A Pleasant Surprise Prt I

Posted on Tue Jul 26th, 2022 @ 1:39pm by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Major Sacha Lavigne & Crown Prince Paolo Orsini
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 7:04pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Rio de Jinero Palace
Timeline: Date 2371-05-31 at 1530
4137 words - 8.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Giana wanted to scream.

For the past hour she had been wearing this smile at this absolutely dreadful luncheon her father had forced her to go too - likely out of spite for their little spat over her usefulness to the family. It felt more like active sabotage though considering not a soul at the party outside the wait staff was under the age of fifty. She was dressed appropriately and modestly for the event in an A-line, pale lilac cocktail dress with an asymmetrical skirt and a high neck line of white lace sprinkled with just a bit of beading to be tasteful. Pearls adorned her ears and her wrist to complete the look. She gave her lips a brief respite by taking a sip of her champagne and then decided to just briefly turn her back on the party all together to "inspect" the flowers and allowed her whole face to relax.

Some situations were much easier to keep up the face, this was not one of them. She took another sip of her drink and let a sigh out over the rim of the fine crystal glass.

The Rio de Jinero Palace, which housed the first Terran Emperors on a regular basis, was now in use as the Summer Residence for the Imperial Family. Though, in truth, each of them typically stayed where they normally were, the Emperor and Empress and the majority of the household staff relocated there and, as a result, so did the Imperial Court. The room was bustling with various dignitaries and wealthy couples, all of whom had been alive long enough to have done something concrete for the Empire. As the Emperor conversed on philosophical matters and the Empress schmoozed, Giana and Paolo were each sent to opposite sides of the room to serve as focal-points for royal attention.

Unannounced, her 14 year old brother appeared at her side, his sober expression creased with a frown for once. He shook his head and stood next to her. He was wearing a charcoal black suit with golden buttons and a rich purple tie.

"I've thought of 7 ways out of this...engagement. None of them involve telling the truth, however."

Giana had been off in her head so when Paolo appeared next to her, she almost jumped but recovered quickly and put on a smile for her little brother, though it was thin an waning quickly. "Yes, well... this is what it means to be a royal, little brother, and as the Emperor's favorite child, you had best make him proud." Well, she had planned on being nice, and she wasn't as mean as she could have been.

Paolo understood that he was liked best by his father from the moment he could speak. He knew it wasn't his fault just as he knew his siblings were all insanely jealous. The thing is, he didn't mind much. His soberness of mind, his thoughtfulness and his lack of consideration for the emotional side beyond simple human understanding was exactly what their father liked in him. He turned to Giana, realizing that she was trying to be nice. He didn't imagine it would last much longer, so he decided to capitalize on it while he still could. He flashed her a smile, boyish and simple, and much more genuine than a Royal normally shared.

"I will, sister." he said, a quite confidence in his tone. "I would say you will as well, but I can see very clearly what's around the corner for you for the rest of this event." he continued cryptically, breaking eye contact and focusing on the crowd again. He offered a silent nod as an older woman walked by in a large hat and waved at the both of them.

"Pain, suffering, boredom." Giana sighed after the woman had walked away and she had given a polite smile and nod. She looked back down to Paolo. She didn't want to hate him and she supposed when push came to shove she didn't really, but he was a carbon copy of their father and as the days went on she actually was not convinced that her ridiculous theory that he was a clone was that farfetched. Still, the smallest sliver of sisterly affection slid through her and she simply gave another sigh. "You should go and see if you can find Lord Mayor Teague, he should be around here somewhere and he loves talking about history."

Paolo looked down at a small display device he held in his hand for several seconds and then nodded, slipping it back into his pocket.

"He's on my list." he said simply. "You might want to keep your eyes peeled, dear sister. I just happened to see one of your most embarrassing adolescent decisions walk through the door." He said without any sense of particular humor. He was happy, but not making fun of her. He leaned in once more, his eyes still forward. "Try not to be taken in this time. Daddy hates him, you know. And so do I."

And with that, the diminutive boy was off, sailing away and getting lost in the cloud of guests.

Infuriating child. This is why she never tried to be a sister to him. She shook her head and rolled her eyes a bit, taking another sip of her drink before she finally turned around with her business face back on full display. Her blue eyes scanned the crowd and didn't quite hide her boredom as well as she liked, but it was good enough. She hadn't really paid any attention to what Paolo had said so wasn't really looking for anyone in particular.

Across the room, a young man her age caught her eye, seeming like an oasis in a desert of the old and ugly. He was handsome with a strong jaw, defined cheekbones, and styled blonde hair. What's most important, however, was that he was familiar, and he was looking right at her through hazel eyes. He wore a dark blue suit, a white shirt, and a blue tie. His expression was relaxed and easy, though a slight smile formed on his lips as he saw her.

Giana almost missed it, but her gaze tracked back to the familiar face. Sacha Lavigne, son of the Lord Mayor of Paris. There was a brief confusion on her lovely features but she cleared it quickly and welcomed him with a warm smile and an inviting cant to her head for him to come closer and join her. She had no idea why he was here, but considering he helped lower the median age of the group she was welcoming of his presence.

Having seen her bid him come, Sacha did what he had always done best, stick his middle finger up to the rules. He made a motion toward her and watched as she tracked with him. Suddenly, however, he was gone from her sight in such a way that, no matter how hard she would look for him, he would make no appearance. Moments passed full of uncertainty before he emerged from behind a moving waiter and bowed before her, his balanced cologne wafting through the air. It was manly and matched his look and personality well. He leaned forward and grabbed her hand, kissing it gently. From that position, with her hand still to his lips, he lifted his eyes, improperly, and then stood up tall again. He was 6'3" and quite the strapping marine now where he had been thin and lanky before.

"You are at least twice as sexy as last I saw you." he said, a dare on his face. He was unlike other men in her life, in that he challenged her and was not afraid to say no. He had no masters; that was his way. Or, at least, it was when he was a teenager.

There had been immediate annoyance when Sacha disappeared and Giana could feel her temper flaring, her welcome face warring with her anger. Was it some sort of trick? A joke? No, her father wouldn't have invited someone he hadn't liked here. So who? Why was he here? The questions kept the explosion at bay long enough for Sacha to appear again and Giana gasped softly when he appeared and took her hand. Her eyes followed her arm down to her hand and his lips and then into his eyes as he flicked his gaze up to her own. She smiled then, a bit despite herself, and it was then she noticed how different he was. "Ah." She began then stopped, her eyes running over his body once more. "You've certainly... filled out."

“In more places than one, mon cher.” He said, his French accent light and clearly understandable as any lords would be. He gave her an expression that communicated the joke without actually smiling, choosing instead to communicate with his powerful looks. With a flicker he scanned her body quickly, his hazel eyes defying all conventions of the Imperial Court. If they were peasants eyes, she could have them cut out. Her dress was modest, but he seemed like he could see every secret beneath. “You’ve filled out as well.”

Giana rolled her eyes at his innuendo but there was clear amusement there despite the gesture. She then looked down at herself and back up at him, just a touch of near uncharacteristic playfulness in her eyes. “Are you sure it isn’t just because of the dress?” She asked. It wasn’t. She knew that. He knew that. It was the years away from each other that had been seemingly kind to the both of them. “How have you been, Sacha?” She asked politely, though quickly added, “Where have you been?”

"I've been traveling the stars, my Lady." he said sarcastically with a smile. "After that...incident...the last time we saw each other, I was sent straight to the Marine Academy. My mother was furious, your father was furious, and my sister was a bitch. I put down the bottle and picked up some weights to spite you all and now I'm a Captain. I was stationed on Titon Marine Base. But for some reason, the God's smiled on me a few days ago and I was transferred back to Terra. Actually, I have a summer assignment here in Rio at the local marine installation, strange enough."

He shifted his weight, taking another glance at her body and forgetting the rest of his boring tale. "I doubt its the dress, Giana. I think the question would lend itself to a full military inspection."

“You’ve been back for five minutes and you’re already trying to charm me out of my dress. Some things never change.” She hid a soft laugh politely behind her hand, her voice quiet anyways to keep their conversation private. Giana moved closer to him then, looking up into his eyes and searching them. Truth be told, Giana had written him off years ago after the incident and his subsequent disappearance without a trace. If she had tried, she probably could have found him again, but she hadn’t done anything of the sort. It hadn’t been because of lack of interest; it had been because she was genuinely afraid that her father would have killed him. “It is very good to see you again.”

He made eyes with her warmly. It was a warmth he seldom shared with anyone else in his life. He had seen many people for the first time since he was a kid, but this meeting was the most happy for him. He didn't say so, but something in his eyes communicated it.

"We had such fun together, didn't we Gigi? he asked, not daring to touch her, though everything about him screamed that he wanted to. He wanted to kiss her as he once had. That would have meant his life in this situation, but it was almost worth it in his mind.

"Oh, you sure did." Came a young teen voice as Paolo stepped up beside them. Standing a head shorter than Giana and two heads shorter than Sacha, he beamed up at them an unusually mischievous smile. "I remember that time you put itching powder in the butlers' clothes at that State Dinner....I mean you didn't get caught, but I figured it out. Pure chaos. I loved it." he said, shaking his head while chuckling. He then fixed his eyes on Sacha, that same smile remaining. "Gods, you are the bravest man I know for showing your face here. That, or you are incredibly incredibly stupid....actually, it's probably both."

The instant the words left his mouth, with a simple movement of the eyes, he expressed a strange non-emotional regret.

"That was extremely rude. I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." he said, the smile still slightly present. As soon as the apology was finished, he moved on like nothing had happened. "So, Sacha Lavigne, Parisian Marine." he said again, chuckling ferociously. He had pronounced marine like marine-yuh as his last name was pronounced (lah-veen-yuh). "What brings you to your execution?"

"Well aren't you just a prince of bad manners today, little brother?" Giana scoffed. "Insulting a guest, interrupting a conversation? What would father say. Not to mention you sound like a seal with how much your voice is cracking." She looked down at her brother with disdain. What had come over her earlier to try to be even slightly nice to him she didn't know, but now it was just all regrets. "Maybe you should go drink some water and do a few scales like daddy taught you." She then reached down and took Sacha's hand to lead him away and back inside so they could speak without their irritating little addition.

"Sorry about that." She said and gave him another charming smile.

"Well, that weird little creature isn't wrong." he said, walking with his hand in hers, leaving Paolo standing alone behind them. "I'm taking quite a risk being here. Of course, I assumed my being transferred back here would need approval at a pretty high level seeing as your father's orders were that I should be kept, 'literally as far away from my daughter as is practically feasible'." He could still hear the man shout it from the throne. He was scared enough to piss himself at that moment, but he didn't show it.

The two of them stopped in the corner and some people started to take note that the two of them were speaking together. Though, obviously, no one recognized him for who he was. He was only a second child and he had changed over the years.

"All jokes aside, you look gorgeous today. We don't get many magazines on the base, but I've seen your face many times and I have punched more than a few jar heads in the face for...well, thinking about you the way I think about you." he flashed a grin, charming, but in a rough and unconcerned sort of way.

Giana rolled her eyes at that. While she was perfectly aware that men of all classes and ages would see her and use her in that particular fashion, it was still more than a little creepy to hear about it. Though the way he grinned at her made her sigh and give him a smile. “Well I am glad I have you out there defending my honor.” She said, standing close to him and not particularly caring who saw her. For all purposes, she was simply being kind and attentive to a guest her age. “Who invited you today?”

"Some guy in a bar mentioned the party last night. I think he works on base too, but I didn't ask. I don't know how he knew about this shindig, but he didn't tell me it would be boring as fuck, eh?" He said, gesturing to the gathering with his hand. "I defended your honor, but to be honest, I just loved finding reasons to kick people's asses."

He shrugged energetically. "There's more to your life than gatherings like this though, right? Do you stay here with dear old mom and dad or have you branched out? When will you be announcing your engagement to a very lucky handsome idiot, who is he, and how long will it take for me to kill him?"

“I’m a daughter of the Emperor, unfortunately there isn’t too much more to my life other than playing socialite. At least, not yet.” She offered, tipping her hand that there was more coming in her future. Assuming CJ followed through. “As far as my engagement, I haven’t found ‘Mr. Right’ quite yet, but I am running out of time to do that, according to the Emperor.” She sighed dramatically. “So I will be entertaining several suitors here during the summer.”

"Oh, will you?" he asked, taking a step forward again, his smile returning. "Well, then let me be the first to wish you a very exciting summer. Do you remember that summer I snuck you out without your guard in a blonde wig?"

Giana laughed again, it caught her by surprise so it was much less demure and polite but she caught herself and recovered. “Oh yes, how could I forget? My father was rather upset when he found out about that. Though I’ve always thought you actively enjoy upsetting him.” She shook her head as the memory replayed in her head, though the memory of Antonius’ anger came with it. Her expression faltered for just an instant, but she picked her face back up again and smiled at him. “It really is good to see you again.”

"You've grown into a big softie, you know." he said, offering a soft-voiced gentle tease which he quickly moved away from. He knew that Giana didn't like embarrassment, and his comment was meant to be ironic, telling her he thought she was sweet. "You're not wrong, too. There's something about playing with fire that I just can't get over."

Given he backed off it quickly, Giana didn’t sour, but she did pull back slightly from being so close to him. “Ever think that might get you into trouble one day?” She challenged mildly.

“Oh, I think I hope so. Trouble makes the best stories.” He said. Before they could go on however, clicking white shoes approached them in the corner.

The owner of those shoes was wearing a pearl white knee-length dress with a complimenting aqua-blue blazer and a set of pearls around her neck. She was holding a tall glass of champagne in one hand, but was still managing to clasp her hands together.

“Your Imperial Highness, the woman said, inclining her head toward Giana. She then turned to the young man and did the same. “Sacha Lavigne, if I’m not mistaken. I’m Camilla Zajak, but everyone calls me CJ.”

She extended her right hand which he shook gently.

“You don’t seem like a ‘CJ’,”, he said with full honesty.

“I used to.” CJ said, looking down in a thoughtful way. “I just saw the two of you together and couldn’t help myself but to say hello.”

She gave Giana a meaningful but very subtle look, but said nothing to her on the subject of the man beside them.

“Wonderful to see you as always, CJ.” Giana greeted the older woman with a warm smile that actually seemed at least half genuine. CJ had promised many things and while Giana knew better than to be too hopeful. She caught the look and it took a moment to process, but when it did she looked to Sacha and then back to CJ, her brows lifting in the unspoken question.

“Do the two of you know each other?” CJ asked, seeming genuinely curious. “I get the feeling this isn’t a first meeting.”

Giana didn’t buy it.

“Yes, we are old friends.” Giana confirmed and smiled to Sacha. “It’s been a very long time since we have seen each other, though. I was surprised to see him here considering my father is not his greatest fan.”

“I’m sure your father has bigger things to worry about than the assignment schedule of a lone marine, ma’am. I’m sure it’s just the work of some paper pusher.” CJ said, smiling a bit brighter, “but what good fortune for the two of you. I hope you have time to catch up.”

“We’ll make the time.” Sacha said confidently, not having participated in the exchange of pleasantries, but merely looked at Giana again. CJ didn’t seem to have much more to say. She sipped her drink before speaking once more and leaving.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, ma’am.” She said, bowing slightly, and was gone.

Sacha watched her go with curious eyes. Once she had fallen into the crowd and started talking to an old Japanese man, he turned to Giana again.

“I don’t say this a lot, but that lady is scary.” He said, chuckling lightly. “She’s uncanny, like she was made in a lab.”

“Scary? You think so?” Giana tilted her head slightly and looked out to where CJ had retreated. “Perhaps a bit stiff but she seems a loyal servant to the empire and only wants what is best for it. Not everyone can manage the party face, after all.” She looked to Sacha and if to prove a point, she put her own back on as she looked at him.

"What's it to me anyway?" he asked in a good humored tone, deciding to change the subject. "The only think I like about this party is you and, now that CJ recognized me, I feel the heat on my back. I must go."

“Already?” She asked with a frown which only grew when she realized she almost sounded disappointed. “I mean… you just got here, is all.”

"Mon Cher, it sounds like you need a break out." he said, a smile much like the one he used to flash her on his face. He moved in closer so that she would be sure to be the only one to hear. "Just say the world, Gigi, and it will be Sacha to the rescue."

“You always did like to play the hero.” She purred up to him and gave him a small smile. “But I’m afraid should you try that now, it might be Sacha to the gallows instead.” She couldn’t really picture her darling father being overly forgiving. “Unless of course you have something amazing planned.”

He looked up to the left and right, his brain working.

"If you meet me in the Palace Gardens, I'll have something amazing planned." he said simply. "Is it a date?"

Giana knew this probably wasn’t the best idea, but she was also desperate to get away from here and spend some time with someone she knew actually liked her for being her. “When?” She asked against her better judgment.

Sacha looked to his right and grabbed a glass of red wine off of the tray of a passing valet. "As soon as possible. If you take too long I might wander off." he said, and then took a slow sip from the glass. He'd never liked wine. He finished the glass quickly, like one who was drinking for results rather than pleasure. As an elderly man with a matching glass passed by, Sacha bumped him quite intentionally, causing him to reel and, having lost control, spill his own wine down Giana's dress.

"Clumsy me." he muttered.

"Oh Gods, alive Your Highness! I'm so sorry! Oh! Are you alright? On no!" the old man exclaimed, actually becoming quite upset at his apparent fopas. Like a ghost, Sacha was gone amid the bellows, hopefully having given Giana an excellent reason to leave in her mother and fathers' eyes.

Giana gasped as the wine spilled down her dress, leaving an angry red stain on the lovely fabric. Anger flashed in her eyes but not at the old man, at least not at first. Then she noticed Sacha was gone and it became directed at the old man. “Of all the-!” She began but stopped, taking a breath and putting on a smile. “It’s alright. It is just a dress. Don’t worry yourself.” She waved one of the attendants over so they could relay the message to both of her parents and then quickly moved with another attendant to go back inside to change. Sacha could wait that long and if he couldn’t then he simply wasn’t worth it, obviously.

TBC