Hearts Locked in War

III ~ NU

They had clearly had too much to drink, that was obvious. A single joke about the weather would cause laughter to ripple through their bodies.

Nancy and Lewis O'Quinn had always been loud people, from their outrageous costume choices to the way they needed a crowd just to be able to survive going out in public. Their identical blonde hair shone in the candlelight and their perfect smiles only caused more and more people to surround them.

The crowd must have been in a trance. They would laugh whenever the O'Quinns said anything. It didn't matter whether it was funny or not, and considering it was the O'Quinns, it was like watching paint dry. The young woman stood next to Nu had a dreamed and dazed look in her eyes, there must have been very few thoughts going through her head. She let out an exaggerated laugh a something Nancy O'Quinn had just said. It seemed that they had been part way through an embarrassing story about Alex when Nu had gotten there.

Alex was bright red in the face, with a frown plastered to his lips and his eyes firmly fixed on the floor as his parents and strangers laughed at a mocking story about his speech impediment he had when he was younger.

"Mother, please-" but before he could continue what he was saying, Alex was cut off by his mothers' dramatic laughter.

"Oh! And all the long words he uses! Lewis and I are debating hiring someone who could help us understand everything he says!" Nancy O'Quinn laughed.

Alex turned a darker shade of red, a stark contrast to his blonde hair and usually pale skin. Alex was pressed against the wall, he almost looked like he was trying to sink through it and be free of this room filled with mockery. Behaviour uncommon for the dignified Alex O'Quinn. Nu felt sick, no parent should treat their child like that, her father would not do that; her mother would not have. Alex had done some cruel things while Head of the Normhinge Army, but even he didn't deserve humiliation at the hands of his own parents. Nu turned and left, allowing the crowd to swarm in and take her place at the front of the gathering. She would go back to her father, stop him from trying to consume another twelve drinks, but something caught her eye. In her peripheral vision she noticed someone who had been overlooked the entire ball: Ronan Dunn.

Ronan had tan skin, dark eyes and dark hair that fell in curls that partially dropped into his eyes. He leant against the wall like he thought he was of little importance, as if he would not soon be emperor to a moderately wealthy country known for its neutrality and peace. Ronan looked miserable and tired; Nu felt as if she should hug him. It looked like nobody ever had. Then suddenly his downcast eyes moved to look at her. He had no reaction to finding the empress of Nevish Tue analysing him, causing Nu to feel a wave of guilt to wash over her. He was used to people looking at him like an object rather than a person.

"Good evening," Nu said, her voice getting caught in her throat as she dropped into a curtsey. It was something about that dead stare, as if behind those eyes, two thoughts rotated back and forth, both depressing.

"Good evening, Empress. Are you enjoying the ball?" Ronan responded. His voice was rich and velvety but the words he spoke sounded hollow and scripted. Nu could clearly tell he was quite handsome, but his features were composed in a look Nu could only describe as miserable.

Nu nodded at him before spinning on her heel. It was obvious that he was not open to have a conversation.

"Oh my word! I am so sorry!"