"You are quite welcome, ambassador." He replied, returning the smile with a soft, easy one of his own. "I do hope the fresh air helps you feel a bit better." He glanced around the courtyard, which was stone brick with a fountain in the center. A few different doorways led out, mainly to gardens, though some led back into the palace.
Dacian did take a glimpse around the area, but his eyes deviated back over to the king. He sighed, nodding slowly; his head tilted back as he continued to grin. He hummed gently, "I am sure that it will, Your Majesty. The fresh air…the view…it is all wonderful. I should be better in no time."
Evander wasn't quite sure what Dacian meant by "view", but he didn't question it either, merely dipped his head in a nod and continued to look around the courtyard, eyes snagging on a dragonfly that was lazily winging through.
Lifting his chin up, he glanced up at the sky. He watched as the clouds slowly passed by the sun. Holding his hand up to cover the sun, he lightly chuckled. "I never knew how bright the sun could be," Dacian sighed in awe. "At home, there is this belief that if the sun and moon are shining very brightly at you, that means you have met your sun or moon, or that you will be very soon. I wonder if it's true, or maybe it's just that my Sceivanian eyes are sensitive to such bright lights. Do you know of any superstitions like that, Your Majesty?"
Evander smiled a little, considering the question. "Aven has quite a few superstitions, yes, though I'm not sure we have any similar to that one." he replied, looking over at Dacian thoughtfully. "At least, not to do with the sun and moon."
"Really? How fascinating that is," He mused. Dacian lowered his eyes, meeting with the king's. A shiver went down his spine as he let his gaze linger for a couple of seconds. He looked away. "The sun and moon are truly a beauty together; they compliment one another so wonderfully. Your Majesty, which one do you think you are? The sun or the moon?"
Evander shrugged a little. "As king, I suppose I must be the sun." He said slowly. "Since I lead a country. I'm unsure of the specific criteria to be which one, though." He replied, looking over at Dacian.
So sorry to interrupt, I can delete this if you want, but the title says "Open". You guys look well into the roleplay, so is it meant to say that? Or is it still actually open? Just wanted to give a heads-up. @Icefire_the_always_exhausted
(it still says open because I forgot to change it lmao. It's not actually open. OxO means one on one, just by the way. Not crabby, by the way! I know I can come across as crabby but I'm not, I promise)
Dacian nodded, looking ahead in the courtyard. "I have to agree with you, Your Majesty. You are bright and bold as our star. Quite radiating too, if I may say so myself," He chuckled lightly. With his right hand, he covered his mouth as he laughed till he took a slow breath. "I suppose there are some criteria, but I believe that everyone has their own. As long as one compliment the other, then it does not really matter. If you are the sun, then I hope that you find your moon."
Evander smiled a little. "My thanks for the compliment, ambassador." He replied, looking up at Dacian. "And I hope I find my moon as well. And I hope you find your matching pair, whether you are a moon or a sun in this pair."
Bowing his head to the king's words, his smile grew bigger. Dacian was not able to force the gleam on his face to go away no matter how hard he tried. And despite thinking about what King Evander had said, he continued to blush and smile. "Why, thank you, Your Majesty. Your kindness and grace are immeasurable," He said. Holding his hand back up, he looked towards the sun. "I am not sure what I would be in my pair. Whether I am the sun or the moon, I would be happy to have someone to shine with, to be with. Hopefully they are not so bright that I have to hold my hand up like this."
He nodded. "We all want to be able to look at our partner, I think, even if they are the sun." He replied, stretching slightly and letting out a quiet breath. "And my thanks for the compliment, again." He was flattered by all the compliments Dacian kept giving him.
Lowering his hand, he turned to face the king. With that same hand, he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at the ground. "It is my pleasure, Your Majesty," Dacian nodded. His cheeks were gradually turning red. "I know it must be a bother, so I will try to limit my compliments. My lips must be possessed by some poetic spirit." He laughed a little as he shook his head.
He laughed faintly. "Perhaps they are, though I daresay your lips do quite well on their own." he replied, the faintest edge of flirtation managing to make its way into his voice. He almost immediately regretted it, hoping he had not overstepped the boundary. As king, he had power, sometimes maybe too much, and he never liked overstepping boundaries because people didn't call him out on it, because he was the king.
Dacian's head swiftly looked over at King Evander. His breath hitched while his eyes widened. At first, he thought that it was his imagination playing tricks on him. Then a moment after, he observed the king, realizing that it wasn't in his head. He chortled before throwing back his head with laughter. "I suppose that you are right, Your Majesty," He breathed. "Although I do believe they do well with someone else around, but I am not sure."
Evander let out a silent breath, relieved that Dacian didn't seem offended or upset by what he had said. "Ah, well, neither of us are impartial judges in this case." He replied, meeting Dacian's gaze easily. "But I think that that does not matter too much."
"I agree. It does not matter necessarily, Your Majesty," He mused. Holding his hands in front of him, he rubbed his right thumb against the left. Dacian let his shoulders slowly dropped while he tried to relax the rest of himself. "On the other hand, I suppose it only matters if it really is a spirit or if it the intention of the heart. Sometimes it is difficult to know at that point; you can only know after it all happens."
"True. Perhaps some day we shall look back at all of this and see the truth of what happened, but until that day I suppose we shall have to be content with grasping in the dark as to why we say the things we do." Evander spoke calmly, smiling just a little bit as he looked over at Dacian.
"In the dark…." He softly repeated the phrase to himself. His eyes wandered over to the side while he kept fidgeting with his fingers. Dacian was not sure what was wrong with him; he felt timid yet oddly calm at the same time. The king's voice was sweet and very pleasant to hear. And he shouldn't even dare to start on King Evander's smile. While he did not mind the usual sight of the king, there was something about the monarch now that made him feel afloat. Hesitantly, he quickly nodded, "I suppose we shall, but what if are with someone who is like a candle in the dark? I wonder if we would know some day or if we could know now…"
Evander considered the question, and eventually shrugged. "I do not know the answer to that one." He said. "Or at least, I cannot think of a satisfactory one. I may be king, but even I don't know everything." He studied Dacian still, grey eyes calm and steady as they always were, full of careful control.
He wanted to ask the king so much, but he was too worried about bothering the king. And at the same time, Dacian was troubled by the king's eyes. Not in a bad way though. The way they reflected and shined is just so captivating to him. "But a king should know how handsome he is, shouldn't he?" He asked, tilting his head to the right.
He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Ah, perhaps we should, but then, perhaps it would inflate our ego too much, if that were the case. A prideful king does not make for the best of rulers."
"Oh…." Dacian whispered to himself. He wasn't sure where he was trying to get with that, but he just stood there and nodded along. It was hard not letting his eyes linger, looking at the king. At the same time, it was getting difficult to find words to say without letting his mouth simply wander. "I….I believe that it would not be the case with you, Your Majesty. You already are a wonderful ruler. You also are handsome and have beautiful eyes."
Evander let out a quiet laugh, looking over at Dacian. "I…I'm not sure how I am supposed to respond, ambassador, but I must thank you again." he smiled a little, a quiet little smile that wasn't very large. "You are quite free with your compliments."
The king's laugh resonated in his heart. He placed both of his hands over it as it thumped. "It is, isn't it, Your Majesty?" He asked in a whispered tone. "My heart is always free around those it flutters for, but I really must be stopping myself before causing you any trouble."
He stared at Dacian at the words about the man's heart, lips parting for a moment before he spoke. "Oh. Yes. Ah…" He trailed off, not sure what to say now, not when the ambassador's words seemed to perhaps hint at something…more? Unless Evander was mistaken and that too was quite possible.
"Is there something of the matter, Your Majesty?" Dacian asked. He looked at the king with wide eyes that lit up while his lips trembled with worry. "You…You may…You may say whatever that it is. I will appreciate whatever it is that you may say or do, Your Majesty." His eyes flickered down to the ground as he let one arm drop to the side. The other still lead over his heart beating quicker than before.
"No, there's…ah…there's nothing wrong." he replied softly. "Please don't worry about that, it's not…not a problem." he shook his head faintly, looking over at Dacian and really unsure about what the other man had meant, what was going on now.
Dacian was not sure how to put everything into words. "Do you not feel something in the air between us? Something more than a king and his ambassador, more than a friend and a friend?" He questioned. Licking his lips, he shook his head. "I am not sure what to say, Your Majesty. Everytime I look into your eyes, I see something that just pulls me in. My face feels incredibly warm. I am not sure if I am unwell or if it is something else."