when: early evening
where: somewhat deserted hallway in the fortress
who: open
She’d always been curious. Greer would like to have said adventurous, but that would be a stretch even for her. Either way, the princess had a tendency to wander. Maybe it was habit from formative years following Duncan around various castles and estates as he explored - a wish to be more like him. Lately, it was far more likely that the princess was seeking out solitude, a place to hide from the crowds and eyes and fear. She had a book with her, some first edition of Scottish folktales she’d somehow convinced the Royal Archivist back in Edinburgh to part with, and had spent a fair amount of time searching for the perfect window nook - secluded, but where she could still see the sky.
Only now, Greer was hopelessly lost.
The princess had refused to admit this for quite some time, continuing on in her wandering and occasionally stopping to read a few pages. But the windows were now dark and the chill that crept along the glass too sharp to ignore. Greer felt the first echos of panic - the tension in her jaw, tightness in her chest, the way her skin seemed to prickle and crawl as if it were a rubber band stretched too far. She stopped, leaning back against a wall and closed her eyes. Nails digging half moons into her palms, she took several shaky breaths before realizing she wasn’t alone.
“Hello?” A hint of panic to her voice before she relented, no one who didn’t belong here could get in, right? “Forgive me, I got a bit lost. I haven’t been here long.”
Casper had been working a job at the opposite end of the castle to where the maintenance office and main hub of activity had been. One of the royals who had asked for their new room to be placed away from others, which he really didn’t get. But it seemed for the royals here, like everywhere, it was ask and ye shall receive. It hadn’t taken too long at all to fix the squeaky hinge on the door, which he was grateful for as it was the last job of the day.
Heading in what he thought was the right direction to make it back to his quarters he whistled as he walked, not paying attention in the slightest to where his feet were actually taking him. He figured that he was getting closer when he spied the figure ahead of him, though as he got closer he grew a little concerned with her pose, pressed against the wall with her eyes closed. That was until she noticed him.
“Oh, hello. That’s okay, neither have I. I can take you where you’re wanting to go,” he answered, looking around himself and not letting his attempt at a friendly smile falter when he realised he actually had no idea where they were.