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gilded_justice (gilded_justice) wrote in bizarre_city,

Re: { ... }
Everything was going smoothly, almost too much so. Her visit to Galicia in the previous months had gone as well as either could have hoped. It gave them time together before he was called away again, which itself was reflective of the life before them, and Shayleiah had treated Avalynn with a curious sort of distance. She enjoyed the presence of someone new and she was always delighted with the prospect of female role models, which were always a novelty, as most women who visited the Alcaeyn estate were not kept about for more than an evening. Still, she wasn’t so sure about Avalynn, whose interest seemed to lie with her father. Her entire life, Shayleiah had been his one and only to dote on, and she was naturally possessive of him and their limited time together. When he was home, which was admittedly not enough lately, he dedicated all his spare time to his daughter. Now he was spending some of it alone with Avalynn Dubhghail, and Shayleiah was feeling the beginnings of jealousy. Nonetheless, there had been no outbursts yet. Now and then she would narrow those eerie amber eyes at the pair and simply watch them, her young mind piecing together what this all meant and weighing her own options.

Shay was the key to the whole thing in some ways. Some women had certainly realized as much over the years, but the second he sensed anyone was using the girl as a means to reach him, he cut all ties. His daughter would face enough of her life with people seeking to use her for political gain. He would not allow her to face it now as well.

At galas, she had better things to do than follow her father around. She was too bold for anyone’s good and so Miki relented and left her to her poor guards and to Melisande when it suited her. It left him free to pursue the usual endeavor that a gala demanded of him—making and strengthening social ties. It was very much a part of his work, and that he was spending so much time with Avalynn was odd. She was a known entity and their relationship had never required such maintenance before. No matter what she may have refused him over the years, he had always had her support. It left his reasoning now up for interpretation. Perhaps he was doing this for her, but just as likely it was a more selfish motivation. Neither option was terribly unflattering.

His words broke through the reverie their dance invited, quiet but clear against the lovely imperfection of her hair. “Tonight is a test. Without their colors or their arms to mark them, everyone believes they can blend in. But you hardly need it to be spelled out. Every one I greet by name is a point in my favor. And even those whose titles I do not recall, it is plain enough in how they hold themselves who is nobility and who is not. They will recall who approaches them with the respect they suppose they are entitled to tonight, and who overlooks them. So who do you suppose we should pay a visit first?”

It really was a game to him at times like this, and he enjoyed the little twists that changed the rules from time to time.