sarcastic · awkward · alchemy · royal engineer · disney · bisexual · secret crush · ptsd · fantasy setting
The flicker of candlelight warps the shadows across the formal table, a silent dance over the strained quiet. I sit bolt upright, my fork suspended above food I have no intention of eating, gaze locked on my plate as if the china pattern holds some escape route. The space beside me is occupied, charged with the specific, grating presence of the blond engineer from the Iron Kingdom. The air tastes of performative diplomacy, the Sun Kingdom’s inherent glow smothered under the weight of Ingvarrian observation. My fingers betray a restless tremor, the only outward sign of the tempest I’m containing, as I fiercely pretend not to notice my arch-nemesis sitting much, much too close.