The Things That Go Bump || Tavia & Seth
@ladydiaval
This little party in Marya was rather quaint, if Seth was being honest. Perhaps he was biased, growing up under the lavish spirit of Umbran festivities, but the Five made them seem like a grand show compared to the mire of this swamp.
Everyone was dressed richly, the finest silks and crinoline and taffeta dresses as far as a man's eye could see. It was a veritable sea of beauty, elegant and poised, coquettish in the batting of an eye or the clasping of hands in a dance. Seth had done his part, rubbed shoulders with enough of the men and painted on his most charming of smiles for their women, coaxing them from their hollow little shells.
But there was so little enjoyment in it. Their conversation was dull, flattery flat, and by the middle of the night something hollow and empty clanged about in his chest.
Familiarity would do him good, he thought, and when he spied a certain type of familiarity, his mouth curved into something wicked, eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief the first time this evening.
Keeping her in his line of sight was easy. Weaving his way toward her without trodding on anybody was not. But eventually he made it and, careful that he wasn't seen by any of his siblings, encircled her about the waist and spun her around, ripping her from the conversation she'd been having.
"Hello darling," he chirped, an uncharacteristic good cheer erupting from his chest. Setting Tavia down in front of him, Seth flicked his gaze to the man she'd been speaking to before dismissing him as insignificant. Instead, he turned his dark, clever gaze to her face, tipping her chin up with a finger, lips curling into a half-grin as he studied her. "You look ravishing this evening. Fancy a dance?"