6.
The atmosphere was palpably different this evening, Lux noticed with interest. She was startled to realise that she must have been getting used to these dinners in the echoing cave; with course after course of rich foreign food and strange ruby red drinks that never seemed to run out. It had been... how long now, since she arrived in the city? It couldn't be more than a couple of weeks, but it seemed like an eternity. Lux was almost alarmed at the speed with which she had adjusted to this strange new world she inhabited. Now, though, she was reminded that there was plenty yet to come that may require adapting to.
The cause of unrest tonight, of course, was Prince Felis.
Lux suspected that she had not been the only one caught off-guard by his sudden entrance to the dining hall that evening, five minutes after the first course had been set down. The whole hall had fallen abruptly silent, and there was the rustle of hundreds of people getting to their feet. For some reason, the level of formality had taken her by surprise, but she had stood with every other person in the hall, and sat with them in unison when the Prince was seated.
Felis nodded absentmindedly in recognition of the crowd's gesture as he sat. Then the focus had returned to the meal; or largely. One individual, Lux noticed, didn't appear to care much about the food anymore.
Lana was sitting next to the Prince, pawing him intermittently and apparently hanging on his every word. That much was clear from the end of the table. Felis, on the other hand, looked distracted and indifferent for all her advances.
Lux wondered if he was just immune to it. She cast her eye idly around the room, and it was caught by Luca, watching from the table below. She flashed Lux a quick conspiratorial grin, and Lux returned it.
Luca turned to reply to something Ethan asked her, and Lux returned to her isolated thoughts. At these meals she felt separate from everyone around her; like a ghost watching over events which meant nothing to her. She stared into her wine.
'Am I lonely?' She mused.
So many years alone, content with her own company. Dreading meeting any others, since they only ever had bad intentions.
'I think...that I have too much damn time to think.' She concluded. Perhaps, it was only really possible to be lonely when you were surrounded by people, as she was these days. In a strange way, that made sense to her.
"More wine?" A curt but friendly voice broke her thoughts.
Atler was hovering the decanter over her glass, giving her his intense, lop-sided semi-smile.
"Oh..." It took a moment for Lux to shake herself into the present.
"Um, why not?" She decided. "Hell, this stuff is one of the best things about this place..."
Atler let out a short, sharp noise that Lux realised must be his version of a laugh. She smiled to herself, then realised with a start that someone was observing her. She turned her head just in time to meet Prince Felis' intense gaze, before he looked away to speak to someone.
For a moment, something in her stomach jumped.
'Down, girl...' She muttered to herself, quietly.
She had to admit -- he was handsome. Very handsome. It was a little easier to tell; now that he was in the light...and not pointing a loaded gun at her. It was something to do with the contrast between the wavy, soft mahogany of his hair and his remarkable eyes. They were golden, almost honey coloured -- he reminded her of a lion.
A lion. Yes, that was a good description -- because hidden behind the soft colours of his hair and eyes there was blatant strength. Not just muscle -- although last night's little tussle had proven that, but an intensity and resolve that radiated from him.
On one hand, Lux found him intriguing. On the other, she was concerned.
He was not an idiot. He was not weak.... certainly stronger and quicker than she was.
In short, she was not going to get the better of him without a serious advantage. She cursed herself for having slipped up last night in the gardens, for getting taken by surprise. Now her ability to fight - which he might not have guessed at - was no longer an advantage.
She shrugged to herself. It's not like she didn't have all the time in the world...she might as well enjoy the wine, settle in, get a feel for what she was dealing with. Oh, and one other little thing of course...meet the King. Word in the halls was, he was returning tomorrow.
***
"Felis, it's with the upmost respect that I say, please, for the love of Pantheon, sit the hell down. You're making me nervous."
Ethan sat in his friend and employer's study, feet un-booted and resting in the warmth of the fireplace. He swished a glass of good claret and eyed Felis.
The Prince was pacing the room, wine threatening to spill every time he turned suddenly about in a different direction. At Ethan's demand, he broke out of deep thought and sat abruptly down in the leather armchair opposite, with a sigh.
