♕ Palace Grounds

@[P] Jeon Jeongguk She found herself looking for him.

Even as Elle dipped her head into polite nods and offered murmurs of well-wishes to partygoers, her eyes roamed the halls and corridors. And when she glimpsed his silhouette from her perch on the balcony, Elle had to remind herself that she was on the third floor of the castle and lurching thirty metres down onto the ground wasn't a good idea, regardless of the amount of magic she possessed. Still, she gathered her skirts and hurried as fast as she could, as though his shadow could melt into the darkness of the surroundings.

Elle's steps only slowed as the faintest hint of the night air trailed along her arm, raising goosebumps where the breeze touched. Inhaling deeply, Elle smoothed her hair and levelled her breathing. It would not do to have him think she rushed down to meet him. She /did/ do so, but that was knowledge to be kept out of his grasp.

Why did she even want to meet him in such a hurry?

Now that she thought about it, it didn't make sense. Their last encounter at the Green Park had been replaying in her mind at every opportunity. There was the slight squeezing of her chest whenever his visage crossed her mind and when she saw his mere back, the light fluttering in her chest escalated into full-blown pounding.

Her steps halted. Elle's earlier confidence melted away and she shivered, suddenly feeling the coldness of the air around her. He was there, right in front of her with a white splash of colour beside him. A dove. There was a brief flare of feeling within her that disappeared before she could identify what it was. She should approach him; after all, that was what she came down for. So why was Elle rooted to the spot, unable shift neither her gaze nor her feet?

[ ACTIVITY ]
[ gdi i really don't want to post here after eunhye ]

There was a breeze blowing as he made his way onto the palace grounds, and he breathed in the slight chill of the night as he enjoyed the silence, a far cry from the fever currently overtaking the palace. Tonight was a night for revelry and debauchery, a night to fall in and out of love, and not a single person was left unaffected by the atmosphere. The air inside the lavish corridors itself was charged, compelling those who breathed it in to overstep any previous boundaries they brought in with them, encouraging and coaxing them to participate in bolder behavior. He closed his eyes and leaned on a nearby pillar, committing to memory the light seared into the back of his eyelids. He exhaled slowly, eyes fluttering back open. He cast his gaze skyward, wordlessly observing the stars as they burned in all their glory, illuminating the sky for all to see.

He looked around him and slowly slid down the pillar, relaxing into a sitting position, legs in front of him, back up against the pillar. The gentle breeze caressed his face and laced its spindly fingers through his hair, tugging almost insistently at his suit jacket. He wet his lips, savoring the sensation of the wind ghosting over his skin, and thoroughly enjoying the subtle burn its chilling gusts left upon his skin. He peered around at his surroundings hopefully, just waiting for a certain someone to miraculously appear, feeling a cold pang of disappointment wash over him briefly. He had seen her at different times throughout the night, but each time occupied with another task and unable to approach her.

He pulled the silky feather out of his pocket, stroking it gently with a finger. He set it on fire, seemingly pulling a dove out of thin air as the feather burned and sparked in his hands. There was no one to see, no witnesses for his small show and yet he proceeded with all his usual theatrics, boasting his talents in the night. The dove cooed at him, and he set it down next to him, patting its head with a single finger, and watching with a fond smile on his face as it bobbed its tiny white head up and down.

The dove fluttered its wings, settling down on the patch of ground right next to him, and closed its eyes. He sat silently, resigned to the fact that he was merely kidding himself, looking for her.

@[D] Lee Jongsuk [ ACTIVITY ]

The serene and secluded atmosphere of the palace grounds presented her some much needed solitude, granting her a respite from the night's activities. She appreciate the tranquility of the gardens to the festivities ongoing inside – stone fountain gurgling happily at the center, streams emerging from cherubs and tossing light into the night in the form of shimmering droplets, replicating stars, orbs shining at the light and casting brilliant specks across the surrounding paths before splashing into the depths. The atmosphere – bright, blithe and ebullient – promised a pleasant difference from the onerous tension that hung in the palace halls, constricting and burning her chest, heating her face and stinging her eyes, arising moisture that gathered along her lower lids, clouded her sight and almost traced lines across her cheeks, replicating the droplets that carved through stone of statue and clung to the features of cherubs paused in celebration.

She stared at their disposition in forlorn confusion and suppressed desire, ache a tender aperture between her heart and mind. It had been months since she had felt disappointment and depression as potent and painful as she had minutes ago, reliving the plunge of her stomach and the pierce of her heart, inhaling the saccharine smell of honey and wine and exhaling her precarious sadness. She had long since learned not to trust her emotions and she prayed for passage, gathering her arms around herself and distracting herself in the damp grass, tempting in its emerald blades and dewy peaks, and zephyr, spinning around her and trailing through the garden. The subtle breeze breathed life into the garden, animating the bushes and buds that danced and dangled in the gusts and hushed across the trails that traced through the trees, eliciting a false sense of happiness in its man-made splendor. Sounds arose a pleasant cacophony around her: leaving rustling against one another and jets shooting into the crisp, midnight air, dispersing and smattering across the surface alight in moonlight silvers and artificial golds – an image of illusory reality as giggles and whispers started and stopped at the summon of the wind. The enchantment of nature underneath the shimmering stars and silver light astounded her in its presentation of control and contribution, distracted her from the definition and disenchantment of human emotions in their promise for a happier time.

Clasping her glass in hand, she pursued her compulsion and began her escape into the night and across the stones, beholding the simpler glories of man. She reached out a hand to brush the cut branches of a blooming bush, fingers teasing the damp leaves as she contemplated her departure, drunk on impulse and ignorance as she cast a glance across the gardens. She beheld the magnificence of isolation and embraced it as her companion, entertaining silence as her company and escorting content as she stepped through the garden. She paused at the sight of a silhouette, illuminated against the night and distant fountain, his shadow stretching to her toes as she stared at the outline of white around black. He stood before the scene, arms before him, and she recognized that posture, embedded into her memory as she registered the snap and envisioned the slight quirk of lips behind the lens. Jongsuk.

The usual surge of comfort and elation at his presence settled in her stomach, subdued in her hesitance. She had seen his smile – an enchanting but rare occurrence – and her face, her smile and could assume the unsaid past, although she longed for reassurance. Yet here she stood, apprehensive and afraid and anticipating his answer – his confirmation of her foolish choices and impetuous intentions; his guilt and sincere apologies and perhaps it'd be best if she hadn't met him at all, hadn't laughed together and fallen for his endearing habits and contagious smile. She was aware of the consequences if she called and he answered but her need for resolution surpassed her need for his companionship, able to cope, regardless of response.

“Hey.” She refrained from their usual bump of the shoulders, refrained from contact at all as she remained meters behind him, clutching at her glass and repressing the tremble in her voice for a fake smile. “I saw you dancing earlier.”

[ HAHA _____ ME ]

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