Masks :: Ch. 11

Okay, so granted, he could have picked one that didn't look like she had the teeth of a horse.  Or itty bitty eyes that seemed to squint at you whenever you opened your mouth to say something.

Seriously, Alex.  You're a Prince.  I would tell you that you could probably go for a prettier one.

But he'd decided to start with this one.  Whatever.  Queens didn't have to be pretty.  I guess.

"This is Juliet, my advisor," Alex suddenly introduced me, snapping me back to reality.  I put on a forced smile and waved slightly until Alex kicked me in the back of the knee.

"Ouch!  What was that for?" I hissed at him.

"Curtsy to her!"

Oh, right.  Royal district.  She was probably some Duke's seventh cousin, fifteenth time removed or something like that, but I did a weak curtsy anyways.  I glared at him, reminding him that I was only along for the ride.

She either had really pathetic hearing, or she just ignored the interaction between Alex and I, curtsying back.  She was about as graceful as I was; she wobbled as she went down and jumped back up like her butt was on fire.  "Very nice to meet you, Juliet."  I waited for her to introduce herself, but I must have missed it when I was spacing out earlier.

"Charmed."

She ignored my brusque reply.  "Are you two from around here?  Why don't we go to my home for tea?" she suggested.  My instincts said no, but Alex jumped on the opportunity faster than I could veto it.  "Alright, follow me," she giggled at our inability to agree with one another.

Alex walked with her, and I trailed a few paces behind, sickened by Alex's bad attempts at flirting.  You weren't supposed to be quite that obvious.  I mean, seriously.  He was almost prostitutioning himself, with the way that he winked at her and laughed too loudly at everything that she said.

By the time that we reached her house, I was ready to shoot one of them.  She was just as annoying; her high-pitched giggle sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and whenever she talked, she seemed to say something utterly stupid.  When they started talking about where rain came from, I became fairly sure that even if I shot her, she wouldn't die.  After all, people like her are just too stupid to die.

I played maid when we reached her house, but sat alone in the corner for most of it.  I was relieved by that; I didn't have to pretend to be enamored by everything she said.  I played with the buttons of my vest for the next couple of hours, making myself a mental list of things to buy when we had the money to.  A new set of clothing, Alex needed a weapon, and hopefully I'd have enough money to buy a simpler mask.  I felt like I was wearing a terrible disguise as I went around in Nora's.  It was too flashy.  I just needed a simple one, like Alex's.  Without the gold filament.

Finally, Alex cleared his throat, rising and shaking the young lady's hand.  After a second, he leaned over and pecked her on the cheek.  I gagged as she blushed.  "Juliet!  Come on; we must get back to our duties," he said in an attempt at authority.  I resisted the urge to snap at him, and followed him out of the house.  "She's amazing," he said as we walked toward the inn.  "Absolutely amazing."

"She's an idiot."