Pride Night

The silvergrey eyes let their gaze glide around on all the people, some painted in all of the pride´s colors, and some just wearing their most whoristic outfits ever, and some just like him, just wearing as minimalistic an outfit as they possibly could. He hadn´t really dressed up for party, since he didn´t even expect to find one or join one in the first place, but now that he was here, he might as well just let go and join the party. A smile formed over the plump lips, as he walked further inside, before he found a staircase to the upper floor, where a bar also was present. He walked up rather quickly, as he stopped halfway, before he let his gaze once more take in all of the wonder he was seeing. People grinding up against each other, some dancing slow, and some really working a sweat. Smiles and laughter all around, small talk in the corners, and sinners in the dark, touching places that.. maybe should not be touched in public, so obviously.

He couldn´t help but shake a little with his head, so the brown locks of hair moved a little, as they ends curled slightly. He then walked up to the first floor, as he walked past all the people, standing and leaning against the railing with wiew to the dancefloor. He leaned a little to the side over the railings, as he looked down towards the dancefloor, before he found a more secluded spot, as he gently took off his coat, before he also let the hood of his glide off the hair, now a little more straightened by it, as he ruffled up in it, before he took his wallet in black and put into his right pocket with his phone. He walked away from the spot, as he got to the bar and ordered a drink, following another drink, as he talked with his side partners, ending up taking some shots not long after with them, as he suddenly heard Ina Shai´s version of starboy playing.

He excused himself, as he smiled, before he moved down the stairs in his white tshirt and black pants. He reached the dancefloor, still holding his cool, after having gotten alot to drink. He moved out to the dancefloor, moving his hips efter so smoothly, as he did a twist around himself, before he found a group to dance with, as he held a smile over his lips, while moving his body a little from side to side, slowly lifting his hands to the music, as he got a little down, before he made a split, which made some people give him more space, as he moving elegantly his lower body area, before getting up, as he turned and laughed, before he fell back towards a stranger, as he lost balance and found himself back against the person, if he had caught him, or else, he would just have crashed against him. " Oh pardonne moi ".

Outfit: dark grey suit-pants, a white shirt with the sleeves folded up to the elbows, a cognac-colored belt as well as cognac-colored leather shoes. The hair is as the profile picture.

He was drunk; far too drunk. He had been that since the last meeting with his betrothed, Noelle Voclain, earlier that week. Regardless of his status as a clan-leader and soon to be monarch of The Circle, he had decided to go out and simply get so shit-faced wasted that he wouldn’t remember anything the next time he woke up (hopefully). Of course, he had seemed rather unfazed by the demand his mother had made; forcing him to marry. The moment he proposed to Noelle, he knew that he would not find the arrangement she had stated satisfactory. Of course, he would consult her in any given matter; let her act as his sole advisor. It was the part where he had to agree that the marriage itself wouldn’t be one out of love. He wasn’t going to say that he loved her - but he did harbor some unkempt feelings for her; feelings he had suppressed for decades, since they had last seen each other when she had been far to young to even be involved with him in the first place. Now, there was mere days until the wedding between him and his future wife and queen. It felt surreal.

The best place to drink and forget was The Late Night club. People wouldn’t kiss and tell there; they would simply live in the present and move on once finished. Sketchy individuals would always wait outside the club to prey on those under the influence, which was why he usually stayed there until he was certain someone else had been grabbed.

He wasn’t usually the one to dance; he thought that to be far to embarrassing, yet he had found himself crossing the dance floor to get you another drink. Sex On The Beach, of course, even though it reminded him of the blue-eyed, fair-haired demon he had been ghosting ever since he had found out about the demon dating someone else. Heartbroken wasn’t the correct terminology, but nothing else seemed to fit either. He sighed, as he had ordered his next drink and was waiting for it to be ready for him. He was handed the drink, smiled shortly to the bartender, before he walked towards the dance floor again; only to cross it and get to his designated seating arrangement. On his way, he noticed a certain individual dancing like he owned the floor; doing a split in the middle of it all. Baffled, Nathaniel stood by and watched, only to watch the man make a turn and fall over; right into the chest of Nathaniel. Nathaniel, of course, managed to spill his refill-drink out over himself, before he heard the man apologize for the incident. ‘’Quel gâchis nous avons fait,’’ he said, chuckling. The apology had been in pure French, making Nathaniel convinced that the young man must be at least partially French himself. ‘’Are you okay?’’ he then asked, lending the man a hand to regain his posture, if he needed it.

The silver colored eyes looked up the instant they heard the pure and posh french accent, as the expression over his own face was quite obvious to see, as he looked surprised at the man. The only thing he could think off to say was " Oh!, tu es français? ". It was not really a question but more of a statement, as he could so clearly heard it, as he himself had a rather refined posh french accent to his tone. It was only now that it hit him, that he was still leaning against the man. He got rather quickly up, but with the help from the kind stranger, as he smiled apologizingly towards him, before adjusting his shirt a little, as he looked down himself, only to see the white shirt stained, as he turned his attention towards the stranger once more, when he noticed the stains on his also white attire. " Yes i´m okay, but it was definitely not a day for wearing white, that´s for sure ". He chuckled, as he let his gaze glide over the stranger. He was rather tall, wasnt he?.

" I can´t even lend you a shirt, but what about a new drink, as an apology? ". His mouth formed a smirk, as he leaned forward, shortly sniffing the stain on Nathaniel´s shirt, as he said " Sex on the beach? ". A laughter escaped his plump lips, as he shok his head a little, before saying " I know that drink all too well ". He used to order it all the time when he was in Miami, so just the scent alone was enough. He gently took a hold around Nathaniel´s wrist, if he would let him, before he started to guide them past the human crowd, as he looked over towards the bar on the lower level. " Hm, too crowded!. Viens avec moi! ".

He started to walk towards the staircase up towards the upper floor, as he stopped halfway on it, as he looked towards the stranger with a festive smile, as he still held around his wrist or in his hand, if he had let him, as the light bathed him in a colorfull fluorescence light, as he continued to walk up the staircase after having looked a little towards the dancefloor. He then walked straight to the bar, as he ordered without hesitation. " One sex on the beach and a Cupid´s Arrow, and also two liquid Cocaine´s ". He looked over towards the stranger, as he then said " To table 14, and just put it on the tab. Amour ". He then walked over towards his table, as he looked to the stranger as he gave a headnod in the direction towards it, before he sat down in the red leather couch, that was formed like a U, with him sitting at the bow, before he looked towards the man. " I´m very sorry for ruining your shirt ". The sound wasn´t as loud upstairs as downstairs, but people still had to sit rather close to hear each other, as to why he had placed himself in the middle inside the booth they were almost sitting in, with walls on each side, so they were a little cut off from everything, but with a wiew to the dancefloor and railing, where some people were talking. There was even an option to pull a red curtain down in front of the booth, so people could get private time, but he hadn´t done that. Why should he?.

Nathaniel couldn’t help but smile an entertained smile at the stranger, as he lit up the moment he noticed the French phrasing rather than English. He then nodded, to indicated that the man was correct; Nathaniel was indeed French by blood and breed. He was leaning against Nathaniel for a moment, before he got up and seemed to collect himself a bit. ‘’Wearing white is always a safe bet fashion-wise, but when it comes to clubbing; it’s most likely the worst choice ever,’’ he agreed with a chuckle, as he looked slightly down at the stranger.
‘’Lend me a shirt? Nah, no need,’’ he teased. ‘’I could simply just take it off and be done with it,’’ he then said, winking. He looked slightly puzzled at the stranger as he leaned forward and took a whiff of the stain, only to guess the drink, continuing with a laughter on his lips as he said that he knew that drink far too well. ‘’Yeah - if a man couldn’t drink that stuff here, something would be messed up!’’ he said, admitting that the guess had been correct.

Nathaniel stiffened slightly as the stranger grabbed him around the wrist and dragged him along through the crown, only to decide midway that it was too crowded at then dragged Nathaniel with him up the stairs to the 1st floor. Midway on the stairs, the stranger stopped a few steps higher than Nathaniel; rendering them the same height for a moment. Nathaniel could not decipher the eye-color of the stranger in that brief moment, but he had gotten a glimpse of a festive smile under the fluorescent lights. Drinks were ordered; something about cocaine!?, before the stranger escorted Nathaniel over to a more private booth; shaped like a U, with a curtain to make everything more private if needed. Nathaniel sat down; rather close to the stranger, to even be able to listen to the words he tried to speak. ‘’Don’t be, I never wear anything of importance when I go out, for this exact reason,’’ he said, winking at the stranger - although, it was for other reasons too; forgetting things after a one-night-stand seemed a bit more bearable when the things didn’t hold any affectional value.
‘’I’m Nath, by the way,’’ he said, reaching a hand to the stranger to introduce himself.

Maxence couldn´t help but chuckle a little of his statement. " I always wear something of importance, normally, but i wasn´t even planning on partying today actually ". He noticed the winks, but it wasn´t a first for him, that some handsome stranger had winked and played up to him, but then again.. he didn´t quite fall for the shy types, no he was more into the types that knew what they wanted and didn´t hold back, as he hated to be teased, since he normally was the tease, in some aspects, but not this one. As he reached his hand forward, he gently squeezed the stranger´s hand, before he said " Amour ". He was a famous figure skater after all, so he didn´t like using his own name, especially not when he was around a potentially one night stand, and this guy, could very well end up as a quickie, before he left the club, but who knew. He was always the first to leave and never to look back, that was just how he rolled. No one had ever been able to capture his heart, and probably never would.

Some had called him heartless, and some had even tried to keep him, but he had always slipped right out of their grasp, like a ghost. As the drinks got placed in front of them, he took the shots, before placing them in front of himself and Nath, as he leaned closer towards him, before he raised his voice, so he could hear him. " It´s not real cocaine, just so you know!. The drink is just called it, cause it got a 151 proof rum, Jägermeister and Rumplemintz in it, so it kick starts the party ". He held the long shots glass with his thumb and middlefinger, before holding it towards Nath, as to clink it together with his, if he even wanted his, before he flipped the glass bottom up, as he took the shot in one go, before he smiled and placed it gently on the table, as he leaned forward and let his hands glide up the neck of the glass.

He placed it in his hand, in an elegant hold, before he crossed one leg over the thigh of his, with the foot turning away from Nath and the knee to the side, so it wasnt a lady like cross. He then took a little sip of his own drink, to remove the after taste of the shot, before he looked over towards him, as he said " So Nath. Is there a companion to you or are you on the hunt tonight? ". He smiled a little, as he took another sip of his drink, before he played with its neck, at the bottom, spinning it a little from side to side, as the liquid inside of it turned with the motion. The silver grey eyes looked over towards him once again, as he took a sip, while looking at him, almost as if he was tasting him, before he placed the drink on the table and just leaned back towards the comfy couch.

‘’Partying should never be planned - it drains the joy of the presence!’’ he said, smiling calmly. The way he presented himself made Nathaniel raise a brow; was the stranger not going to tell his name, or had some ill-fitted parents decided to name their son after the French word for love, when the man himself was French? ‘’I wonder, did your parents really hate you enough to name you something out of irony, or is it a stage name?’’ he asked with an obvious tease in his tone, to make sure that Max understood that he was simply joking. Nathaniel knew the voice - he knew the face. However, it could very well have been because he had seen the guy in television or something and was too drunk to remember at the moment.
Shots were placed in front of them, only for Max to place one of them in front of Nathaniel. As Max leaned closer, so did Nath, only to be able to hear what was being almost shouted to him. It wasn’t like he had feared the ‘cocaine’ that much; he had tried it before. It was more the part where it was extremely offensive for a stranger to order someone a shot named after a drug. With a swift movement he cheered with Max before throwing back his head; allowing the stinging shot to run down his throat. He closed his eyes as he tried to identify the taste, but with no luck. Instead, he placed the shot glass on the table again, before looking at Max once more. That was when he remembered the voice; the phone call and the reason he had called in the first place. This was Maxence, wasn’t it?! He was sitting next to his future brother-in-law, and the guy seemed completely oblivious.
Nathaniel grabbed his drink - his beloved Sex On The Beach - and leaned with an elbow against the table. Everything was a bit tingly after the shot, making him doubt his own thoughts. What if this wasn’t Maxence?... Max asked a question, making Nathaniel chuckle. ‘’That depends who you ask,’’ he said, shaking his head as if it was a private joke. ‘’I’m getting married next week. Until then, there’s no companion, I guess.’’ He said; visibly uncertain about the whole ordeal. The way Max looked at him made him look down at his drink. Was it really fair that he was at a club, hooking up with someone, if he was about to marry someone? Of course not. Why he did it? To keep feeling alive. To keep numbing the pain of the loss he wasn’t allowed to mourn and to move on with his shadowed thoughts. ‘’How’s Noelle, by the way?’’ he then asked, figuring that if it really was Maxence he was sitting next to, then it would only be fair to let him know that it was indeed Nathaniel he was sharing drinks with.

Maxence raised his brow a little, as he said " What´s wrong with Amour. I actually find it rather cute, but no. It´s my middle name. Beau Amour ". He laughed a little, as he shok his head a little, before saying " Do you have something against love maybe? ". He winked, as he also meant it as a double joke, both against real love but also him as a whole. He had heard the teasing tone and had teased right back at Nath. He smiled friendly, as he took another sip of his drink. He felt the effects of the shot, as he looked at Nath, suddenly seeing double for a short period, before he squeezed the bridge of his nose, as he leaned forward a little bit, before letting go, as the silver grey eyes looked over towards him. He chuckled a little, as Nath said that it depended on who you asked. " Oh really. Being quite vague here are we? ". He smiled, as he took another sip of his drink, before he raised a brow when he heard the next words.

" Married?. Then what are you doing here, and all alone, or almost ". He smiled, as he looked at him with a gentle look. He could clearly see something run over the stranger´s face.. something almost like regret or maybe it was just him imagine it, as he leaned forward a little, before he said. " You don´t... look happy ". He let his teeth glide down into the plump underlip of his own, as he chewed on it for a while, before he let go, as he leaned back, before he took his drink and just took a sip, the moment he asked about Noelle. " Oh, she´s fine, after i kidnappet her to the US to hold a bachelorette party. You should have seen her, she got so dru- ". He spit out his drink to the side, a little, as he held a hand in front of his mouth, as it suddenly hit him.. where did this guy know Noelle from?, and then it really hit him. The back of his hand against his lips, as he swallowed the remains of the drink inside of his mouth, before he looked choked at him. Nath... Nathaniel. Nathaniel D'Combe.. the phone call. * Non non non, qu'est-ce que j'ai fait *.

He sat up with a straightened back, as he looked quite surprised to find the king here... alone. He looked at him a little, before he looked down at his shirt, even more stained than the beginning. He sighed, as he took a hold of it, before he pulled it over his head, as he got up and took the curtain and pulled down, so the whole place didn´t get to see his toned stomach and the pumped muscles. He then sat down on the table, almost right in front of Nathaniel, but not quite, as he looked at him, before he found a pack of cigarettes, as he held one over towards him, but it wasn´t cigarettes, as it was joints that were in the pack. If he didn´t take it, he would take the joint himself and the ash tray near them, as he would light it up, before he would lean forward, with his elbows against his knees, as he looked thoughtful up, before inhaling and then exhaling after a while. " So tell me.. do you have the same kind of feelings as my sister?. i mean, not wanting to get married ". He looked at him. He wanted to know where Nathaniel stood, and besides.. they had already come so far and it wasn´t like he was officially that close with the circle, after having been a part of another world for so long. " So Nathaniel or should i say My King. Guess we both weren´t completely honest there with our names ".

He smiled, as he shrugged, before he leaned back, still sitting on the table and a hand behind him to hold him up, as he looked towards the ceiling. He tried to keep the joint away from Nathaniel and the smoke too, if he had declined. " I really dont see the trouble. You are both hot, both successful, both with status. Love is a bother anyway. At least with this, you will always have one by your side, supporting you. I think Noelle will see it in the long run, and if you both have the same wiew on the marriage, then who are any of you, to hold the other one from love or whoever you want to hook up with ". He was refering to what he had heard from Noelle, he didn´t even know if Nathaniel shared same opinion. His tone was still rather respectful, but also laid back. He wasn´t one to just fall under a command or tone for that matter. He had always been rather.. inpulsive and untamed in some aspects, but never rude, not on purpose.

The teasing Nathaniel had tried to use on Max got turned around and hit him right in the face. Did he have something against love? ‘’That depends on the definition of love, I suppose,’’ he said, somewhat straight-faced, although - in his head - a million thoughts on love spun around like whirlwinds, trying to mess him up even more. After the silence his late brother had caused, he felt empty. An emptiness he filled with alcohol as usual.
‘’I try to be vague in most of my exclamations, to avoid things being too serious.’’ He then said with a crooked smile before taking yet another sip of his drink. Being serious was reserved for when he was Nathaniel Gerard Laurel D’Combe. Right now, he was simply Nath. He didn’t care to be serious; he hated it. Then, as Max picked up on the whole married-thing, Nathaniel sighed to himself before he took a rather large sip of his drink. ‘’It’s complicated, by today’s standards,’’ he said, smiling calmly to let Max know that it wasn’t anything too serious. As Nath asked about Noelle, the poor guy proceeded to speak, up to a point where it seemed to sink in who he was sitting with. He wasn’t going to make a big deal out of this meeting, as it was unintentional and surely nothing to be remembered when they would wake up in the morning, hungover.
‘’Oh, I know. Miami was it not?’’ he asked, rhetorically, since he had been the one to call the hotel in the first place. The whole spitting out his drink-affair made Nathaniel chuckle calmly. He wanted to tell the poor fellow to relax, but he sort of enjoyed how he almost lost his shit over the revelation.
All of a sudden, Max’s whole demeanor changed. Nathaniel simply looked, as he got up and pulled off his shirt while walking over to close the curtain. For a moment, as Max sat down on the table almost right in front of Nath, he wanted to tell him that he wasn’t trying to get anything from him; neither sex nor money. Then, Max pulled out a packet of joints disguised as cigarettes. Nathaniel nodded slightly as a ‘thank you’, before he took one. He would of course reimburse Max later on. He pulled out his own lighter from his pants, as he was a smoker by habit, to light up the joint he had received from Max. Then, the question arose. If he felt the same way as Noelle or not. Nathaniel sighed quietly.

‘’I was fortunate enough that Estelle chose to run off, so that I would be able to even have a chance to marry Noelle. I suspect, however, that Noelle rather would be rid of the whole ordeal than being stuck with me.’’ He admitted. No, he was not in love with her, nor did he actually love her; but he did care for her. He had seen her grow up, they had once shared a very forbidden kiss even. Now, it all seemed like a feverish dream, shattered by the reality that she surely felt horribly treated by everyone in the estate for being forced to spent time with him at all. Then, Max stated that neither of them had been honest with their names, making Nathaniel shake his head. ‘’Would you have preferred a total stranger presented himself and ‘His Royal Highness Nathaniel Gerard Laurel D’Combe of The Circle’? How freaked out wouldn’t you have been to know that you ruined a king’s shirt? My name made little matter in the grand scheme now, did it?’’ he asked, honestly a bit tired of hearing his own real name pronounced with the royal symbolism. ‘’Anyway, you can call me whatever you’d like, as long as we’re alone. Back at The Circle, it would be unwise to break traditions. I might be cool with it, but other members might not,’’.
Nathaniel did just as Max, and kept on smoking his joint; feeling somehow relaxed a bit by the smoke taking its effect. Maxence then spoke about there not being an issue at all, since they did fit together, and love was a huge pain in the ass anyway. ‘’If she want love, I would do anything to give her just that; regardless of how it might affect me. She deserves a chance at that, at least. If she wants to hookup with someone, fall in love or whatever - I would never try to stop her. It would never be my place to reign over someone else’s heart.’’ He said, looking at the joint in his hand to avoid looking straight at his future-brother-in-law. ‘’She asked for that to be a term; she was allowed to take whoever she wanted to bed and to love. I have no say-so in the matter,’’ he then stated, taking a look at his drink, before he looked back at Maxence.

Maxence was treading dangerous water, or that was what someone would think, but not Max. He had already gone over the top of drunk, as he inhaled another around of his joint, before he looked at the ceiling, still listening to Nathaniel. He didn´t see him as a king in here, but he still knew that he had to be careful of his words, and he also wasn´t an asshole, trying to make him uncomfortable. " Fortunate.. hm ". He gave a slight nod, as he took another puff of the joint, before he exhaled. " When you say it in that way, you are probably right " he smiled, as he straightened his back, before he looked down towards Nathaniel, as he nodded a little. " Good choice of words. She will be happy with you i´m sure... but life is really all to short, to be living for someone elses happiness. Dont you have someone.. anyone? ".

He looked at him with his head tilted a little to the side, as he studied Nathaniel´s face for a bit, before he leaned forward, as he narrowed his eyes a little, before he smiled and then glided down besides him in an graceful motion, before he shrugged and said. " But enough about my sister. You are to be married soon, so... is there something you wanna do?. before the big day that is, and you know.. it´s not like it´s the end of the world, being married to someone, unless you love someone else, but then again, you can always just have that on the side ". He smiled a little, as he stretched his body a little, before he played with one of the curls in his hair, as he took another puff of the joint.

He felt every effect, to the tingling in his body, to the pressing laughter that was inside of him, as he looked over towards Nathaniel, before he said " Should we get some more? or ". His speech was becoming a little more slurred, and one could still make out what he was saying, but it didn´t take much more than what he had already gotten. " Maybe a trip to the dancefloor? ". He slowly got up, still shirtless, as he held his hand towards Nathaniel, before almost just grabbing his hand, as he wanted to drag him down to the dancefloor with him. His movements still fluid and gracefull to a point, but not as much controlled as before, as the whole world was spinning a little. " Oh shit ". He almost forgot that he shouldn´t take the joint with him, as he killed the smoke in the ashtrey, before putting it pack into the pack, as he looked over towards Nathaniel, waiting for his next move.

Maxence asked forbidden questions. Nathaniel could do nothing but sigh, as he got asked is he had someone - anyone - in his life. He didn’t want to answer, because he knew that if he had to say it out loud, he wouldn’t be able to hide it from himself any longer; the truth, that he could never have someone in his life without hurting them. Instead, he shook his head. ‘’No one,’’ he answered, simple and calm, although the sound of his words echoed and transformed in his head; chanting that he had no one at all. He took another puff of his joint, avoiding the look of Maxence once again.
‘’You’re awfully comfortable sitting next to your kind in little but a pair of pants,’’ he then said, as Maxence slid down next to him after having studied the facial features of Nathaniel thoroughly. It wasn’t to offend Maxence; it was simply to remind him that someone would think wrongly if they saw them. ‘’There’s nothing more I want to do, my friend. I am to rule as a king, and serve as a husband. I could wish to one day raise as a father, but there’s no guarantee for that, I’m afraid.’’ He said, knowing that he sounded too formal once again. He had returned to the seriousness rather than staying drunk enough to forget. He was once again lost.
He then placed the last of his joint of the ashtray, letting it burn out on its own. Maxence got up and reached out for Nathaniel’s hand to drag him off once more. Nathaniel however, wanted for nothing more to go find that demon he once made a fool off and make up for everything. It was something he couldn’t do, however, so he had chosen to get ready to return home. ‘’I’m sorry Max… I’ll have to pass. Another time, perhaps,’’ Nathaniel said, as he got up without grabbing the hand that was reached out to him. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number instinctively. The call didn’t go through, but that didn’t seem to mind Nathaniel at all. Nerobel had seen the call no doubt and would be on his way to pick of the siren any minute now. ‘’By the way… Life is never too short to want for others to be happy.’’ He then said, as he placed his phone back in his pocket.

He looked towards Nathaniel with a smile over his lips, but as soon as he said that he would have to pass, he just shrugged. " Suit yourself ". He wasn´t going to just run after him, if he really wanted to leave, he could do so, he was a grown man, and his sisters´s fiance and husband to come. He smiled, as he just stood there, not embarassed at all to be shirtless, and why should he?. It wasn´t as if he was seeing it as something sexual. He didn´t try to seduce or be with Nathaniel, so why should he feel uncomfortable?, it was more than one had on in the swimming pool or at the beach, most likely. Hes look followed him a little, as he said the words?. " Okay? ". He tilted his head a little, before he smiled and said " At least you got your heart the right place, but don´t forget about yourself ".

His face darkened a little, like it had been struck by sadness, as he walked over and sat down for himself, not looking miserable, but just joyful, like solitude was his little own paradise, and it was.. cause in paradise, one could never disturb the peace. He followed Nathaniel a little with his eyes, before he sighed, as he got his shirt on, and then coat, as he followed him, before running up to him, as he gently placed a hand on his shoulder, before saying " At least let me walk you out ". He walked with Nathaniel, as he walked out of the club, before placing his hands in his pocket, with a smile over his face, as he said " I´m glad it was you. Of all people, she could have ended up with, just.. don´t put her happiness over your own, she wouldn´t like that.. it´s a partnership, not a jail. Don´t let it be ". He continued to stand, until Nathaniel had walked off or been picked up, just to be sure that he was sent safely home, before he smiled and waved, as he started to walk away from the club itself, not really feeling in the greatest party mood.

//Out? //

It seemed like Maxence had gotten the things mixed up. Nathaniel didn’t prevent his own happiness from wishing Noelle to follow hers. Was it not the greatest thing a husband could do; support his wife in the pursuit of happiness?
Nathaniel had made his way down the stairs and was heading for the exit, when he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. ‘’Of course,’’ he said, as Maxence asked to walk him out. It wasn’t because he wanted to leave Maxence behind - and had the guy asked to get a ride to the estate, he could have crashed for the night there.
Outside, the air was cold and crisp; making Nathaniel sigh in the air and feeling the stinging sensation in his lungs. ‘’I am not putting her happiness above my own, Maxence… I am prioritizing her happiness, for when she is unhappy, I’ve failed my utmost important duty. I couldn’t bare the thought of her not having everything she could ever wish for. Call it what you want… It’s not like I have anything to lose.’’ He said, putting his hands in his pockets. ‘’wouldn’t you do the same for her?’’ he then asked, looking up at the sky. ‘’wouldn’t you sacrifice anything to see her eyes light up with pure joy, just once?’’ he asked, knowing that it sounded like he had fallen for her, head over heel. Maybe he had. Maybe, he had been alone for so long that the thought of having someone in his life made him think it was love. He couldn’t tell the difference any longer.

Maxence rubbed his hands together, before he blew on them, as he looked over towards Nathaniel, as he felt the alcohol hit a little harder than before, but it was almost like he had fallen into a period of soberness, it would probably disappear not too long after this, but for now, he was happy that he could at least finish his sentences without making himself a fool, in front of his king, and sisters future husband. Maxence shrugged a little, as he heard Nathaniel´s words. " I.. don´t know. I mean, i have seen her eyes light up with pure happiness before, and i have also pulled her with me places, so theres that. I think we all are in some kind of state, where we also need to remember, that just because times are sometimes hard, or bad, it´s also okay not to feel okay ". He felt like he stumbled over his words, which made him laugh a little at his own words, as he looked down towards his shoes, as he buttoned his jacket. He let a hand run through his own hair, as he looked over towards Nathaniel.
He would have wished, he had met someone like him at that time, someone with an actual heart, or someone who seemed like it. He smiled gently, as he said " But no, i wouldn´t sacrifice everything for her. I value my own life higher than anything, but... i will always be there for her, love her as her brother, and i always wish her happiness, but i also know that she is her own maker of that. She isn´t a kid. She can get hurt yes, we all can.. but she is strong, and she has someone who loves her, in his own way, and also us crazy siblings ". He winked towards Nathaniel, as he meant him, when saying someone who loved her, in his own way, before he shrugged and said " But i´m glad to know she has you, and she also has your back, i´m sure of it, just.. remember to breath both of you, so you don´t suffacate each other ". He laughed, as he found forward a normal smoke, before he tried to find his lighter, so he could at least get a smoke, on top of all the high and alcohol.

Maxence’s words hit the soon-to-be king hard. It was okay to not being okay. Had that guy just known how much Nathaniel fought with those thoughts on the regular, then he would know that it wasn’t okay to be anything but alright. It wasn’t okay to be sad; scared; hurt or in mourning, because he was about to take over after his late brother. He was about to lead, when all he had ever done was run away. He was about to marry a woman, despite the fact that he had done nothing to renouncing female company for nearly a decade because part heartbreak. He wasn’t okay, and he feared that he would never be. how could you tell such a thing to a man who was the brother to the woman he was about to marry? He couldn’t. instead, he breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. ‘’I don’t know… Right now, it seems like being anything but okay isn’t an option, Max.’’ he sighed, letting out the air he had compressed inside his lungs.
As Maxence started to fumble around his pockets to find a lighter, Nathaniel simply pulled one out from the pocket in his jacket and lit it up for Maxence to set his cigarette alight. ‘’I’m glad she has a brother. At least one of us does,’’ he said, quietly, before he put out the lighter and placed it back in his pocket. ‘’I just hope that she would one day learn to trust that I want nothing but what is the best for her.’’ He said, looking up at the night sky once again.

Maxence looked over towards Nathaniel as he breathed in deeply. He could clearly see that something was weighing the poor king down, but he couldn´t know quite what, other than he might have loved or was in love with someone else and that this, was putting a stop for that relationship, or maybe it was the stress from being a soon to be king?. He raised his brow a little, as he just shrugged. He didn´t really know what he should say, as he felt he didn´t have the right to mingle too much in his life, than he had already done. " I think a good king, is someone.. who also takes time to be human, as in.. feel what he is feeling and dealing with it, in a healthy manner, instead of building it up inside. Share your throughts with someone, a stranger even.. but don´t walk around with the world on your shoulders, or it might kill you in the end ". He looked over towards Nathaniel with a worried look, before he saw the flash from the side, as Nathaniel had taken out his lighter, as he leaned over towards him, letting the flame light up his face in the winter darkness, before he inhaled, so the smoke really took the flame.

He leaned back once again, as he removed the smoke from the full lips, exhaling... as he just looked up towards the starry sky, as he smiled a little. He heard the words and the smile instantly disappeared, as he looked over towards him with a sympathetic expression. * What has happened to him.. *. He tried to remember.. Nathaniel... Nathaniel... Ellery... E... had his brother.. suddenly it hit him. Nathaniel wasn´t the one to marry Estelle, it was Ellery, but if Nathaniel had taken over, and Estelle had run away.. would that mean... had Ellery died. He looked a little shocked for a moment, before he let his teeth capture the lowerlip of his. He let go of it, as he looked down for a moment, as he said " She will. The more she calls you all kinds of things, the more she loves you. It´s the silence you have to be on watch for. As long as she talks, its all fine. Trust don´t come easy, it´s something to be earned, and since you will both be married, it will come, one day, maybe love will even follow. She is rather soft hearted, underneath all that.. ".

He laughed a little, as he smiled towards Nathaniel, as he said " I think you will make a great king, and i know.. you will make your brother proud ". He took another drag of the smoke, before he looked around, as he said " Well, i will be going ". He turned, as he gave a short bow towards Nathaniel with a wink, as he said " But it was nice meeting you Nathaniel, i hope we will meet again, after the wedding also ". He quite enjoyed hanging out with him, just talking.. but he was beginning to freeze his hands off, which was also why he had fumbled to begin with.

’’But you forget one thing, Maxence. We’re not human.’’ He answered, as the siren spoke about his thoughts on what a good king was. It was easy to renounce the royal title for a moment and become more private in his thoughts, but the reality was that he would no longer have that luxury. Not that he expected Maxence to understand, since it was purely a figment of his thoughts.
As Maxence had set his smoke alight, Nathaniel placed the lighter back in his pocket.

It seemed to ring a bell, when Nathaniel mentioned Noelle having a brother at least. Did he finally catch onto what had happened? Of course he did. It was the way it was; when someone died, they would be forgotten. Ellery was no different. ‘’I see that sympathetic face of yours. Don’t bother - there’s nothing to do about it.’’ Nathaniel said, all of a sudden slightly stern in his voice, as if he had just returned to being the monarch of The Circle again. There was no place to mourn, after all.

‘’It is up to Noelle what she wants from all of this. I can’t say anything more than that, I’m afraid.’’ He said, as he noticed the familiar car turn around the corner, just as Maxence started his last couple of sentences. ‘’I neither want nor need to make my brother proud. He tried to kill me, but failed at his own expenses. Princes fall when they try to act as kings.’’ He said, shaking his head. The car stopped right in front of them, and Nathaniel opened the door. You could hear Nerobel from the driver’s seat, almost yelling up about Nathaniel smelling like he had bathed in booze and weed. Nathaniel sighed. ‘’I’ll be seeing you at the wedding. Until then,’’ he said, before he entered the car, closed the door and the car began the drive back to the estate.

//Out