[catherinestuart]

" do you know them, the slovaks? " she hummed, canting her head to the direction of the princes. " there are four of them? i don't think i've seen much of them in the programme. " ( @yvsmins )

[yvsmins]

          languidly, dark brown eyes find where catherine's gaze directs. the heirs of slovakia stood around in a circle with incessant laughter and grins. “ the eurovision boy band? no, is the little one in the programme? ”

[yvsmins]

yasmin hassan attends the new year's event at the bratislava castle wearing roberto cavalli fw2000.

for the live version, click here

[themakeupbrush]

Imaan Hammam at the 2023 Vanity Fair Afterparty

[yvsmins]

hafiz ,

“Gabriel?” Yasmin’s puzzled expression elicited a light giggle from Hafiz. After everything they’ve all been through, it was easy to feel older than you were. “He just turned 29 but I gather that in it’s still young for men. They never truly mentally age beyond puberty.” She turned her gaze back to the plush gardens. “Has the program given you and your family any issue since you’ve opened your doors to it?”

          “ fooled me, ” but yasmin hardly lingered much longer on the subject of his age in favor of the other. “ besides what happened when i joined? ” there was no need to state the incident by the various names and monikers publications had lent to it, but there was a strength, to her, given by remembering, by not shying away from the mention of it, even in a nameless state. “ i’m happy it’s here. ” maybe it was just luck, but for yasmin, there was a security unmatched to any other country around the world. “ i’ve been meaning to ask around, especially you actually, do you feel safe here? ”

[yvsmins]

hafiz ,​

“We know quite a few little blonde boys, don’t we?” Hafiz turned her attention towards Yasmin with a subtle grin. The last thing she needed was to offend the host country’s pride and joy. “Gabriel? Yes, we’re been friends for a long time. Are you asking if he’s single because he is.” 

           “ what? ” a stifled laugh produced explanation enough apropos the little blond boys relationship status. “ isn’t he . . . young? very young? ” closer to the age of her little brother was the assumption placed on the prince.

[yvsmins]

            “ you’re friends with that little blond boy? ” dating would have been suggested but too assumptive, and this was likely the reason yasmin had been told to dabble in petty gossip of the royals more often. she’d know the story, if she’d cared enough to. “ the portuguese prince, barbara’s brother. ” ( @oh-hxfiz​​ )

[yvsmins]

robbie ,

“I have a love and hate relationship with wine. I think the best of my drunk–” He whispered the word. “– stories happened because of wine — but the worst of my hangovers happened because of wine too. Wine’s like a dangerous lover.” ( @hshqstarters​ )

            “ you should consider adding a moroccan gray to your list of lovers. ” the softer and mild taste likely wouldn’t help his, ‘ wine is like a dangerous lover ’ theory however. “ which one of these is your favorite? ” yasmin gave a casual gesture to the empty tasting glasses all containing sentiments at the bottom of what reds had been poured. “ i’m considering importing one. ”

[yvsmins]

yasmin hassan attending the wine tasting

[yvsmins]

catherine ,

“do we have to—” she didn’t even bother finishing her sentence before gingerly standing up from her comfortable armchair and hurrying after the other princess. catherine gave her new guards a withering look, gesturing slightly for them to move aside, no doubt to trail behind them a discreet distance away. “yeah, technically i do. everyone is always kept just close enough to bump into each other every once in a while.” the moroccan sun was warm against her skin as they stepped out, the rows of identical houses gleaming golden under the light. “he must be feeling all sorts of fucked… i heard that some people thought that the savoys were in on the whole pax aeterna operation.” if catherine was on the receiving end of that sort of slander, she might just completely disintegrate into the ground out of pure embarrassment. “but that’s obviously not true, did i tell you how they thought fanni croÿ was verona di savoia? they could be faking it to protect her but…” she shrugged, shaking her head. “i still want to know what they were going to demand from each of us.” 

            “ they did what? ” there was a tug-like sensation in her stomach when yasmin felt the urge to find the situation humorous, but that was wrong. it felt wrong. “ that doesn’t help the savoy and pax aeterna rumor, which is why they thought that, i assume? ” a protracted sigh followed and slender arms stretched out and up towards the sun with a fluid half-turn to peak behind them before languidly returning to her side. “ power and money is too obvious. ” anything that would cause chaos with each other appeared to be a more probable cause but humanity was selfish at heart. “ too broad, ” she corrected and suddenly deft movements slowed as they passed one of the large homes to the left of where yasmin was. she wouldn’t say who, nor even acknowledge the home, but incessant glances alluded to someone of importance residing there.

[yvsmins]

            “ silje, ” her tone was about as mollified as yasmin would allow and ‘ happy to see her ’ was a assumption made only by the faux smile painted on her lips. “ you’re not the one who asked for a meeting. ” but she was the only one present in the agreed upon location. ( @svljc​ )

[yvsmins]

reggie ,

[ @yvsmins​ ]

as he watched chatunga struggle to cross his yard – it was a comfort to know he couldn’t make it far without being caught – and into the other, he nearly had to laugh at the sight, even after everything. taking a few steps from the porch, he tilted his head at her, “ OPPORTUNISTIC, much ? “

            at first, nothing was said. yasmin watched both reggie, and chatunga waddle his way in her direction. the latter she had a soft spot for, one she’d admit far quicker than any feelings lingering or otherwise for the man. “ him or you? ” not a beat was missed in her delivery save for the time it took her to crack the exterior default expression with some sort of amusement.

[yvsmins]

catherine ,

catherine nodded, almost solemnly. as one of the people who practically begged yasmin to join the programme, she had no problem shouldering some of the blame. “he’s fine— i mean, i suppose that’s what he gets for making sudden movements…” even though it was all based on a thin threat directed at his children. “still— you know that they would more likely rough up arnauld d’orleans or …max, even, as participants of wars. they wont fuck you up.” it was a very flimsy argument about something that she’d rather not speak about, and so, catherine swiftly moved along to different subject. “have you met up with gio yet?” 

            “ i haven’t, no. ” nor had yasmin given herself the ability to just stop for a moment, stop moving, stop thinking, stop worrying. it left her in a statement of bewilderment at times, unable to even consider what wasn’t directly in front of her. “ i haven’t had a chance — but we should. we should go find him. ” no time like the present. a few strides were taken towards the door, promptly opened for her by one of the men in black who never dared to smile nor removed their dark framed sunglasses that presented a far more ominous appearance than most, stature and all. “ you must get to see him all the time, in the programme? ”

[yvsmins]

okeyo ,​

“ one person i’m actually happy to see.  are you free?  or do i have to schedule something with your assistant. ”  ( @yvsmins​ )

            “ hmmm, ” a gentle hum that accompanied the performed thought process that played on her features. “ i suppose i could, this one time, make an exception for you. ” and what with his ( amongst others ) previous attempted persuasive axiom that she should join the programme having come to fruition, clearly yasmin was, at this present time, happy to see him too.

[softestaura]

Imaan Hammam in Versace for the 2021 Met Gala Afterparty

[yvsmins]

            “ next time you convince me to join, i’m waiting until the programme comes to me. ” soberly, but with soft, almost imperceptible, droll she greets catherine in a place where there is comfort in seeing the sun peering through windows and where four slabs of concrete don’t confine them to a fate worse than death, not anymore. yasmin is settled, unexpectedly calm because she is home ( in her home country ), again but the statuesque gestures are present. in the way she stands and moves. “ and max is doing okay? ” ( @catherinestuart​ )

[yvsmins]

reginald.

[ @yvsmins​ ]

with barely enough time to rub his eyes awake, he had been moved from one building to another. with one step in the doorframe, dark eyes met and he was certain his stomach had not dropped as heavily in the past two days then it did now. an instinctive worry riddled his features for a moment before the memory appeared again. the picturesque setting of kinshasa had failed to mend them – the universe perhaps needed a laugh. he wondered what would happen if he turned around and walked out the door. murder ? it might have been preferable. his eyes avert to his feet, and in the small time it took to cross the room he debated heavily on whether to open his mouth. finally, hoarser than he would have liked, he asked: “ WHY are you here ? “

            the expression yasmin held was distinct, saved only for him without any regard to transgressions she may have held against him prior to the words that left his lips just then — the circumstances had given him an advantage, one reggie so easily squandered. he should have kept quiet. “ for fun, ” she snapped. patience was a virtue she hadn’t considered highly and as hours had passed it had worn thin, likened to the fabric of her jacket intended for warmer climates. “ you know why. ” convincing yasmin to join the programme had been the highlight of new year’s eve conversations; every single one leading back to the benefits, but a room that felt two sizes too small with dark concrete walls and equally uncomfortable floors to sit on had been anything but advantageous. with a gaze that looked upward, towards the corner of the ceiling, yasmin crossed her arms across her chest and rested the sole of her foot against the wall . . . and then the noise came, that noise the one that sealed their fates. yasmin’s performed placid demeanor became that likened to every other person in the room just then, dark brown eyes wide and a fear stuck sense of dread she couldn’t pass off as anything else, especially not to reggie. 

[yvsmins]

GROUP FOUR.1 , @jclvni , @svljc , @beaufort-a​

            yasmin waited as the door shut and the footsteps on the other side settled before she even so much as glanced to the other three. “ did any of you see anything? on the way here, did you see anything that wasn’t just concrete walls? ”