Eden Halsburg

Hard to please.

[edenisnotagarden]

bccbaldacchino​:

“Well, I offered him the towel from my stack that had been on top of the pile, so it hadn’t touched the floor, and I tried to run away from there as fast as I could. But it would still mean I would have to return with a fresh batch of towels for him. It’s not as if a face towel would be of much help for him,” Bee offered the princess a meaningful look as she said those words, almost as if she was uttering the sentence ‘if you know what I mean’.

The tonal shift when Bee spoke about towel size told Eden everything she didn’t need to know. She almost wished she hadn’t understood at all. It felt like an invasion of someone else’s privacy to know that. “Oh.” was all she managed to get out, blushing slightly as she tried to keep a calm expression and failed. 

[edenisnotagarden]

matthias-meijer​:

It was always a good idea to get in a quick workout before Matthias had to socialize, at least lately anyway. The endorphins he received during one as well as the aggression he got to work out helped immensely when he had to play nice with others so he had made sure to head to the gym before the latest event the castle was thrusting upon them. He was pretty much done after spending the last few minutes at the punching bag and had been removing the wraps from his hands when he turned and ran right into someone. “I’m totally fine. That was my bad, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” When he looked up and saw Eden, Matthias suddenly got a flashback of the last time he had seen her. The boats on Halloween when he had been completely drunk and more than angry could not have been pleasant for her and he felt his face flush. “I probably owe you an apology for more than just running into you, actually.”

Smiling at the sight of Matthias and that he clearly wasn’t upset about their literal run in, Eden smoothed her ponytail over her shoulder. “I don’t think I was paying much attention either.” She thought that perhaps if either of them had been they wouldn’t have collided like they had.  “An apology? For what?” Eyebrows raised slightly, her head cocked to the side as she wracked her brain for anything he’d ever done to her that would require one. He wasn’t the most talkative of her acquaintances in the castle and she had wondered if she perhaps annoyed him a bit, but he hadn’t ever offended her.

[edenisnotagarden]

auroracappelletti​:

“You have a talent for making people feel better about themselves,” she admits without thought. The small flush that comes to her cheeks is proof that Aurora had said something she did not intend to. “I just know I should have asked is all,” the Italian continues, “Normally I would before doing something like that- but the alcohol just got away from me- and you looked so beautiful- and I felt bold- and-” Aurora felt her thoughts slipping out so fast that she could hardly control them. Turning her back to the fellow princess, Aurora took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands. Get your shit together! Aurora scolds herself You aren’t even out to your family- you can’t let her know too much. What if- her mind begins to spiral with ‘what if’s’ of how horribly things could go. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Aurora runs her hands through her hair and shifts keeping her eyes off of the blonde, “I talk too much when I’m nervous,”

“Thank you.” The Austrian dipped her head slightly as she took the compliment. There were few things in life that Eden liked more than knowing she had made people feel good. Wait. She thought I looked beautiful? An unconscious smile crept across Eden’s face at hearing that. She was fairly certain she hadn’t been dressing for anyone but herself, still it meant a lot coming from someone who was so lovely herself. The knots in her stomach felt like tightly coiled snakes and buzzing little bees all at the same time. “You don’t need to be nervous,” it was hypocritical, when Eden herself was also so nervous, “We’ve know each other for years, and I would never hold this against you. You know that, right?” She still felt a slight urge to run away, but she really didn’t want to upset Aurora further or make her feel worse than she already did.

[edenisnotagarden]

oleanderxhawthorne​:

“Thank you,“ he offered as a response, continuing the work until he was finishing up. “What do you think?” he asked, making sure she’d approve before she left with the arrangement, however the phone began to ring, and though at first he was going to ignore it, he thought better of it. “I’ll just put this on your tab. You can come back by any time to pay,“ he explained before pulling the phone to his ear.

END

[edenisnotagarden]

magdalenavari​:

“Only when it’s sub-arctic temperature outside,” Lena replied, somewhat sheepishly. “So, lately, yes, I suppose I have been here a lot. It keeps me busy when I start to go stir crazy here.” She looked at Eden, taking in the immaculate workout clothes. “What about you?”

Even the mention of sub-artic temperatures made her shiver slightly, despite being safely inside. “No, not really. I went a few times, back home, but I thought it might be nice to try to...” she trailed off when she realized she didn’t have an exact purpose behind her visit, “Just that it would give me something to do.”

[edenisnotagarden]

crownprincexvalentin​:

“Yep,” he answered, fast, way too fast. The question about him muddying up the carpets made him slowly shake his head. “Nope. Just a random thought I had,” he admitted. “I was wondering if I can take you down to the village?” Val asked, thinking of something so simple to do, to spend time with his sister. “Then we can go and, um, do whatever you want for the night? Even if its just eating ch-cookies!” he blurted out instead. “Lots and lots of cookies.”

The princess raised an eyebrow at her brother. He was acting unusual, even for him. “You want to go out tonight and eat cookies?” She was now watching Valentine’s moves very closely. Was he okay? “That’s not exactly a thing people do. You okay, V?”

[edenisnotagarden]

giodmarco​:

Amused by her reaction, Gio took another bite of his food before shaking his head at the blonde. “I know it’s a little strange but it’s just something that I need to do.” It helped him think. Most of the time he was able to clear his head and focus on what he needed to when he had the opportunity to sweat. “What do you like to do to stay in shape?”

Eyes lingering on her, he felt a grin pulling at his lips after her mumbled words. He couldn’t make out what she had said but he was sure she was most likely getting annoyed or embarrassed. Which, for some reason, made him want to keep going. “I didn’t quite catch that, gorgeous. I was too enraptured by your lips. Mind saying that again?” The food was almost forgotten, and she now had his full attention. It didn’t help him understand her words though. “Time soup? Like…all mixed together?”

Eden was far from understanding why anyone would run around in the snowy landscape, but she gave him an understanding nod anyway. “Well, I do some yoga, but I had just gotten a personal gym trainer back home before I came here.” She didn’t want to admit that she had no idea how exactly to work out on her own. She barely even remembered the moves she’d been taught or what muscles they were supposed to engage.

While the princess didn’t mind him looking at her, even him watching her lips closely, she felt a bit self conscious over her ridiculous choice of words now that he’d drawn attention to them. She gave him a slight shrug. “I guess it’s mixed together. It’s also as if time is floating around without rhyme or reason. Does that make any sense?”

[edenisnotagarden]

oleanderxhawthorne​:

“It’s nice to have her around during down times. Makes things not so dull,“ he admitted. “Even if she’s a demon most days,“ he joked. His hands continued to place flower after flower in the vase, slowly the arrangement becoming more full and colorful to compliment the red and yellow of the roses and sunflowers. He then glanced up at her. “No, I think the goat is smart enough to know when to stop eating, so I’m sure it will be fine,“ he offered, though really he was much like her with near zero knowledge of the animal, but expected it to be smart enough.

Even though Eden had come across siblings that didn’t get on as well as she did with hers, it still surprised her when one would talk about another like that. She tilted her head to the side, but other than that she didn’t comment. When he looked over towards her she smiled and gave a nod. “I think so. And it’s coming along lovely. I can’t wait to put it on display.” There was something so charming and special about fresh flowers, wasn’t there?

[edenisnotagarden]

margaritaxromanova​:

“Oh, well-” Maggie pulled herself together, even if it was a struggle to not prejudge and set expectations for every conversation she was bound to have here. “Thank you. I put on whatever I could find- literally, because I still haven’t unpacked everything. My bedroom’s just a maze made out of boxes.” Margarita continued to joke, maybe going over the top a little bit, before she finally took a deep breath. It didn’t seem like Eden was judging her, and it was a relief on its own. “Your outfit’s absolutely lovely too. How do you manage to stay in style when we’re locked away from the rest of the world?”

The blonde gave a gentle nod, trying to kindly convey that she understood the struggle that must be, even if she didn’t fully. "Well, you look nice, just the same.” While Eden wasn’t one to pay much mind to gossip, she had obviously overheard some about Margarita’s situation. She wasn’t sure what the proper etiquette was, but treating her acquaintance just the same as she always had seemed best. “Thank you. I’ve had a few things flown in, but mostly snacks and decor, not much in the way of clothes. However, I did discover a lovely little store in town with a talented seamstress and I've made myself quite well known there.”

[edenisnotagarden]

magdalenavari​:

Though she was longing for her usual long outdoor runs, using the treadmills in the gym would have to be good enough for now. The Russian winter was unforgiving- Hungary got snow, but nothing like here. And though she tried to use the gym when it was likely to be empty, since she’d rather die than have someone see her exercise in tight clothing, she hadn’t had much luck in that department recently. Today was no exception, and she was taken by surprise when someone walked into her on her way to the treadmill. She let out an involuntary sound, a pain response, but quickly gathered her composure. “Sorry, I’m fine! Are you alright?” 

Eden nodded, trying to keep her composure even though she felt rather silly even being at the gym, let alone running into people while there. This was supposed to boost her mood, but here she was feeling worse than when she set out from her room. At least she was confident she hid that very well. “Quite alright. I think that may have been my fault. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Magdalena. Do you come around the gym often?”

[edenisnotagarden]

lillianaxcarlisle​:

“Oh hey!’ her smile had gotten bigger after she dropped her chip. She looked at the coat she was wearing and grinned. “Nice,” she said, nodding. “I know-I normally don’t show up at these functions, but with booze and cheese, what kind of a girl turns it down, you know?” Lilliana said with a tiny laugh. “And I have to say, you make that jacket look good.”

Eden tilted her head to the side slightly while enjoying being appreciated even if it was just for her outfit. “If you like the spread here you should come to one of their bigger events they put on. The food is almost sinful.” She gave a cheeky wink, possibly feeling looser after a few glasses of wine. “I appreciate the compliment, even if most of the work is your own.”

[edenisnotagarden]

sahir-al-nahyan​:

It was rare that someone stopped by his room unexpected. Most of his close friends knew the best way to get his attention was via text message or call. Which usually meant the door was saved for urgent matters and staff. 

Unable to pull himself too far from his work he left the desk with printout in hard, continuing to read as he made his way across the room and opened the door. in fact, it wasn’t until the words were fired at him that he even looked up to see who it was. Brows raised he moved back instinctively from the surprise. Eden was the last person he’d expected to see and for the first time in a very long time Sahir was knocked off his game. “I, uh-,” he stammered, his mind racing to come up with an answer that he deemed acceptable. “It was a Christmas present, I thought I remembered that you celebrated the holiday.” His words were rushed as he did his best to get them out clearly. Sahir was smart enough to know that she wasn’t looking for the literal answer to her question, but what else was he supposed to say? I knew you were here and I missed you , but not enough to pony up and actually talk to you I guess. So I hid my feelings behind extravagant gestures and am now pretending everything is fine, as per usual. No, no, that would never work. 

There was a small part of the princess that was amused by Sahir’s slight recoil. She wanted him to have a taste of how unsettled she felt. If that wasn’t enough he then stuttered and it took a great deal of effort not to let herself smile. The joy was short lived though, as his answer was useless in understanding his motives. Of course she celebrated Christmas! Eden celebrated just about any holiday with near reckless passion, but that didn’t mean it was appropriate for her ex to send her gifts on those holidays. “I don’t know what my holiday habits have to do with you giving me jewelry. I assumed presents from you were a thing of the past when you convinced my parents we weren’t a good match.” She was just barely able to keep herself from telling him it was unfair to break someone’s heart then give them a beautiful necklace that would be too painful to actually wear. He had to know that. When she spoke again, a hint of anger slipped into her words that was closer to what she’d intended the entire walk from her room. “What were you trying to accomplish with this?” She let her eyes take a long look at the shining blue stone before she lower the hand that held it to her side and met Sahir’s eyes. She wasn’t going to forget everything that happened because of a shiny bauble.

[edenisnotagarden]

bloodyallore​:

Valentines was not a holiday that Allore really cared for being ace/aro herself, however it didn’t bother her that so many people took it to far. It was their choice, so when a wine and cheese tasting that was themed as speed dating, it wasn’t at first an interest to the princess. However after thought and the idea of meeting more royals and wine changed her mind. And here she was in a sweet pink jacket to keep warm and look the part of her position. Smiling at the person she hit her head lightly. “Ah, the wine is making my head a bit fuzzy, maybe I should have had some more cheese.” She laughed speaking to the person nearest her in-between bells.

There was something about a room adorned with red and pink decorations and more love hearts than could easily be counted that had Eden feel cheerful. She was single, but she just loved love. She was wearing a pale pink slip dress and it was clear to anyone who knew about hair and makeup that she’d spent a fair amount of time getting ready. She smiled back at a woman she thought she recognized. “Would you like me to go get you some? And maybe some bread too?”

[edenisnotagarden]

pimchaiket​:

“Oh, well it’s probably a good thing I’m not one for tradition then,” Pim stated as she let her arms drop. She always enjoyed bumping into Eden, despite the fact that she had a little more in common with Valentin. But the blonde was always welcoming, just like she was being so now. “Have you tried any of the cheese?” 

Eden nodded then pushed a perfect curl of hair back from her face. The princess had used this event as an excuse to get all dolled up with carefully curled hair, elaborate makeup, and a blush slip dress. “I have. I’ve been slowly making my way through them. I wasn’t exactly expecting this big of a spread. Did you see that they have three or four types of goat cheese?”

[edenisnotagarden]

lillianaxcarlisle​:

“Okay, seriously-wine and cheese? To talk? Whatever happened to cheese dip and booze?” Lilliana scoffed at the cheese boards and the wine, but she picked up the wine class and piled her little plate of cheese up before going to the table. She picked out a very beautiful dress she made herself, complete with some boots she thought would look nice in, and find a place to sit down. “Alright, first person, come on down and get to know me,” she mumbled.

Eden was looking forward to all the small talk this event was bound to amount to. This kind of thing is where she shined, so with a full glass of wine she sat down in front of a pretty brunette and smiled. It was only a second or so before she recognized the woman sitting opposite her. “Oh, hello! I’m absolutely loving my new coat. What a lovely surprise to meet you here.”

[edenisnotagarden]

crowncelina​:

Celina had never really been good at social events. At the very least, she wasn’t the one hosting, so she could be out amongst the people and still somehow end up at a table on her own. She had filled her plate to the brim with cheese and bread, entertaining herself by stacking the cheese up into a little tower. When the bell chimed, it startled her, causing her to accidentally knock over her mini tower. Her hand reached out instinctively to prevent her wine glass from meeting the same end. “Maybe I should be cut off from the wine already…” she chuckled offhandedly.

Just passing by as Celina reached for her glass, Eden instinctually lurched forward to help, but quickly realized her help was not needed. “Or perhaps you’d be better off with those stemless wine glasses.” It was just a friendly suggestion as Eden herself preferred that style, especially when seated at a table. “Is this seat taken?” She gestured towards an empty chair with her own wine glass carefully as it was quite full.

[edenisnotagarden]

pimchaiket​:

Valentine’s day wasn’t a usual celebration for Pim, she had given up on giving cards or sweets out to anyone outside of her circle of friends as a kid after all the boys simply laughed at her. But the castle wasn’t Thailand and so she was embracing the events arranged by the castle. Sitting down at a table dead on 12:30 she quickly raised her hands above her head in the shape of a heart and someone approached. “This is the proper way to start this off, right?” 

There was just something about celebrating love that appealed to Eden even if she wasn’t romantically involved with anyone at the moment. That didn’t matter. Love wasn’t just something only to be saved for romance. Eden was just heading towards a table, contemplating types of love when she saw Pim sit down and raise up her arms. “I’m not sure it’s the traditional way to start something like this, but I love the way you think.” She sat down next to the other royal, a wide grin on her face.