the better part of valor is discretion.

former crown prince of bulgaria.

[akrasimirov]

jinmeixu:

“ oh!  i love that!  are you an animal lover as well?  i’m a zoologist! ”  she shakes her head,  waving both of her hands in indication that it’s nothing to apologize for.  “ oh,  it’s okay.  i’m just relieved we were able to intervene before it got any worse. ”  and she often wonders would this have been prevented if china had declared their support earlier.  she calls the waiter over,  asking to bring a glass of water for andrei.  “ let’s hope it remains over. ”  she forces a smile know it’s far from concluding.  “ did you want to order anything?  i think i’ll try the gyoza! ”

“really?” his smile broadened and excitement sparked in his eyes, and suddenly all else disappeared. “i’m studying zoology! i’m getting my dphil from oxford. i didn’t know anyone else here was interested in animals!” his fun facts had failed spectacularly in the past, so he’d sort of given up on finding anyone with shared interests. “what do you find most interesting? i like marine life most, but really all animals are fascinating.” he bit back a random fish fact and glanced down at his menu, a little startled to remember where they were. “oh, um –” he fidgeted, a little nervous. too much texture in his food had always thrown him off. “i think i’ll have that, too.” it seemed like a safe choice. it didn’t involve raw fish, at least.

[akrasimirov]

jinmeixu:

“ andrei! ”  she greets.  “ you’re not bothering me at all.  sit! ”  gesturing to the empty seat across from her.  she closes her laptop,  stowing it away in her bag.  she would welcome any sort of distraction.  “ that’s very kind of you.  i’m! ”  she takes a deep breath,  smiling.  “ i’m stressed! ”  she laughs.  “ but i suppose everyone is a bit stressed around here.  how are you?  was your flight from london okay? ” 

a smile appeared as he was invited to sit down, a prickle of warmth sparking through his gut when she remembered his name. he took the seat she’d gestured to and pulled his messenger bag into his lap, fiddling with one of the buckles. “it was good! i got some reading done. i’ve been reading a very fascinating book on whale migration.” he frowned. “i’m sorry about your stress. everything has been very... scary, lately.” his eyes fell down to the bag in his lap. he paused to un- and re-buckle one of the straps, and then felt ready to speak again. “i was very upset by what happened in belgium. i’m glad it’s over now.”

[akrasimirov]

ettoreeste:

“i did, multiple times.” first editions were their own reading experiences, and had ettore been a ‘one and done’ type of reader, he would’ve returned the book ages ago. “i’ll have valentina ship it over and let you know when it arrives.” he fixed himself a cup of tea with a single lemon slice, the warmth of the cup a welcome feeling. ettore should be used to responding with how he’s been, but most of the time he isn’t even sure himself. “i missed out on london… though i suppose i should call myself grateful. odd to think that man was ennio’s future in-law –– was it chaos?”

he nodded. “it’s very good." he’d read it four times, himself. “thank you. i sort of miss it.” he poured himself a glass of tea, dumped in as much honey as he could manage without overflowing the cup, and stirred it for a moment before taking a sip. “it was... bad.” he said. he shrugged. “they just kept us all in a room while they questioned people, and then they let us go. it was very nerve-wracking, but also interesting. like a real life agatha christie novel.” he paused, frowned. “not that – i shouldn’t make light of, it was – a man died. that was very unfortunate.”

[akrasimirov]

@jinmeixu​​

"hello,” he was feeling particularly sheepish as he approached her, his hands wringing in front of him. they didn’t know each other well, but after their time together in london, he thought maybe they could be called friends. “i just – i’m sorry to bother you, um. i saw you and i thought i would – i don’t know, i just – i just thought i would say hello. and ask how you’re doing.”

[akrasimirov]

@ettoreeste​

“did you ever read that first edition tolstoy i lent you?” he set a silver platter down on the coffee table in front of ettore – lemon slices, honey, and steaming herbal tea – before settling on the couch beside him. “i was sort of hoping for it back, if you’ve read it already. i’d like to read it again.” it was anna karenina, and he’d read it more times than he could count, but something about it never got old. “also, um... how have you been?”

[akrasimirov]

jinmeixu:

“ ah!  sorry!  forgot yawns are contagious. ”  blinking a few times to stray away the tears.  “ that’s fair!  i’m — i’m usually good with crowds,  but i’m not sure what to make of this event.  it feels…  haunting. ”  rubbing her arm,  looking to the sea of people standing around taking suspicious glances at the english royals.  “ should we make a little adventure out of it?  they didn’t exactly hand us a map of this place,  but they did allow us to freely roam the halls…  i’m sure the kitchens can’t be too far from here!  if anything,  we can uber eats starbucks as a last resort. ”

he shrugged; he was probably bound to wind up yawning at some point, anyway. "yes, it’s... everything feels sort of, um. off?” the party felt hollow, like they were all smiling but none of them wanted to be there. or maybe he was just projecting. “oh, that would be... fun.” it would be better than staying in the ballroom with all the people, anyway. he glanced toward the door but didn’t move towards it, waiting for her to take the lead. “we could see more of the palace, at least. did you know it was built in 1703? i did some research in preparation for the party.”

[akrasimirov]

@aminatamansaray​

once he’d checked on his sister and ensured that she was safe, he went off in search of aminata, still wishing all the while that mitko were here instead of him. it would be so wonderful to be in sofia right now, with his books and his fish and nothing else to worry over. and then he caught a flash of yellow fabric and moved toward it through the crowd, and there was his cousin. he nodded at her, tried to smile ( it didn’t work ). “hi,” he said. “i just wanted to check on you. you know, um, to see how you’re doing with all of this.” a pause. he normally found it relatively easy to talk to ami, but now... “so, um. how are you doing?”

[akrasimirov]

@nkrasimirova​

for a long moment, he felt sort of frozen. he stared at the place where the investigator had given the announcement, and then he raked his eyes over the crowd in search of his sister. his heart was pounding until he finally caught sight of her, and he nearly tripped over his own feet in the rush to get to her. “nika,” he said, once he was close enough. god, he wished mitko were here. mitko would know what to do. and then, in bulgarian so quiet and so rushed that only a native speaker would be able to make out the half of it: “are you alright? have you heard anything?”

[akrasimirov]

jinmeixu:

“ no,  no,  you’re fine!  you’re taking my mind off the fatigue. ”  smiling in assurance.  “ just — ”  hand guarding her mouth as she yawns.  “ i feel like i’m the only one that looks visibly tired!  do you think we can go to the kitchens and ask for coffee? ”  she shakes her head.  “ i don’t believe we’ve formally met before!  i’m meixu! ”  extending a hand.

“oh! um... okay. that’s good.” he was glad he hadn’t managed to put his foot in his mouth. not yet, at least. he watched her yawn and then, a moment later, reached up to cover a yawn of his own. “oh, i mean... i’m pretty sleepy? but i’m just, um, not very good with crowds like this.” he considered for a moment. “well, they must have coffee, right? every place has coffee. i bet we could track some down, probably.” he reached out to shake her hand, smiling. “i’m andrei.”

[akrasimirov]

jinmeixu:

“ am i the only one still jetlagged? ”

“no! i would venture that most, if not all, of the guests are still jetlagged. tokyo is a whole eight hours ahead of england, so it’s actually totally normal that the body takes several days to process the –” he paused, realized he was rambling, ducked his head. “sorry. you probably didn’t want all of the details. um... have we met?" he hoped not; he’d be forgetting her if they had.

[akrasimirov]

ioglucksburg:

“ did i not look healthy before? ”  she teases further.  “ summer classes,  huh…  —  i’m glad you have the luxury to spare time for classes and to…  get ahead of readings considering the circumstances. ”  couldn’t he do all that in bulgaria?  what did he need protecting from when his country is wreaking havoc in greece?  

“no! no, i – i mean, yes. you did, before. i just meant – i guess i didn’t really mean anything by it.” he was just trying to do what normal people did, and even in an attempt to follow the given social script, he’d fallen flat on his face. “oh, well, you know. it helps. it’s easier if i have something to focus on.” it was infinitely easier to read about whale evolution than to confront his father’s death. “you have to have some spare time, right? for hobbies? i’m sure i remember timka telling me about some of the things you enjoyed, back when –” shit. “well, um. anyway. i just mean that we all have things to help us cope.”

[akrasimirov]

mitkok:

he nodded, forcing himself to be interested in what his brother was saying. “i miss home, too.” even if he’d just been there, it felt different- tensions high and mitko being pulled in every direction for the time he was home. nothing of it reminisced of home. “yes, she’s… passionate about hating the greeks. a little overkill, but that’s aminata, i guess.” 

“already?” it was his closest approximation to brotherly teasing. “how were things at home, anyway? truthfully. is mom okay, with... everything? and timka?” truthfully, andrei was terrible at managing family obligations. he hid himself in his work and rarely checked in, forgot important dates, struggled to connect. but he still cared. “she has always been very... enthusiastic.”

[akrasimirov]

highnessaisling:

❝ The earthquake hit my family pretty hard. I have three injured people to sort of look after. ❞ Aisling was not a nurse however she could be helpful. She was trying her best to take care of Michael and the Whitmores. ❝ I was really scared about my brother. ❞ Between the concussion and all the fractures, she had had quite the fright. ❝ I hope he’ll be better sooner than later so we can go to a bar. ❞ Alcohol and medicine did not mix well. ❝ Is your family okay ? ❞ So many people had been hurt in Argentina. She had lost count. ❝ That’s interesting ! So you recommend a visit ? ❞ Perhaps she could go there sometime. ❝ Who is your cousin ? ❞ She wondered whether she knew her or not. ❝ And what did you learn ? ❞

“ah – i’m sorry to hear that.” what else could he say? he didn’t know anyone in her family. he barely knew her! “well, it’s – he’s okay, right? i saw, um... something about... something in dublin? pride? you know, the parade and... stuff.” he shrugged. “oh, bars are... that sounds fun, if it’s – if you like that sort of thing.” he, naturally, did not. “i do! they have some really interesting exhibits about plate tectonics and seismic activity. it was fascinating!” his grin faded a little. “oh, um – aminata mansaray? she’s the queen of sierra leone?”

[akrasimirov]

mitkok:​​

“how was the hiking trip?”  he greets his brother, only glancing up for a second. “you’re okay, right?” mitko asks, a hint of concern lacing his voice. “how’re you liking japan? did you like argentina?” he forces the small talk, better than discussing the war- explaining it over again. 

“um... good before the earthquake?” he shrugged. he’d seen plenty of interesting things, but the natural disaster had sort of taken the fun out of it. “i guess? i had a sprained ankle and some bruises, but nothing too serious.” he’d mostly patched himself up afterwards, not wanting to call attention over something so small. “it’s fine. i miss home, but... it’s nice to see new things. i went to a museum with aminata. have you talked to her since she arrived?”

[akrasimirov]

ioglucksburg:

she takes a step back,  avoiding being run in to — of course it’s mitko’s doormat.  “ be careful,  you might have caught me on a less forgiving day. ”  there’s a hint of playfulness in her tone,  just a hint.  her arms cross,  eyes narrow.  how incredibly bold of him to strike up casual conversation.  she wants to laugh,  her lips closed tight as she nods.  how is she?  he has no right to ask!  “ according to you i look well,  so i must be doing good.  and how are —”  she looks him up and down,  “ — you? ”

he cringed just a little, not really picking up on that bit of playfulness. “i didn’t – i’m sorry, it’s a terrible habit. the, um.... the reading. and the walking.” he had to stop doing those things at the same time. “oh, that’s – that’s not what i – i just meant that you, um. look nice. healthy, i mean, not –” stop talking, andrei. he took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment, shook his head. “i’m... okay, i guess. i was just studying, i’m taking some summer classes and i was trying to get ahead on the reading." clearly, he should’ve sat down to do so.

[akrasimirov]

@ioglucksburg​

“oh – sorry!” he had to stop walking and reading at the same time; it never ended well. he looked up, met the eyes of the person he’d almost run into, and felt his heart drop. of all the people he could’ve run into, why did it have to be timotei’s ex-fiancée? “io. um... hello. you, um – you look well. how are you?”

[akrasimirov]

highnessaisling:

❝ Yes we have. ❞ She smiled while he tried to remember who she was. Thankfully for him she was not easily offended. ❝ And you got it right ! Congratulations. ❞ She teased the prince. ❝ I’m good. Sort of a half time caretaker now. ❞ A self imposed mission. ❝ How about you ? ❞

“oh, good! um – that’s good. i’m very glad.” he had a horrible habit of forgetting important names, even among bulgarian nobility. foreign royalty was often completely beyond him, and he was sure that he’d offended more than his fair share by forgetting their names entirely. “oh? i’m sorry, um – i hope everything is alright.” people had been hurt in the earthquake, himself included, but a sprain and some cuts were nothing to make a fuss over. he didn’t want to draw attention. “oh, just... settling in. it’s very loud here. i went to the national museum of nature and science with my cousin, though! she’s just arrived to the program. the museum was wonderful, very informative. i even learned some new things!”