flesh-toned organza clinging to ivory skin whilst a mélange of intricately embroidered white-tail doves and flowers conceal her femininity. take a gander at the way the diaphanous fabric constricts around her curves, lilac waterfalls of tassel adorning her shoulders and hips. they shimmer and shift ethereally as the brunette navigates her way through passageways, her clandestine reconnaissance foiled by the din her heels make as they meet the marbled floor in musical succession.
and what an occasion to be chasing apparitions around the whiteface palace?
away from the whirl and eddy of bodies celebrating the anniversary of the late queen’s demise, inna finds repose in purpose. hers being an acquisition of a rare foreign wine she’s sure is waiting for her in the palace kitchens. why, she fails to fathom, should she toast with the same wine they continuously offer up on lesser occasions. queen areum, she dares to ponder, is most deserving of something full-bodied and with an otherworldly finish.
so, where did they hide it?
the conundrum only becomes closer to being solved the deeper she falls down alice’s rabbit hole. soon, the scent of freshly prepared food permeates the space that surrounds her and as if a spectral finger beckons her forward, she adheres, advancing forward into the unknown.
would she be reprimanded for trespassing? would they escort her promptly back up to the ball, thrust her into some lord’s arms where he’ll whisk her round and round and round until she no longer could process a thing? and would he taste the fermented grapes on her wine-stained lips after he leans in for a kiss?
these are the thoughts that taunt inna, picking apart her conviction, though, they soon fade into the backdrop of cacophony and chaos that envelops the kitchens as she approaches it. one by one, red-blooded and wary, they set their eyes on her as they hustle and bustle about. but no one dares to let their gaze linger, for she is a silver, after all. all questions remain mute, lost in glances brimming with mystification at her presence but she is no stranger to a searching eye. she welcomes them to look, challenges them to speak out on her appearance. the amount of lethal weapons at her disposal were not far few between and oh, how easy it would be to pluck out each and every one of their eyes with simple kitchen paraphernalia.
would you like to find out the dangers of a spoon?
towards a far corner, she glimpses upon a set of stairs that lead downwards. striding past the red kind, she makes her way down into what is dark and damp. inna did not entertain the tales of ghouls that season the stories from her childhood, she did not fear ghosts, her milk did not curdle at the mention of a Hell. so, it is no wonder why her eyes only sparkle in the semi-darkness that engulfs her as she finds what she has been looking for. barrels upon barrels line the walls, the scent of alcohol mingling that with the baked goods from the upper level.
she almost pats herself on the back in sheer triumph but her feat is far from over. inna nears a barrel, running her fingertips along the aged wood then the cool metal of the band. any of these barrels could be host to finest wine on this earth, but how was she to know? for now, she opts to denote the quality over names that did not hit home with her. perhaps, once she has gotten to drinking one, the quality would cease to matter.
these sorts of events only really meant one thing for him, and that thing was just more work to do. of course, it was an important occasion, the death of the queen was still something a lot of people were upset about. she was going to make things better for reds so they could be united. but that just sounded like fantasy for him, all he had ever known was that silvers hated reds and were more than happy to constantly put them in their place for even the smallest of things. that was the world jaemin had grown up in, and that was the world he was sure he was going to die in as well.
it was all a buzz in the kitchens, everyone rushing around trying to get everything done to perfect and on time. usually at this time, jaemin would be at home with his mother, but instead he was being forced to work as they needed all hands on deck for this ball. silvers from all over were coming and they needed to be fed and watered and the drinks needed to be constantly flowing. this was important and it needed to go perfectly or someone was going to get burnt and most likely fired.
the night was still young and already jaemin felt dead on his feet, sweat beading on his brow as he worked as fast as he could. though he was still careful when handling any knives as he really couldn’t cut himself. while it was common to accidentally cut yourself with a knife, he would then just need to act very fast to cover it up before it just healed in front of everyone’s eyes and they all found out what he could do. and no one could ever know about that if he wanted to keep his head- very literally.
working in the hot kitchens was starting to get him a bit of a headache, that throb at the back of his skull, mouth dry and begging for water. but he couldn’t stop working or get some relief, more work just being shoved under his nose. wash these classes, chop this, sharpen those knives, clean up. job after job after job and it felt as though it was never going to end.
but eventually got what he wanted when he was set into the stores to bring out another barrel of wine as it was quickly running out.
with how much the silvers were currently drinking, he wouldn’t be surprised if not one of them left at the end of the evening sober. but he was quick to obey to the order, nodding his head and hurrying off towards the stairs, heading deeper down where it was much cooler and away from all the hustle and bustle of the hot kitchens. so he would be lying if he said he was going to come back quickly, making sure to take his time while he had the chance. though he knew he couldn’t take forever, reluctantly finding the barrel he was looking for and lifting it up, hoisting sideways on his shoulder to carry it back upstairs.
and it was a bit of a struggle, wobbling a little on his feet as it was quite clear he was slouching to the side now all the weight was on one side. But he was managing, though the appearance of someone he didn’t recognise did put him off a little. She was not a red and he was positive that she was not a Kim, either. Definitely a silver from what she was wearing, but what on earth was she doing down here eyeing all the alcohol? Well, he supposed that he could guess what she was doing and he couldn’t let her.
“can i help you with something?” he asked softly as he stepped out of the shadows, temporarily putting the barrel over his shoulder down to give said shoulder a break. “you shouldn’t be down here, miss.”
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