the lines got easier to cross

calix vasilikós, the prince of greece. 30.

[cvllix]

“ you’re going to kaliningrad. ” it’s no way to start a normal conversation but then again, the conversations they have are never too mundane. “ should i be worried ? ” for her. for whatever plan she had in mind. ( @elysefz )

[cvllix]

“ i think it’s unfair that you got off without major injuries even though you were bigger a risk than i am. ” he gestures towards the yellow tinted skin around his eye. the reminder of the black eye he had sported a few weeks ago. “ how the hell did you find a gun ? ” ( @vnncli )

[cvllix]

“ so how’s your vacation going ? ” such a nice and breezy question --- only delivered in a dry and unfriendly tone. he had had to work his ass off to sort out the situation in greece while the king --- he wanted to laugh --- had been looking after the little princess. ( @andresmxncada )

[cvllix]

elysefz:

She actually had to smile at that, “I try not to make it a habit of struggling against large men.” She replied deadpan, somewhere between a joke, a double entendre, and a plan. She looked at his arm, she wanted to reach out and check the wound, to tend to it even if she had no idea how to do so. She sat up more and moved closer so that their legs and shoulders at least touched, her eyes focused on his lips once more before moving to his face. “I am afraid and angry and tired. It is simply difficult to be all those things at once. I have not seen any of my friends yet and I worry about them.” Elyse looked up at his face, she wanted to know if he was truly glad to see her.  “But I am glad to see you.” 

“ good, then i can sleep well, ” calix replied, already feeling a bit better with her around. at ease. he studied her face from the corner of his eye but kept his face directed at the door. he wasn’t sure what or who he was waiting for. “ three of the worst things to be, i’m realizing that right now. ” because what was he if not afraid, angry and tired ? “ i’m glad to see you too. ” he paused for a short moment. “ and that you’re unharmed. ”

[elysefz]

@cvllix The man who moved Elyse to a new room was Russian or at least he spoke Russian and Elyse was just pissed off enough to spit in his face when he tried to get her to sit. “Arsch mit ohren! Don’t touch me, Moskal!” She got a slap and shoved to the ground for her troubles. She laid on her back for a moment, catching her breath before looking up and first seeing lips and then cheeks and then eyes. Calix. She was both delighted and embarrassed, they hadn’t spoken since she kissed him. “I… How are you?” She asked, all her wit seeming to leave her. “You’re…hurt.” 

[cvllix]

she surely knew how to make an entrance. he was genuinely surprised at the good condition she was in. clearly the men who had dealt with her had had more sympathy for her than his had had for him. an amused albeit weak smirk ghosted on his lips as she watched her. “ i’m hurt, yes, ” he replied after a moment of silence. he sounded exhausted. this wasn’t what he had had in mind for their next meeting. he had thought about many many things about them but those question seemed trivial considering the situation they were in. “ a word of an advice: when you try to struggle against big men, make sure you keep your arm far away from all sharp objects. “ he looked at her more, studying every detail of her just in case he had missed something. “ you’re not afraid. ” she didn’t seem like it at least.

[mchaeleicn]

Group 4; @cvllix @dvrcv @katvlina @duchessbianca @jeunghansol @cdoeb @vermilion-king @yi-haekyung

Michael had struggled the entire way. They were separating him from Shea and he was not having any of it. However, he was also aware that they weren’t be opposed to hurt him, so he quieted finally once he was on the floor. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and considered the situation they were in now. This was bad. This was the risk of keeping all of the important people in one place. “Is everyone okay? Any injuries?” He asked after what felt like forever, voice quiet but loud enough for everyone in captivity to hear. “If you need something, we’ll find a way to get it.” 

[cvllix]

“ i need bandages, but i really doubt you’ll be able to get me any, ” calix told the prince in a grim tone. he held his shirt against the cut on his arm --- it wouldn’t take too long until the hem of the shirt would be died red. “ just sit your ass down and do as you’re told, ” he grumbled. he knew michael only meant well but his pure naivety irritated him. and the night was turning into one of his worsts.

[cvllix]

jvhcnne:

the  danish  queen  softens.  sometimes  it’s  important  to  maintain  what  the  royal  code  stipulates  before  believing  what  she  wants  to.  INSTINCT  ought  to  be  trusted,  but  people  have  been  wrong  before.  she  won’t  err  on  the  side  of  caution — not  now,  not  with  this.  slender  digits  reach  to  cover  his  hand  with  a  gentle  squeeze.   ❛  of  course.  ❜   she  withdraws  and  pours  them  both  the  cognac  that   rests  on  the  tray  next  to  them.   ❛   how  far  ahead  have  you  thought  this  through?  getting  the  regency  transferred  to  yourself  will  be  a  challenge  in  itself,  but  if  and  when  it  does,  what  happens?   will  you  still  have  andrés  in  your  court,  still  in  leda’s  life?  or  exile? ❜  

he believes in the cause, he believes in everything he says: andrés is nothing but bad news for calix’s country. but the minute he starts scheming against anyone, even andrés, he feels a bit uncomfortable. not uncomfortable enough to stop whatever he was doing but uncomfortable enough keep him from feeling very passionate about it. “ i haven’t thought this through, ” he admits --- there’s no lying to johanne glücksburg. “ after the catalonia thing it’s... i don’t think i can just let him hold that much power over greece. ” he lets out a sigh and picks up a glass. it’s easier to keep his eyes trained on it than on the queen. “ i think that’d be too cruel, after maia... i think she needs stability. i don’t think andrés would be stupid enough to try to reclaim the regency. ”

[cvllix]

elysefz:

“Something like that,” she said with a smile. She pulled her hand away from his and started walking. She wondered what she would do once they were truly alone. Was there anything to do but kiss him? But what then? She sighed out loud. When they reached the beach and Elyse knew they were truly alone, hidden behind an outcrop of rocks she turned to Calix. “If I were to do something foolish right now, say kiss you, would that be alright?” She asked this calmly like she was asking for the time but her eyes twinkled. 

“ and they say romance is dead. ” he let the words slip past his lips before he had time to reconsider them. he looked at her lips for a brief moment before looking up into her eyes. “ it’d be alright, ” he replied with a nod, softly gripping her by the waist. he leaned forward, not towards her lips but to whisper into her ear. “ but just remember actions have consequences ”  

[cvllix]

elysefz:

Elyse wondered exactly what it would do to them if she kissed him. Could she step back from this? It was hard to know with this man when usually she was so good at keeping things short and uninvolved. Her hand traveled down his chest to his arm and then his inner wrist, she left her fingers hover there. “Walk with me then,” there was an empty beach not far from them, at the very least she would like to be alone. 

he couldn’t help but to smile: they were so predictable it was almost amusing. he enjoyed her soft touch but it only made him more convinced that he would not make the first move. she seemed to be confident, there shouldn’t have been anything stopping her. “ sure why not. ” perhaps a little space could only do them good. he should have had bigger things on his mind than one terribly tantalizing duchess. “ already made it your favourite spot ? ”

[cvllix]

jvhcnne:

for  a  moment  she  gazes  back  at  him  unflinchingly.   it’s   unclear  if  it’s  WARNING  seated  in  the  coal-depths  of  her  eyes,  or  INTRIGUE.  fact  gleaned  from  this,  is  it’s  a  wonder  to  her  how  she  hadn’t  already  seen  this  coming.  how  she  hasn’t  already  considered  the  implications.  she’s  known  greece’s  situation  —  it’d  been  her  BUSINESS  to  know,  not  just  in  work,  but  on  a  personal  capacity,  the  tragedy  of  it   had  rocked  their  whole  family.   ❛  the  THRONE,  or  the  regency?  i  want  to  be  clear  of  what  exactly  you’re  saying  you  want  to  take  from  whom.   ❜   usurping  of  power  is  categorically  a  BLOODY  conquest  whether  the  notion  is  literal  or  metaphorical.  she  knows  how  her   husband  would  react,  even  though  he’s  the  calmer  one  of  the  two,  he’d  jump  to  conclusions  VERY  quickly  where  leda  was  concerned.   it’s  upto  her   to  think  ahead  -   give  calix  a  chance  to  elaborate.  the  subtle  REMINDER  in  her   words  won’t  hurt  as  well.

a more solemn look made its way onto his way. he was often told that his casual attitude did him more harm than good, especially when it came to politics. the dead serious tone the queen was using reminded him that he would have to learn to watch his tongue in a completely different way than before. “ you’re asking if i plan to steal my niece’s birthright. ” he knew what it looked like and he knew he shouldn’t have taken it personally but he liked to consider himself as a good person, not as a person who plotted against toddlers. “ the regency. i misspoke. andrés isn’t fit to be a ruler. ” never was. “ he has already caused too much damage, i don’t think greece can handle many more misconducts from him. ”

[cvllix]

elysefz:

Elyse had to laugh, “I can assure you, there is an entire rugby team which rather I didn’t play the games I did. They would have more championships had I not.” She grinned back, on an impulse she straightened the collar of Calix’s shirt and her hand stayed there on his chest. She wished she knew if she could take this further or not. On one hand, she liked him. On the other, he was a prince from another alliance. She wanted to touch more than anything. “Perhaps afraid is not the right word.”

in a way there was absolutely nothing stopping him from leaning down and whispering something into her ear. the problem was that once you crossed a line, once you said something that changed the status quo, there was no coming back. he wasn’t sure if it’d be fair of him to do that to them. now that he’d be seeing more of her, he was sure he’d get an answer at one point. “ you’ll have to prove it. ”

[solaire-ment-deactivated2018090]

[cvllix]

jvhcnne:

supple lips spread in a weary, PERFUNCTORY smile, a self-affirming hum low in her throat. ❛  mm…  such sweet words from a noble.  ❜  family pleasantry would only last so long in circles such as theirs. she’s been expecting this. ❛  plans. surely you’re not going into public policy in the mediterranean. you know as well as any i don’t pay attention to rumours.  ❜  fingers sweep dark tresses off her shoulder as she turns away from him to seat herself, hands folding neatly over regally crossed knees. ❛  go on, i’m listening.  ❜

“ sweet or just truthful ? ” his problem was that he didn’t know how to tone it down. it was easy to come up with cheap lines, the real challenge was finding the right words for each situation. every now and then he wondered if the debonair air was only a carefully crafted facade or if it was really possible for people, such as queen johanne, to truly be so perfect. “ news are just rumours at first, ” he pointed out and followed her lead and sat down. “ i want the throne. ” there was no sugarcoating it. she wanted the truth, he wanted to get to the point. “ andrés is a joke that is my unbiased opinion on him. my biased opinion is not one i’d dare to voice in your presence. ”

[cvllix]

elysefz:

Elyse straightened her shoulders as she lowered her hand and Calix took a step closer to her. She wondered for a moment what it would have been like to meet this man as normal people while she was on vacation in Greece. It made her smile a little. “No, not a challenge. I’m quite sure that in a challenge like that, you would win.” She looked up at him, eyes bright. 

he still hadn’t decided if their little game was something he loved or something that just got him frustrated. he liked when she paid him attention, made a move but then she’d pull back a bit and create distance. it was part of the fun but it was also the part that left him without a reward every single time. “ ah i see... ” he tilted his head and couldn’t keep a grin off his face. “ so you’re just too afraid to take part. i’m sure your university would be disappointed in you. ” 

[cvllix]

sergiodarago:

“It was but I recovered quickly and have been trying to change those conditions ever since.” it was only funny because he knew Calix was aware everything he said so far was bullshit. “The line separating them is way too thin.” or at least he believed so but if there was something the duke knew it was that most people didn’t share the same beliefs as he did. “Have you heard Leda speaking Catalan yet? I’ve been teaching her and it’s adorable.” on the contrary of anything else he said so far Sérgio actually meant those words. His goddaughter being one of the few things he would never use as a tool to get to someone else.

“ don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t confident. ” he wondered how much of the statement was a joke and if there was just a tiny seed of truth. calix had had time to follow sérgio’s life for quite some time and it seemed like he enjoyed attention and the glory that came with it. in his own funny way at least. he liked to be the topic of discussions. “ now she’s learning catalan too ? ” calix asked, her jaw tensing. there was nothing wrong with the teaching part, the language just represented something --- someone --- he would have preferred to forget. “ she should learn to speak greek properly before she picks up another language. ”

[cvllix]

elysefz:

Elyse stifled a laugh but was unable to keep the smile off her face. “I see, I am sorry to hear you can’t seem to get along with your own family. Next time it gets physical just tell him not to aim for your face. I would hate to see these cheekbones bruised.” She dared to reach up and brush her fingertips over one cheek. “I don’t know if you can handle my type of scandal, your highness. I was rather infamous back at university.” 

“ let’s... let’s not give him too much credit, he isn’t part of my family. ” not since maia wasn’t there to bind them together. he knew he couldn’t just erase the connection to the man, not when calix’s niece existed, but he could always exaggerate his distance from the catalonian. his grin grew wider at her delicate touch: she was feeling a little friskier than usual. he took a tentative step closer to her and tilted his head slightly. “ is that a challenge, your grace ? ”

[jvhcnne-deactivated20191005]

❛  how long has it been?  ❜     the embrace is graceful as are the feather touches of her fingertips.   ❛  exercise has done you well, i must say — stronger than i last saw you — or perhaps this old woman’s memory is waning.   ❜   she’ll offer a coy smile despite the tiredness in her eyes.  ( @cvllix )

[cvllix]

“ i think we can both agree that the answer is too long. ” there were people he preferred to have on his side and there were people who he just had to have on his side, johanne glücksburg belonged to the latter group. he had never been so glad about his mother’s family. “ don’t worry, you can still trust your eyes and memory --- you’re sharper now than most people are ever. ” flattering got you just about anywhere. he wished it would have been enough to impress the queen. “ though i don’t know how long i’ll stay in this shape: i have some big plans coming up and if the rumours are true, i’ll be sitting in a chair by a desk most of my time. ”