to be properly clean, Midori sat up and began to wash, scrubbing more citrus-scented soap into his thick, dark-green hair and scouring his skin with a rough cloth. When he finally stood up and rinsed off, then finished up by shaving, he felt like himself again.
Climbing out, he went to his dressing room, pleased to see that the servants had already prepared his evening clothes. They were crisp, pressed, and faintly scented of that lemon again with a hint of ginger.
He was not looking forward to a long, tedious formal dinner, but he was there to do a job. On the bright side, he would get to see Culebra again and perhaps ... well, best not to get ahead of himself. He was fairly certain Culebra was returning his interest, but they'd had little opportunity to test the waters during carriage ride.
Thinking idly of when he would have a chance to test the waters, Midori pulled on a pale gray under robe and tied it close with plain strips of silk. Settling the folds of it, he pulled on a heavier silk robe dyed so dark a green it almost looked black. His sash was the exact opposite, a green so pale it was just shy of white threaded through with delicate swirls of gold, silver, and bronze.
The robes of his companions would be far more elaborate, to the point they would require servants to help them dress. Midori could not surrender being self-sufficient, and he knew he couldn't carry off such elaborate dress anyway.
Opening the heavy jewelry case on a nearby shelf, he pulled out black pearls for his ears and a matching ring. From another case, he selected a long string of black pearls to wrap around his sash as a final touch. Much of his suddenly-acquired jewelry had been gifts—weak apologies from people who knew it was wrong to discharge him, but why it had been done anyway.
Making a face, Midori pulled on ankle-length boots of gleaming black leather and finally left his dressing chamber. He finished his second glass of wine before finally leaving his rooms altogether. Thankfully, he remembered the way back to the main halls of the palace, and from there it was easy to follow the noise and the crowds to the great ballroom.
He slipped inside and went through all the usual greetings and platitudes, happy when at last the receiving line seemed to disperse and he was left alone with Culebra. "Hello again, highness," he said and took Culebra's hand. "I cannot imagine such crowds as this are very comfortable for you. Dragons know they are not very comfortable for me."
"They are not my favorite," Culebra conceded with a smile that showed strain. "But please do not feel as though you are obliged to be at my side. Go and enjoy yourself, my lord."
Midori stopped a passing servant and took a glass of wine from his tray. He pressed it into Culebra's free hand before taking another for himself. "Highness, I am far more content here with you than trying to pretend I know what to do at a ball. Unless you prefer I take myself off—"
"No," Culebra cut in, an edge of desperation slipping into his voice. His hand tightened on Midori's. "Not at all, my lord," he continued more calmly. "You were very kind to me after rescuing me ..." He swallowed, took a sip of wine, and then resumed. "I was happy to hear your name on the list of delegates. I would like a chance to show you that I can be more than a sobbing, hysterical mess. You—" he cut the words off and drank more wine and did not complete the sentence.
But Midori thought he knew what had gone unsaid: he wasn't afraid of Culebra. What baffled him was that so many were. He could already see it around them, in the way that despite the overcrowding in the ballroom there was plenty of space around the two of them. The way no one else approached them to make conversation when usually royals could never get a moment alone at such functions. "I could never be afraid of you, highness."
"I suppose it would be hard to be afraid of someone who spent several months at sea sobbing like a child,"
Climbing out, he went to his dressing room, pleased to see that the servants had already prepared his evening clothes. They were crisp, pressed, and faintly scented of that lemon again with a hint of ginger.
He was not looking forward to a long, tedious formal dinner, but he was there to do a job. On the bright side, he would get to see Culebra again and perhaps ... well, best not to get ahead of himself. He was fairly certain Culebra was returning his interest, but they'd had little opportunity to test the waters during carriage ride.
Thinking idly of when he would have a chance to test the waters, Midori pulled on a pale gray under robe and tied it close with plain strips of silk. Settling the folds of it, he pulled on a heavier silk robe dyed so dark a green it almost looked black. His sash was the exact opposite, a green so pale it was just shy of white threaded through with delicate swirls of gold, silver, and bronze.
The robes of his companions would be far more elaborate, to the point they would require servants to help them dress. Midori could not surrender being self-sufficient, and he knew he couldn't carry off such elaborate dress anyway.
Opening the heavy jewelry case on a nearby shelf, he pulled out black pearls for his ears and a matching ring. From another case, he selected a long string of black pearls to wrap around his sash as a final touch. Much of his suddenly-acquired jewelry had been gifts—weak apologies from people who knew it was wrong to discharge him, but why it had been done anyway.
Making a face, Midori pulled on ankle-length boots of gleaming black leather and finally left his dressing chamber. He finished his second glass of wine before finally leaving his rooms altogether. Thankfully, he remembered the way back to the main halls of the palace, and from there it was easy to follow the noise and the crowds to the great ballroom.
He slipped inside and went through all the usual greetings and platitudes, happy when at last the receiving line seemed to disperse and he was left alone with Culebra. "Hello again, highness," he said and took Culebra's hand. "I cannot imagine such crowds as this are very comfortable for you. Dragons know they are not very comfortable for me."
"They are not my favorite," Culebra conceded with a smile that showed strain. "But please do not feel as though you are obliged to be at my side. Go and enjoy yourself, my lord."
Midori stopped a passing servant and took a glass of wine from his tray. He pressed it into Culebra's free hand before taking another for himself. "Highness, I am far more content here with you than trying to pretend I know what to do at a ball. Unless you prefer I take myself off—"
"No," Culebra cut in, an edge of desperation slipping into his voice. His hand tightened on Midori's. "Not at all, my lord," he continued more calmly. "You were very kind to me after rescuing me ..." He swallowed, took a sip of wine, and then resumed. "I was happy to hear your name on the list of delegates. I would like a chance to show you that I can be more than a sobbing, hysterical mess. You—" he cut the words off and drank more wine and did not complete the sentence.
But Midori thought he knew what had gone unsaid: he wasn't afraid of Culebra. What baffled him was that so many were. He could already see it around them, in the way that despite the overcrowding in the ballroom there was plenty of space around the two of them. The way no one else approached them to make conversation when usually royals could never get a moment alone at such functions. "I could never be afraid of you, highness."
"I suppose it would be hard to be afraid of someone who spent several months at sea sobbing like a child,"
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