a watchtower at every corner, though if there were watchmen in them, they would crouching below the guardrails. Morgan knew he could scale the wall, despite the smoothness of the stone, but...
"I think we should just go to the front gate and request an audience," he said.
☆~☆~☆ Just before they reached the dias, Sol spoke, keeping his voice pitched so only Parker could hear. "Ask Cleo to dance." Then, without waiting for a response, he stepped to the foot of the dias and bowed. "My queen. Could I trouble you for a dance?"
The queen beamed, the first genuinely happy expression she'd worn since their arrival. "I would be honored, my son." She stood, and Sol offered his hand as she stepped down. He didn't look at or acknowledge Jupiter, and the king was otherwise occupied and therefore did not need acknowledging.
"Apollo, Artemis, stay and watch the heir." Immediately the dogs sat and turned unwavering stares to Jupiter. His eyes narrowed, but Sol could tell he was working hard to remain still and not squirm under their focused gazes.
Hiding a smirk, Sol led the queen onto the dance floor.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 9, 2024 19:55:43 GMT -5
Scanning the outer walls of the property, Kyra was reaching the same conclusion. Had they been given time to prepare the supplies needed, scaling the wall wouldn't have been a challenge. However, they were here to speak and make friends with Alfrick, not break in. "The wisest idea I have heard from you today," Kyra agreed. "They'll more than likely spot us as we head to the gate, but that should mean less wait time for us. Alfrick will be aware and, hopefully, waiting to see us."
~*~*~
The request came from nowhere, and Parker only had a second to cast his lover a questioning glance. He wasn't entirely sure if him asking the princess to dance would work, but it certainly was the more pleasant option. So, pushing aside his hesitancy and doing his best to ignore Jupiter altogether, he approached Sol's younger sister. The smile he offered was not difficult to muster. "My Lady, would you humor me with a dance as well?" he asked, offering out a hand to Cleo.
He liked the twins, and not just because he himself was one. They, if no one else, didn't seem to mind his presence, and he thought he had gotten along well enough with Sol's sister to not feel completely embarrassed for attempting the offer. Whether she agreed or not, he was sure he might be able to spark enough of a conversation with her to keep him safe from any more surprises Jupiter might try to devise.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 9, 2024 21:13:09 GMT -5
While she knew Morgan could be trusted to get a job done, and done well, Kyra was put to ease a bit seeing his shift in behavior. Even though this was such a small mission, her nerves were on overdrive. Perhaps it was due to the fact that their bigger, more make or break mission was coming up soon. Or the knowledge that the war was about to be at their doorstep before they knew it. Either way, her humor and patience was growing thin, and the need to make sure things went as smoothly as possible was taking the reins.
Now, with Morgan seeming to be in the same mindset as her, if only by a fraction, she focused on the work ahead. Stealth she had gotten good at. Carefully, she placed her feet to make sure there was as little sound as possible. Even if they were not trying to be completely unseen, she moved as if the entirety of the castle was locked on their every move.
~*~*~
Parker did his best to mimic the way he had seen the men lead their ladies out onto the dance floor. While he at least knew how to dance a bit, he was more worried of at least looking the part rather than how he executed it. Had it been a random noble woman, he might not have cared too much, but this was the princess. She would be watched, and if he didn't show some kind of proper behavior, he was sure it would reflect negatively.
"You'll have to forgive me if my dancing isn't as polished as some of the others you've danced with tonight," Parker apologized as they reached the floor. "Forgive me if I had an extra step or two in. I'm used to a more lively music where I'm from."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 12, 2024 12:03:23 GMT -5
Kyra also noticed the lack of guards. While the mansion was in the middle of nowhere, for the most part anyway, she still expected to see at least one or two guards around the walls, or movement from the windows of the watchtowers. But everything about the place was calm and still. The open gates were just the cherry on top.
"You still thinking Genevieve might not have some influence here?" she whispered. Of course, this could be the work of anything, but she wasn't the one to write off any possible reason before proving which ones were wrong. "Either they're expecting our presence, which shouldn't be the case. We haven't sent any messengers to Alfrick. Or someone else has called a visit."
~*~*~
Parker smiled at that. "Well then, if there's ever a chance for it, I'd be honored to have a second dance to something much more entertaining," he offered. "Perhaps if you get a chance to visit Sol and I on the Comet."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 13, 2024 14:15:26 GMT -5
Morgan held up one hand to stall her plotting. "Maybe... not. Give me a minute." He stepped through the gate - the perfectly intact, undamaged gate - and into the front courtyard. There was no sign of damage here, either, no bodies or blood or abandoned weapons. If this place had been breached, surely there would have been some kind of fight. Yet there was absolutely no sign of one. Morgan walked further, casting his eyes around. The nearest building looked to be a guardhouse. He approached and looked through the front window to see an empty room - but it was clean, without even a trace of dust. Whatever happened, it wasn't that long ago.
He turned to face the courtyard again. In front of the gate was a fountain; to the right of the fountain was the guardhouse Morgan stood before, and to the left was what looked like a training field. Beyond the fountain was a wide cobbled path that led to the manor. Behind and to the right of the guardhouse was a stable, with pastures beyond. Morgan headed that way.
☆~☆~☆ Cleo shook her head, a rebellious light entering her eyes. "She's fond of keeping me in a cage, is what she is. She doesn't restrict Kylo like this. He could go visit Sol's ship if he wanted to, but he won't because I can't go too."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 13, 2024 20:35:25 GMT -5
Kyra tried to protest as Morgan went to enter the courtyard, but of course, it did nothing. He still went in, out in the open, and with no weapons drawn. But he had magic, she reminded herself. That might have been better than any weapon, but it didn't give her much ease at the moment. She gave him a few minutes, peeking inside to scan everything she could see from her vantage point outside the gate. When Morgan moved out of sight, she couldn't just stay behind. Magic or not, she didn't like the idea of him getting out of range of backup.
So as soon as Morgan made his way towards the pastures, Kyra, against her better judgement, followed. She didn't try to catch up to him. That wasn't the point. She wasn't going to interfere with whatever recon he was doing, but if he came across something and need her to join, she wasn't going to be that far away and waste time.
~*~*~
"I guess I can't blame her too much. If it was my daughter, I probably wouldn't let her go gallivanting off with pirates either," Parker said. Then had to chuckle and tilt his head in an abashed way. "Well, I would have at one time, but I guess I can't say that now considering I've gone and done the exact same thing."
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