Nobles

Ch. 15: They're a nice couple

"You handled that well." Reki had joined them at the bar where Philo had taken Skylar to get a bit of peace a quiet.

"Yes, she did."

Philo was proud of her. He had expected her to take everything gracefully, but still he was proud at how she had handled all of the guests, from the nobles and council people to her own crew.

"Hush you two. Why are you here, Reki? Shouldn't you be dancing with Octavia?" Skylar shooed at Reki to make him disappear.

"I can't ask her," she avoids me."

For a grown man of thirty-three. Intelligent, kind, and funny. Attractive with a military background and a title, Reki was a catch. Skylar was not sure if it was because he felt inferior to Octavia because of her title and status in life, or he believed that he could not offer her enough that he did not set sails and pursued her relentlessly.

"Seriously, how old are you? Fifteen?" She let go of Philo's arm that she had been holding for most of the evening. "If you want to behave like dumb teenagers, let me teach you how it's done. Reki, go ask Solar to dance. If she refuses tell her 'All for one, and one for all', she'll know what it means."

Reki stared at Skylar with a dumbfounded expression. "What?"

"Just do it. And keep her on the dancefloor for at least two dances, three if you haven't killed each other before that. Flirt with her and make her laugh, then come find me and ask me to dance. I'll handle Octavia."

Philo tactfully waited for Reki to leave before he softly questioned, "What was that about?"

"Watch and learn, my love. Watch and learn," Skylar mumbled with a sneaky smile, she gave him a quick kiss and left him at the bar in search for Octavia.

Boys, sometimes they were just too stupid for words, she thought with a small chuckle.

"They're a nice couple," she commented when she stopped next to Octavia who was watching Reki and Solar on the dancefloor.

Octavia was in a midnight-blue ballgown, white gloves and everything expected of a princess. She even wore a small tiara in her dark, shiny hair.

She was a sight.

"Couple?" Octavia lost all color in her face and stared at the two dancing. "What do you mean?"

"Reki and Solar. They look good together, don't you think?"

"She's very beautiful, your sister."

"That she is, but I'm biased. He's not bad either, they suit each other."

Inside, Skylar was going back and forth between laughing and feeling sorry for Octavia.

"They had impressive chemistry when they met."

That was one way of putting it, maybe not entirely the kind of chemistry Octavia would think, but it was true. Skylar just hoped they would look like a happy couple long enough for her to get a feel on how Octavia felt.

Swallowing hard, Octavia never moved her eyes from Reki and Solar. "He likes her?"

"Maybe. I haven't asked him. But Solar has talked about him all day."

Solar had talked a lot about him, but primarily it wasn't flattering. She had not been able to hate on Philo so Reki had ended up the target of her confused feelings. Skylar knew that Solar in time would end up liking both Philo and Reki. But Reki was not her type at all, besides with Kenneth in the picture, she was the safest woman she could throw in Reki's arms while working on Octavia.