Alina. ( equally begrudgingly, held prisoner by some expectation of politeness. ) No need to pretend you're suddenly feeling cordial.
( she thinks of queen tatiana's thin, waxy smiles, looking more like a forgery of happiness than anything else — as if speaking to alina was like trying to step in mud, and she was doing her best to civilly scrape it off of her shoe's heel. it's more insulting, frankly, than if he'd admitted he doesn't give a single care who she is, beyond how it might help wriggle free of her.
pointedly, alina doesn't bother with the next step in this bit of clumsy choreography — demanding his name, shaking hands and bowing heads over meaningless introductions. he doesn't want her around any more than alina wants to be around — no need to make fuss over it. she squints out into the knot of festival-goers, instead, with the severity of a general surveying a growing battlefield.
the chances of defeat are, she deduces, against them. the festivities won't be making a retreat any time soon. )
Why did you come, anyway? ( shockingly without judgment, even with the rude follow-up: ) Your expression looks more suited for funerals than festivals.
no subject
( she thinks of queen tatiana's thin, waxy smiles, looking more like a forgery of happiness than anything else — as if speaking to alina was like trying to step in mud, and she was doing her best to civilly scrape it off of her shoe's heel. it's more insulting, frankly, than if he'd admitted he doesn't give a single care who she is, beyond how it might help wriggle free of her.
pointedly, alina doesn't bother with the next step in this bit of clumsy choreography — demanding his name, shaking hands and bowing heads over meaningless introductions. he doesn't want her around any more than alina wants to be around — no need to make fuss over it. she squints out into the knot of festival-goers, instead, with the severity of a general surveying a growing battlefield.
the chances of defeat are, she deduces, against them. the festivities won't be making a retreat any time soon. )
Why did you come, anyway? ( shockingly without judgment, even with the rude follow-up: ) Your expression looks more suited for funerals than festivals.