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[magdalenavari]

@widcwed-rasa​

Magdalena hadn’t been into the village since the avalanche- she hadn’t exactly had a good time last time she’d ventured into town, after all, when she’d ended up trapped in the bakery due to the avalanche. But when a guard from the palace had offered to take her, pointing out the warm weather, she’d taken him up on it. 

As she passed the bakery, however, she pointedly kept her head down, focusing instead on her shoes. And, before she even realized someone was approaching her on the sidewalk, she’d walked headlong into them. “I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, before realizing who she’d, quite literally, bumped into. “Rasa! Hello, it’s been a while. Sorry again,” she said. “How have you been?”

[magdalenavari]

@gcnegreer​

Magdalena typically wasn’t one with an ear for gossip, but when she’d overheard a maid mention that the youngest Scottish princess had arrived, she just had to confirm it for herself. She needed to see Greer for herself, and see with her own eyes that the younger woman was alright. The two of them were a part of a club that not many were- the kidnapped, the ones who’d been to hell and back. It was a bond, of sorts, and she and Greer seemed to understand one another.

As soon as she’d gotten directions from a housekeeper, it was as though her feet were moving of her own accord, and she found herself outside Greer’s room. She stared at the door for a moment, second guessing herself- perhaps she should’ve given Greer some time to settle in before paying her a visit unannounced. But then the moment passed, and Lena knocked on the door. 

“Greer, it’s Lena,” she called out. “I really hope you’re in there,” she added, more quietly. This place felt awfully small sometimes, but she knew that if she were to try to track down a specific person within the castle walls she might have some trouble. And realistically, the Scottish princess could be anywhere. 

[magdalenavari]

The bookshop in the village had quickly become one of Lena’s favourite spots. She had been living up to her promise to her sister, about taking a break, in her own way. She’d been taking the time to read fiction for the first time in ages, and today she was looking for the next installment of a series. 

Lena spotted it on a tall shelf, and rather than ask for help- she’d never been great at that- she stretched on tiptoe to grab it, and she nearly had it in her grasp. And the next thing she knew there was a loud clatter as a deluge of books hit the floor. “Ó, Jézus,” she muttered, her native tongue slipping out more easily than English would. She crouched down, grabbing an armful of the fallen books, and as she stood she realized she wasn’t alone in the aisle. She could feel herself flush with embarrassment. “Sorry, I just... caused a bit of an avalanche,” she said with a breathy, anxious laugh. 

[bastienfiore]

@bccbaldacchino​

Bas had come in to the kitchen on his day off, more out of boredom than anything else- he’d been working at the castle for long enough that he trusted the kitchen staff, and didn’t feel the need to micromanage as much as he used to. So when someone walked through the doors and he looked up to see a familiar face, he didn’t feel bad abandoning the ingredients he’d been mixing in favor of rushing over to greet Bee. He’d heard she was here, but it had been ages since he’d seen his old friend. 

“It is so good to see you,” he said, pulling her in for a hug. “How’s Russia been treating you? Can I get you something to eat?” 

[thomasadley]

@ethanhqs​

Though technically it was still fall, cold weather had already come to Russia. It wasn’t a surprise, after having been here over a year, but Thomas still wasn’t terribly happy about it. His breath was visible in the cold air and snow crunched underfoot as he walked to the village, his ever-present guard at his side. 

“This walk felt a lot shorter in the summer, didn’t it?” he mused, turning to look at Ethan. “Thanks for coming with me. The castle has just... felt awfully small lately,” he added. And with so many recent new arrivals- including the English prince’s future wife- that was true. It was tough for the boys to get a moment to themselves. 

[bastienfiore]

@miaadley​

He'd been apprehensive about the whole murder mystery thing. Just another castle event he'd tried to opt out of but somehow gotten roped into anyway, to round out the numbers. Of course. But then he'd received his character card, and he was almost excited. 

Bastien had never been much of an actor, really, and he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to keep up the character. But pretending to be a movie star for the night might be sort of fun, despite the fact that it would come along with being temporarily married to the English princess (or Mrs. Flour Less, as it were) It wasn't that Bas hated the English royals, per se, but he’d caught them in his kitchen a few too many times. 

He'd grabbed a drink, if only to keep his hands busy, and he'd been keeping to the fringes, partially to observe other people- there'd eventually be a murder to solve, after all- and he was just about to get another drink when he spotted Emilia. He nearly greeted her by her title, since calling royalty ‘your highness’ was second nature to him, but caught himself. The point of this was that everyone was a character, wasn't it? "Evening. Enjoying the party?” 

[thomasadley]

@ethanhqs​

It was getting late, though looking around the still-crowded ballroom, one wouldn’t be able to tell. Thomas had been caught up in small talk, been roped into dancing with a few too many people, downed more champagne than he should have, and he hadn’t seen Ethan all evening. He paused, looking around the room for any sign of the guard, and smiled when he spotted him, making his way over. He reached up and tapped Ethan on the shoulder. Mask or no, Thomas would recognize the guard anywhere. “Excuse me,” he said, confident that no one was close enough to hear him over the music, “you wouldn’t have happened to see my boyfriend around here, would you? He’s about this tall, dark hair, very handsome...”