[Jaykobell]

Another one? Really?

But by now, she really wasn't surprised. It was only natural to expect such stubbornness and ferocity from her mother, whom was so adamant about the only worthy heir of the family to get married as soon as humanly possible. Children and the certainty of the line surviving for yet another generation was the only thing that really mattered to her mother — the princess thought, anyway. Despite being the queen's daughter, however, she had to admit that she wasn't close to her mother at all. That was probably a reason why this whole charade was getting old, and really fast. But who was she kidding? It had gotten old even before it had started.

Anyway, why was she here, again? Oh, but to enjoy a wonderful blind date, of course, courtesy of her mother the queen. The thought was enough to make the princess grumble quietly and enough to make her lose her appetite for the iced tea she'd ordered.

She was sitting on the terrace of a small café which, by now, was the place she'd visited the most for these meetings. The entire staff probably knew her by name, even the part-timers. She probably spent more time here than at home, which was ridiculous in itself — she had things to do, like training or organizing certain things with her step-brother. Despite being the bookkeeper, her older brother was meek and couldn't quite handle the harder stuff, like refusing to lend money for stupid projects or confronting somebody about something. She was the tough one who had to do those things, but she couldn't do them when she was too busy meeting with men every single day.

But she had to stop herself there — if she continued, she could swear that some poor unfortunate soul would get that glass of iced tea thrown right in their face.

Now where was this blind date? Being trapped with her own angry thoughts was making her more irritable and impatient. Well, maybe that would help drive this particular man away, then. If he ever got here.

[Kallile]

His father had gone too far this time.

Quil’lian had had his “only” son accompanying him on many ventures that would often end in fruitless conquests from such an early age the young man shuddered to even think of it. He had used the boy as a wingman, a “goods” runner…just about everything he could possibly toss at him to shape him into the man he wished him to be. Which, as it so happened, was a ruthless clone of his father. All charm and good looks on the outside with a heartless and greedy center not unlike a black hole that just gobbled everything up without question on the inside.

It was where this luncheon was coming from as well;  the very instant Quil had heard from his inner circles that royalty was looking to marry off their daughter he had tossed his son into the ring to compete for her heart. He hoped the boy would win her over the way he had been taught to but Tovin had very different ideas.

He wanted nothing to do with his soulless father’s lifestyle—not the heartbreak, the line expansion at any cost, or the seemingly needed level of control over anything that was not of the male variety. Furthermore he wanted nothing to do with this meeting or the mystery woman he was supposed to meet. But the eyes of Quil were seemingly everywhere and that left Tovin no other option than to follow through with his training. To a laughable extent.

He began it all with his tardiness, something few women that he knew had any patients for. But this was a lady of standing he was thinking of and he had to assume she would still be there and possibly in a huff. Good, he would need her that way. Strolling into the establishment with an easy demeanor he strode towards the table. She was not the repulsive figure he had built up in his own mind (after all, it would make things easier had she been ugly) but he would make due.

“Ah, I do believe you are waiting on me—how charming of you. I am Tovin as I’m sure those pretty ears have heard already…and you are?...” His insides boiled at the words that were spilling from his mouth; he couldn’t believe he was actually putting to practice Quil’s teachings.

[Jaykobell]

When she heard someone speak to her, she wanted to just ignore them. At first, despite Tobin speaking to her, the royal princess wasn't looking at him or even reacting. However, when he gave his name, her brown eyes glanced in his general direction. Although her eyes looked gentle enough, her face was harsh and looked like she had no interest in even looking at him.

She proceeded with the usual; she picked out the pocket watch from her pocket and flipped it open, her movements harsher and more irritated than they usually were. She usually carried out this step a little slower, with a little more control. Right now, however, she was frustrated, and the fact that this man was already late wasn't helping her mood at all. The meeting was frustrating her, the thought of her situation was frustrating her, and this man was frustrating her. Well, this meeting wouldn't be so hard to get rid of, after all. She was so upset at this point that she didn't really feel like using fancy elaborate words to word out her frustration.

She snapped the pocket watch shut and slipped it back into her pocket. "You're late," were the first words she uttered, and her voice was nothing short of poison as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Not only that, you have no idea who I am?" She didn't particularly care about that fact, but using manners and usual protocol as arguments was always useful to chase all those men away from her. "Is your family so dense that they did not give you the name of the one you were meeting?" It seemed like the theme of today's meeting would be to lecture Tobin like an old granny who'd long lost her marbles and who refused to listen to new concepts and ideas. You know, the one every family has and that they can't stand?

She humphed and swiped her curly hair away from her face. "Mikayla," she replied, voice hard and completely uninterested. She didn't even invite him to sit down or to shake her hand.

[Kallile]

The toying with her watch and general  glower on her face made Tovin’s stomach twist into knots. He shouldn’t be doing this, he should be telling her this was all a horrible misunderstanding and that she was a lovely woman but she would probably much rather have lunch alone and he’d just be on his way now thanks. But no moment in his life could ever be so simple and still satisfying. The standards he was held to were beyond restraining and managed to mold him into the very monster of a man he hated.

All the same a wicked grin flashed over his face as he pulled out the chair to sit across from her. He couldn’t act as if he cared even though his better judgment screamed at him to just stay standing. “Quite the opposite, I think. But why should I go about asking names like some commoner? While not as mighty as Her Grace, I am of higher standings. I am highly aware of your own standings and your name.”

He settled back after peering over his shoulder and motioning to a passing waiter. “Water, good sir.” He said rather jovially before turning his attention back to Mikayla. “Now that the little test of your character is out of the way, I suppose I should grace you with some knowledge of me…or are we to talk about you first?” There was a distinct lack of the jovial tone in his voice upon speaking to her though it certainly was not an unpleasant tone.

He wished to find her drink sloshed in his face and her storming off. That would be the best thing she could do for him at the moment. “I suppose I could hear more about you, though I believe myself to be fairly informed on all the important matters. I prefer to find out most more...creatively.” Now the tone became slightly darker and suggstive as his eyes seemed to flash over her once.

[Jaykobell]

Mikayla's eyes narrowed dangerously when she noticed Tovin sitting down and basically making himself right at home. Patience; going back home without "trying" for a successfully meeting was out of the question. She needed a story to go with this; she needed proof that she'd tried but that the meeting had fallen through. How else could she convince her mother that this whole thing was just ridiculous? If she didn't try to get along with the men, it meant absolutely nothing. "You never know", as many people said, and she could only "know" if she actually tried to interact with the dates.

His excessive talking quickly got her nerves which, to be fair, had already been fairly burned out quite a few minutes before Tovin's arrival. Still, shouting and screaming wasn't the way to go; a calm, cold voice that clearly showed she was in control was the best way to scare anyone away. Screaming and swearing only proved that you had no control over your emotions and that, clearly, you weren't thinking straight. However, when you showed control even though you were boiling inside, people quickly got uncomfortable and even afraid.

As such, the only way for Mikayla to be effectively unbearable was to soak every single word into some venom in order to spit it out at the person in front of her. "'Her Grace' has no interest your 'higher standing' family. I know the rich and high families, and your mouth-driven line is certainly not one of them." As a princess she, of course, had access to the populace registry. In order words, she had access to birth certificates, family lineages, death certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers: everything pertaining to family, birth, and death.

She humphed when Tovin claimed to know of her. "First, it's hard to not know a princess. Your knowing me is honestly not impressive," she started with, her eyes rolling. "Second, I could care less about what you do know about me, whether personal or public. I certainly know myself and do not need a stranger to tell me what I already know better than they. I also certainly don't care how you came to learn about me." Besides her quickly-growing reputation of being an unbearable pest towards men, her reputation as a royal was actually fairly impressive. She had been trained as a soldier and could effectively hold her own in battle; she was also fairly involved with the community and much more generous with her money than the previous kings and queens. Overall, she was judged a good princess and an excellent heir to the family. Of course... The only thing some had to critique was her inability to get married and to have children; how she was "getting old" — please, she was only twenty-one — and quickly leaving her "prime".

"Third," she finally added after taking a sip of iced tea, "you will not 'grace' me with anything. Perhaps you should start using proper words, such as 'annoy' me, or should I even propose something a little more indecent, such as 'pissing me off'?" Sometimes it freaked them out when she used "slang", so very uncouth of a young lady such as herself. A princess, too? How distasteful. "And finally; I honestly doubt you have any genuine interest in doing any of the things you just said. Little men who use charming words in order to catch the ladies, like yourself, are nothing more than just bark and no bite."

[Kallile]

Tovin watched her as she went about her rant; his face showing that he thought it was cute despite the fact than inside he would like to shrink to a speck under the table. Fingers laced and placed gently under his chin he watched her almost mockingly.  She was a toy for him to pick apart and play with…at least that was what he should be thinking right now had Quil truly trained him.

“Ah but we’ve only just met, it would hardly be proper of me to do any of those things within the first five minutes, now would it?” Another flash in his eyes and a grin. “Unless of course you prefer those sorts of encounters, then we can certainly arrange for that.” The waiter returned with a glass of ice water and placed it on the table. He paused a moment, thought better of asking if they would like to order and hurried off. Tovin lifted the glass and took a generous sip before returning his attention to Mikayla.

“As for opinions on lineage—all families must start somewhere and we are striving to better our name. You may call it what you will, but one day very soon I dare say we will be finding our way into your ball rooms and dining halls with some degree of regularity.” He paused for thoughtful effect though in truth he was beginning to doubt his ability to keep up the façade. His mask on the matter was beginning to slip, he could feel it.

“So it’s to be the typical dating game then? Ah well, I thought the princess I had heard so much about would be above such things…but I suppose we can digress to the cutesy banter of favorite colors and foods if I am, in fact, only ‘pissing you off’ as we stand now.” His gaze remained fixed coldly on her the way a serpent might remain fixed on a mouse.

“Shall I start, or shall we go by ladies first?”

[Jaykobell]

"I doubt 'proper conduct' is included anywhere in your intentions," Mikayla replied bluntly to his little charming words. So many of them tried to be acceptable, charming, so very interesting and proper around her, just to get her defenses down. She hated to admit that she'd been stupid enough to fall for it before. Nice words presented on a silver plate that had fooled her for a second and that had left her open. Of course, she knew better than to trust the charming words of a stranger; that was when words had double meanings.

At the mention of his family eventually growing so big that they would be one day invited to their dinners and balls, the princess let out a laugh. It was just one burst of laughter that she quickly stopped, in fear that Tovin might think that he'd entertained her. However, it's not like the entertainment had been anything positive. "Are you... kidding? Do you know how powerful my family is? We would never invite lowly families like yours. You're more disillusioned than I thought if you think you can even dream to get anywhere near my family." Her face was stern and steady, but this was actually a lie. Her mother had been a commoner handpicked by the previous rulers because the prince couldn't get a soulmate in time, and his parents were quickly dying. Since nobody in the other royal families had offered their daughters or women, the family had had to pick from the populace. Because of that little piece of history, her mother often interacted with the populace, and so did Mikayla. As hard as it was to believe, when she wasn't busy being a pest to every single man she was meeting, she was fairly involved with the community.

She narrowed her eyes at the mention of the cutesy stuff, although she had to admit Tovin was edgier than the other men. Oh, some had talked back to her, for sure, but this one spat some venom of his own in the conversation. His eyes told her the very same thing; hard eye-contact that looked almost prey-like. Mikayla absolutely didn't flinch and instead returned the eye-contact full-force. She had been raised as a soldier and a fighter; if she couldn't withstand even a little eye-contact, she wouldn't be able to call herself a soldier. "Perhaps we could also ask for a nice set of tea and some crumpets. I could also propose that I go fetch my dolls to enhance our cutesy dating experience? Or perhaps you would be interested in something more manly, such as hunting bears or wrestling wild animals?" She took a sip from her iced tear, pausing briefly. "That sounds fairly more interesting than simply talking about favorites. But if you do insist that we go that way, do feel free to try to make this pleasant."

[Kallile]

With a chuckle Tovin rolled his shoulders back in an amused shrug. “Have you picked up on that so clearly? Very well then, guilty as charged…though do give me credit for having standards. I find public to be so very full of scandal—think of the implications it would bring to your family should we commit to my intentions for all to see upon this balcony.” He had already broken a golden rule—never lead with the scandalous options. Would his father have been here the young man was sure he would have been pummeled for such an offense to his teachings.

Her laughter, no matter how brief, drew a grin to his face. He could still turn this around perhaps—use her amusement at his fantastical claims to finally drive her away and be done with this encounter. “Now, no, that would be a claim made out of disillusionment. But who is to say our power will cease to expand and grow? Who says that one day it might not be myself or my son who sits at the right hand of the King?” There, a final seed planted. If she truly hated him, then she would truly be disgusted by the idea…he hoped.

“Mmm, is this not a hunt we’re on already? Granted I think I am using far kinder ammunition on you than I would a bear, but the principals are highly similar.” Insult her standings as a female and as a princess by comparing her to a bear, check. “Her Grace does bring up some interesting options, though I think such things are better saved for a second or even further along encounters.” Imply he’d be coming back until he got her, check. “So perhaps it’s best to start somewhere simplistic. The red of blood and the silent but so clear sound of fear are favorites of mine. I enjoy hunting, sports, trophies…things that can attest to my strengths and cunning really. And a sword is my favored weapon because I find their use to be very fulfilling.”

Tovin inwardly was panicking. What is she was only more intrigued by all that and stayed? He couldn’t keep this up all day—he couldn’t let himself actually win her over. She could be the most beautiful woman in the world but it wouldn’t have mattered; he knew what Quil planned to do once in with the royal family and he had to prevent that. “Is that telling enough for you, m’Lady?”

[Jaykobell]

The more Mikayla listened to Tovin speak, the more she was... amused. It was strange to feel this way, but the words he spat out were so ridiculous and over the top that she couldn't really take him seriously. Instead of finding herself fuming, she slowly found herself becoming relaxed more than anything. Oh, she didn't want to get anywhere close to him, no; her intention to drive him away with her little princessy needs was still very much present. However, his ability to make every word ridiculous made it easier to focus, since they weren't upsetting her to a rage.

At the mention of her family and ever getting close, the princess humphed quietly and even smiled just ever so slightly as she picked up her glass of iced tea and took a sip, calm and collected. "Really, now? I never would've guessed that someone from the public would love to try getting into the royal family. Truly you must be the first," she answered as she put her glass down, her words now more relaxed and mocking than blunt and strict. "And for someone who claimed to be very well-informed about me, I find your claims fairly disappointing. You do know my family does not have a King, yes? Only my mother, the Queen, is ruling the family. Even if you ended up in my family, you would only be a prince, and nothing more." Even if this guy was so disillusioned that he would try to go for her mother, she knew the Queen wasn't getting remarried for a second time. "And if only because you're overly ridiculous — I'll warn you now that my mother is never getting remarried. If you desire Kingship, I'm afraid you have the wrong family." Even if he did marry Mikayla — and there she had to stop herself from frowning — her mother was still relatively young and had no intention of dying any time soon, and she knew quite well that patience was not an attribute that graced many men.

She was busy drinking from her iced tea again when Tovin compared her to a bear. At that time, Mikayla found herself chuckling and having to smack her glass back down on the table to avoid choking on her tea. He was comparing her... to hunting a bear? She was convinced that this man wasn't being serious at all. "Really now..." is all she said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin from gurgling on her drink. "Are you seriously thinking about a second encounter? Or even further ones?" Now that was funny. There was no way that she was going to meet with him again, despite his comedic talent.

But what really put the cherry on top of the sundae was his so-called "favorites". Mikayla stared at him as he spoke, until she actually bursted out into laughter. "Are you... stupid?" she asked honestly as she tried to tone it down and calm herself. Oh, but perhaps laughing like an annoying little giddy girl would put him off as well, so she made it a goal to keep giggling as annoyingly as possible. "The 'red of blood' and the 'silent but so clear sound of fear'? Are you kidding? That is enough telling if that's what you're going to keep telling me, because I might just die of laughter right here." She calmed down just enough to drink some of her iced tea. "I've met a lot of ridiculous men on these meetings, but I think your Shakespearian disillusions take the cake by quite a few mouthfuls."

[ Condescending Mikayla is condescending. x'D Lawl. 'You like the idea of being a royal? You must be such a revolutionary man.' ]

[Kallile]

Tovin couldn’t bring himself to speak as the princess sat there and reprimanded his words. Everything was falling apart now; he couldn’t see any one believable way to salvage it…how stupid could he get. Of course there was no King, he knew that! It had been a slip; a rightful show on just how rehearsed this whole meeting really was. Whatever mask he felt he was still wearing had successfully burst away at Mikayla’s words and left the real Tovin sitting there like a deer trapped in headlights just waiting for its demise.

It was so early…he couldn’t give up now. Not yet. But where to go from here? To play it off as a joke or make more of a fool of himself by suggesting that maybe the Queen would meet an “unfortunate accident” were both too beneath him. “Ah, yes. Such a slip of the tongue; one normally only hears of Kings rather than the true brains of a family.” He paused, hopeful he hadn’t completely blown it. “ I certainly have no intentions of seeking out your Mother’s hand in marriage…I am may things but tactless enough to use a daughter to get to her mother is not one of them. No, dear Princess, I am here all for you.”

How did his father do this? He sat and watched her roll in fits of laughter and he couldn’t help but feel five inches tall even when he had to keep his stature tall and imposing. He sat there with a gentle smirk on his face and tried to look as casual as possible. “Perhaps I am, perhaps I’m not. But the end result was still achieved; I made you laugh, Princess Mikayla.” It was all he knew to say. To make her think that maybe he was just putting on a show—testing her and putting her through his own trials until he got her to crack. His father did so well to turn the tables like that…Tovin deeply hoped Mikayla would be far too strong to fall for such cheap tricks of the tongue.

[Jaykobell]

Mikayla had to regain her composure for a bit, though it seemed like Tovin had slowly been changing his tune. Previously so talkative — as well as obnoxious — he was surprisingly quieter now, giving only a few words for a reply. Perhaps he would ran out of silver tongue arsenal soon, and this meeting could end with both parties still single. Ah, if only things could be this simple. Mikayla could only hope Tovin would indeed break soon and just storm off, upset, at her words.

She rolled her eyes mockingly at his answer concerning the slip of the tongue. "Well, clearly," she answered with respect to people usually only noticing the Kings. "If they're all as ridiculous as you, stupidity is usually more easily noticed than genuine intelligence," she added, taking a sip from her iced tea. She left Tovin hanging until she was done drinking and put the glass back on the table before she spoke again. "You are here all for me, is it? How disappointing the feeling isn't mutual." Right in the guts, this one would be, if he spoke true words — which, of course, Mikayla doubted, but still.

"I'm not sure what kind of end result you are tooting your own horn over," Mikayla then interjected with respect to his overflowing pride over making her laugh. "Your ability to make me laugh was due to your ridiculous words. I'm not sure why you feel pride over people not taking you seriously." Probably something else that was fairly rude to say — especially to someone's face. "Are all men so easily satisfied?"