iโm picking the restaurant this time. (from nicholas / modern verse to any of your highest muses.)
prompts for pre-established connections | accepting !
๐๐ด๐
๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฝ'๐ ๐ฑ๐๐พ๐ ๐ป๐ธ๐ต๐๐ด๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ท๐ด ๐ณ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ , his chair angled just so as though this were a matter of state rather than a simple dinner . โ oh , YOU are choosing this time , are you ? โ the words were light enough to be teasing , yet carried the kind of scrutiny that had once been reserved for ministers and dignitaries .
โ last time i allowed it , โ he went on , the corner of his mouth curving with mock disdain , โ i spent THREE HOURS trapped at a table with a circle of foreign officials debating yacht etiquette while you somehow managed to disappear entirely . โ his tone sharpened at the memory , though the glint of amusement in his eyes betrayed the act . โ i am still recovering from the trauma . โ
he fell quiet after that , though not without a certain weight to the silence . once , his voice had filled banquet halls and balconies , each word dissected by an audience eager to judge or obey . now , here with nicholas , it was just the two of them and the simple relief of speaking freely . it was a small thing , but one zevian valued more than he would ever say aloud .
โ very well , โ he said at last , his breath slipping out in something almost like a sigh . โ i will follow your lead tonight , but only because i am feeling charitable . โ a faint , knowing smirk followed . โ you may consider it an act of diplomacy โ
