Talin backed up a step when he was ran into, looking at the girl and waving a hand dismissively, “No need to apologize, I seem to be getting in everyone’s way today.” He cracked a small smile and tried to imagine what it was like up north from what Zia had said, “Seeing pictures would be lovely, though let’s get you settled a little first.”
She smiled apologetically before sweeping past them, glancing at the girl he'd been with who she recognized as Zia. She hadn't spoken to any of the other girls yet but she knew who all of them were. As a writer, she learned to observe from a distance. It was kind of her talent, being able to read people. She shook her thoughts away and headed downstairs and into the gardens.
Beatriz had definitely wandered down the wrong hall. There were portraits everywhere, and everything in the hall looked like it was worth more than her. shaking her head, she turned around and went down a different hallway, only to see the prince with two other girls. She froze. For some reason, her brain had gone completely blank. Was she supposed to turn around and leave? Should she apologise for intruding? She shook her head once, quickly, to clear it, but it felt like her brain had been filled with stuffing and dead flies.
Zia chuckled softly. "Right right, I know. I just meant, at some point, I can show you if you like." She shrugged. "Pictures are nothing like the real thing, but i can't imagine you'd be allowed to go there. Security would be a nightmare, especially if you actually went higher up in the mountains themselves." She shrugged slightly, fidgeting a little with the bottom of her shirt.
Zaera walked into a new hall to spot two other girls, one who had been at breakfast, the other who seemed to be new, the prince, and Beatriz. Beatriz seemed to keep her distance, but the others were speaking directly to the prince. She decided to observe from a distance, but then thought that rude. She walked up and gave a slight curtsy to all three of them, as her father had so ingrained in her before looking up to speak with them, "Hello your highness. I would greet you two as well, but I don't believe I've met either of yet. My name is Zaera."
“Miss Zaera,” He acknowledged her before smiling at Zia again, “Yeah, security would be a nightmare, especially right now. I’ll have to go visit there sometimes.” Talin looked around at the hallway and spotted an open room down a ways, his eyes brightening momentarily.
Zia smiled at Zaera. "I'm Zia. Nice to meet you." She said. She looked at Talin. "Of course. If you ever do visit, there are plenty of good guides in the area that'll show you some great spots." She shrugged. "The best way to go is to just explore, though. Then you can pretend no one else has ever seen what you've found." She shrugged slightly, then blushed. "Sorry if I'm talking your ear off or anything. Just tell me to stop talking if you want me to."
Beatriz, having worked up enough courage to move, walked over to stand by Zaera, offering the prince the most she could give him, which was a shy smile, not wanting to interrupt anything.
Zaera gave a nod to Beatrix and then a nod to Zia, "Nice to meet you as well."
He nodded and his smile grew, her rambling was quite fun to listen to. The prince bowed his head in acknowledgment when Beatriz came over but stayed silent so the girls could introduce themselves.
Jade had been lost in thought for a moment. Once the prince had left with the new girl, she turned to Sonia. "I don't think that we'll ever be allowed anywhere close to the kitchen again." She took another bite of her burger. "Ugh. I didn't tell her my name, I was just… thinking about something. I hope we see her again, she seemed nice. Don't you think?"
Zia looked at the other girls. "So what are your names?" She asked them curiously, brushing a few stray bits of hair from her face again. She wished that she had had time to change before coming here. Right now she looked like exactly what she was: a hiker plucked up from the mountains and plopped into the palace. Not the greatest first impression to give a prince, or any of the other girls.
(Ah well if Jade had had the time, she would have said that she loved Zia's outfit lol)
(lol)
Beatriz jumped slightly. "I'm Beatriz," she said, smiling slightly. "I'm not sure I know yours, though."
Zia nodded to her. "Nice to meet you, Beatriz. I'm Zia. The late arrival." She smiled, and gave a one shouldered shrug. "So I think I may have a distinct disadvantage now. Ah well." She shrugged again. "Can't be helped."
Beatriz scoffed quietly. "I don't think you have a disadvantage," she told Zia. "We haven't done much," she explained, nervously playing with a piece of her hair.
Zia shrugged slightly. "Oh. Alright then." She smiled. "But even if I did have a disadvantage…it doesn't matter." She glanced at Talin. "Er…no offense." She looked back at Beatriz. "I mean, in the long run, only one of us wins, and it's just as likely to be you as it is to be me."
Beatriz genuinely laughed, putting a hand over her mouth out of habit. "That's unlikely. I'm much too awkward to be a queen," she explained.
Zia laughed. "Oh don't worry. I blabber too much for it. I'm also extremely short, so I'm not sure how comfortable a huge height difference would be." She said with a laugh. She shrugged slightly.
"Pfft, you're barely a hair shorter than me, don't worry," Beatriz assured her.
Zia chuckled. "I know, I know." She said. "I just poke fun at myself all the time for my own shortness." She said with a grin. "My family does it too. But it's useful. I can fit into tight spaces that no one else can. It's great."
"It is fun," Beatriz admitted. "I always beat my sister at hide-and-seek."
Zia chuckled. "When I was younger, I used to hide and make my brothers find me. They never could because they were always bigger than me and couldn't fit in the same spaces i could. So I'd pop out of hiding and scare them."
Zaera gently jumped in to the conversation. She had never heard of the game they were talking about, but she could figure out what the goal of the game was… Almost, "So the goal of the game is to scare your siblings? I'm sorry, I've never played before."
Beatriz giggled. "No, you're supposed to hide while one person tries to find you. If they give up, you win, and if they find you, they win. We should play some time," she suggested, before her face colored with embarrassment. Great. As if I wasn't enough of a child already.
Zia laughed. "Yeah, what Beatrix said." She grinned. "Ohh we should definitely play! I bet there are so many hiding places around the palace. The game could go on for hours!" Her eyes lit up. "Especially if we got all of the Selected involved!"
"Oh," Zaera nodded, "That would be quite fun. Though I feel we would need to limit the area people could go to just to give the person looking a chance or when people get found they also help search."
Talin’s mouth turned up into a amused and happy smile as the girls talked, chuckling when they talked about height differences and letting his mind wander to the best hiding spots in the palace when they mentioned hide and seek. It was nice, seeing them get along he decided, and he already didn’t want to make any of them leave.
Zia hummed softly, and nodded. "Yeah. Otherwise the game might take days, and I don't think any of us would want that." She said to Zaera. She glanced at Talin. "You should play too." She grinned. "Hey, you could start out as the first it." She suggested, laughing. She looked back over at Zaera and Beatriz. "I think it definitely would be fun."