When the door swung open, Elliot recognized the prefect standing before him. For a second, he didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe the girl standing before him was Ada Vessalius. He knew who the Vessalius were. They were the so-called heroes of Sablier, the reason the Nightrays had been branded as traitors. They were pompous and self-interested and… and not her. Not the Ada who was sweet and genuine. Someone who he could have been friends with. She was smiling at him like she had smiled the day they last parted, but this time, he couldn’t return it.
“I don’t need your help, Vessalius! Do you take me for a fool?!” The words exploded out— loud, accusing, and beneath it all, pained. He felt his chest constrict with a conflicted, sinking feeling. Not surprisingly, it then turned to anger and suspicion as he recalled his father’s words. Hate the Vessalius. The Vessalius are to blame…
He must have been wrong about her, and she was as fake as the rest of them. And if she wasn’t, then she was so kind and good and perfect that it was downright infuriating. He could almost be envious of her: a Vessalius with not a worry in the world, handed out free passes and loved by the other nobles, living a perfect life while his own family fell farther and farther apart.
( Inside, some part of him knew he was being unfair. Ada hadn’t purposely concealed her identity, and she wasn’t to blame for the tragedy that had struck his family. But fifteen years of being told to despise the Vessalius overran whatever relationship they had built up in the short time they’d known each other. )
Suddenly, Elliot wanted her to stop saying his name so casually. Like they were on good terms. As if they could ever be on good terms. What had he been thinking? They would never be friends, not in this lifetime.
"I’d never have come if I’d known who you were! My full name is Elliot Nightray, and my family hasn’t fallen so low that I’d go stooping to a Vessalius for something I can manage just fine on my own!”
It was irrational to turn down her help, especially when he’d already missed so many weeks, but he didn’t care. There was no way he was going to let a Vessalius tutor him. He didn’t even want to speak to her. Not because he hated her, not exactly. He was quickly realizing it was harder to hate Ada than it should have been. Which was why, if they were going to attend the same school, it was easier to cut her off here and now.
The second she heard the name Nightray, it clicked and his behavior change suddenly made sense. Why he was giving her a glare that could melt ice and he was spitting out her name as if he was spitting out a force fed mouthful of poison. Why he was wound tighter than a clock and looked like he could throw a punch at any time.
He hated her already.
Nightray’s have hated Vessalius’ for as long as she could remember, even if the original conflict between the Dukedom’s had happened long before the both of them were even born, let alone conceived. Even if the problem wasn’t even between her and Elliot themselves.
Needless to say, Ada was frozen in front of Elliot as his little outburst finally came to a close. The blonde was still in something of a state of shock, between Elliot’s yelling and the revelation of who he was finally, this was far from what she was expecting when she opened up the door and greeted the student she agreed to tutor. His assignments were still on a small stack on her desk, so she needed to backtrack enough to pick those up and hand them over, but it’d be a bit of a lie if she wasn’t a bit afraid of how Elliot would react even to that.
Well might as well find out.
"Alright. . I have your things in a folder…”
Already her heart was hurting a bit. Here she’d thought she had a new friend, someone to talk to at school and see outside of it possibly, but now that all got thrown out the window as the mystery of their respective surnames got revealed. Her steps were slow backing up her desk and picking up the folder right where she knew it was, and they were slow taking her back to stand in front of him again and hold out the folder. If he really didn’t want her help, then she couldn’t force him to. The tutoring was optional anyway, but still. And if he wanted to leave already, then he could leave. She couldn’t stop him.
Elliot didn’t show at the next social gathering, nor the one after. But in his absence, news of the Nightrays and the tragedy that had struck them circulated among the nobles like wildfire. It would no doubt reach the ears of the girl he had been expecting to meet again— news of a deadly headhunter targeting the family, who had succeeded in murdering the eldest son, and then the next two, each time vanishing without a trace. As most nobles prepared for another night of entertainment and festivities, the Nightrays donned black and locked their doors, appointed guards and reduced their serving staff to a circle of their most loyal. Tempers ran high and fingers were pointed - betrayal, Pandora, the Vessalius - it didn’t matter how unfounded, all that mattered was a name to which they could direct their rage as the culprit still walked free.
Elliot thought no more of dances and girls and things he had once looked forward to. He watched helplessly as his mother seemed to age overnight at the loss of her sons. The Duchess was inconsolable in her grief, until one day, something shifted in her mind and she suddenly emerged from her room after days of coaxing had failed. In great spirits, she sat down to tea with Elliot and to his horror, called him by a name that wasn’t his; later, he would pound on the door to his father’s study and shout himself hoarse until he realized that this, like most things lately, didn’t seem to concern the Duke at all.
When the academy year arrived, Elliot turned up at school four weeks late, after days of heated arguments over whether he be permitted to leave the Nightray mansion. Although there had been no signs of a murder attempt in the recent weeks, there were plenty of reasons to be cautious. ‘Too risky’, ‘too soon’, ‘a servant useless as a bodyguard’, he had heard and refuted it all to finally arrive on the steps of Lutwidge Academy, luggage in tow and a grim determination set in his frown. There was to be no fooling around. He was the heir of his family now. As the youngest of four legitimate sons, it was a privilege one would never have dreamed of. A position that was never meant to be his, and Elliot would give anything for it not to be, for his brothers to be alive and his mother well and his father not so distant. But he knew no amount of wishing could raise the dead, and he was not about to let his family down. He would carry the title with pride and prepare himself as he caught up on studies by candlelight, his restless nights otherwise punctuated by recurring dreams of blood and fire that left him more exhausted, moody, and irritable than before.
Luckily, the school had made accommodations for his late arrival. A prefect had been assigned to give him the coursework he’d missed and help him with the material over the next few weeks if necessary. They were arranged to meet this afternoon, so leaving Leo to finish unpacking their belongings, Elliot found the assigned room. He rapped on the wooden door, and as he stood waiting for a response, his eyes traveled to nameplate tacked on the side of the wall.
“Ada…” The name conjured up a pleasant memory that now seemed so long ago. Could it be her? Before he stopped attending formals, they’d met a few times, danced and exchanged names. She had said she attended the same school, but before Elliot could get his hopes up, the engraved word that followed shattered the image entirely. In an instant, his expression twisted from disbelief to disdain as he muttered through clenched teeth.
“Vessalius.”
Ada had certainly been disappointed when Elliot suddenly disappeared from all the social functions she’d assumed him to be at. Two subsequent meetings at soirees had seemed to solidify something of a growing friendship. They’d exchanged first names, though never their surnames though, Ada noted that after the second time they met, but for the moment she hadn’t thought it of critical importance that he knew she was a Vessalius, even though she still didn’t know that he was a Nightray. News of the targetings of the aforementioned family did in fact reach her respective household; servants were talking, she heard the name come up both at home and out in public. The black sheep of the Dukedoms suddenly going into hiding in order to protect what was left of their bloodline, only one son she’d still yet to properly meet (or so she thought anyway). All Ada could do was hope that the Elliot she knew had his reasons for being absent as of late, perhaps he was ill, perhaps he had prior engagements, who knows, hopefully she could find out soon and the air could be cleared. The last time she’d seen him they’d parted on happy circumstances with another promise to see each other soon, so Ada was quite certain that his absence wasn’t due to him suddenly not liking her.
The next calendar school year for Lutwidge was upon her two weeks after, and the move into her new dormitory room as a newly instated prefect was decorated to her liking, certain personal effects brought from the manor. The perks of being a prefect meant she got a room to herself in lue of having to share with another student, and tonight in particular it would come in handy. The counselor for the school alerted Ada about a week prior that a student would be coming in very late, he had personal reasons for delaying his return to Lutwidge and they wanted her to be available to help him catch up if he felt that the service was necessary, but they did require her to meet up with him at least once as a preliminary thing. Seven in the evening, after dinner was served but still two and a half hours before all students were expected to return to their rooms for lights out at ten o'clock. While she waited Ada was working on her own assignments, this particular one required her to read a novel and write a report on it. Not quite as interesting as one of the several books on the Abyss and the occult that she had stashed under her bed, but she could read one of them after her meet up session was over with.
When the knock on the door caught her ears, and she glanced at the small clock on her nightstand, the student she was meeting up with, Elliot, was right on time.
Elliot. The name had rung a faintly familiar bell, but given that it wasn’t a terribly uncommon name, she hadn’t immediately connected potential dots to think that the boy she’d met and made friends with was one in the same for the student who was coming back to Lutwidge late and needed to catch up with the curriculum. It wasn’t until the doorknob was turned and the door pulled open that an instant flicker of recognition crossed the blondes face seeing who she did.
“Elliot, so you’re who they wanted me to help get caught up with his classes, I didn’t think that it’d be you.”
The look of… almost disgust took her aback as that registered in her mind and turned the look of happiness and excitement to one of wary confusion. Bear in mind that this was stemming from her not knowing she was standing in front of a Nightray, and the fact that she was facing another noble whose family had such a deep rooted hatred for her own despite the conflict between them being decades before. That Elliot was a Nightray. Looks like her illusion was about to be shattered.
“Elliot?… .”
His face brightened at her reply. Good moods never lasted long for the temperamental teenager, but tonight was an exception and Elliot was feeling elated from the dance. He was proud he hadn’t tripped or otherwise embarrassed himself for lack of practice. He’d done fairly well in his lessons, so why had he been nervous? Alright…maybe her opinion mattered to him, he’d admit. But didn’t everyone want to make a good impression? So that was why…and not anything more, of course not! But his tone carried an obvious current of excitement as he replied.
“There’s a large celebration right before the season ends, I know my family will be attending that one. I might be at some other events, too.” Elliot hadn’t originally been planning to attend many parties, but if the other nights were like this, it wouldn’t be so bad. “Which school do you attend?” There were only a few a schools for nobles he could think of, and her statement made him curious. He still hadn’t asked what family she was from. In the back of his mind, it made Elliot uneasy to think how she might react if she knew he was a Nightray. Normally he could care less what other nobles thought, but would it change the way she acted towards him when he told her?
Hey, she’d happily take the consistently good mood from him. She didn’t have any idea how rare they actually were with Elliot, but that’d just make her all the more happy if she did know. They could both visibly relax now that the dance was completed and it went off without a hitch and no tripping or stumbling to be had.
“I go to Lutwidge Academy, I still have two more years to do. Do you go to school somewhere too or do your parents have you keep to private tutors?”
Her uncle had originally suggested the latter for her own education, but once Ada had looked into Lutwidge at all, there’d been no changing her mind about going to a boarding school. Sure she’d miss her surrogate father no doubt, but coming as someone who’d spent a majority of her childhood and adolescence quite alone, a chance at being around other nobles her own age was too appealing an opportunity to pass up. Her being a Vessalius had essentially guaranteed her automatic acceptance into the academy, so that’d never been an issue.
“Yeah, the piano. I enjoy composing music, too. Sometimes I’ll write my own piece to play." Elliot let out a rare smile. Music was one of the things that calmed his normally tumultuous mood, and right now, he didn’t care about noble parties or house politics or anything of the sort that brought only distrust and resentment and heated arguments to the Nightray home. Talk of the Vessalius and the other nobles always put his family in a sour mood. He’d observed it since he was a child, the way their faces would darken and their lips would press into a scowl and ever since, high society had painted a dark impression in his mind as being judgmental and unforgiving towards his family.
Not anything like this girl, smiling softly as he held her hand. She was different from the arrogant and self-interested adults that would whisper of the Nightrays behind his back. It didn’t occur to him to question who her family was or what kind of history was between them, in fact, that seemed like the most trivial thing to be concerned with at this moment.
The waltz was winding down now and they came to a slow halt as the orchestra’s sounds faded away. Elliot thought the dance seemed to have passed in a flash, leaving him disappointed. But maybe it wouldn’t be the last time he saw her. As part of the noble circle, it wouldn’t be unlikely if they met in the future at another formal.
"I’ll play something for you next time we meet,” he offered, “You’ll be attending another one of these events, right?”
So he really was that talented, to be able to write his own music in addition to just simply knowing how to play it. And he had to be her age, so that just made it that more amazing to her. The smile was a nice touch from him, obviously this was a good thing to talk about with him, and Ada made a small mental note to herself to do so again the next time she saw him; she liked to think that they could, and would. It was nice to have someone she got along well with, all she could hope though was that her uncle wouldn’t overreact simply because it was a boy she was talking to.
Him being cute on top of just being nice and pleasant to talk to probably wouldn’t help the situation, with both Ada and Oscar. You wouldn’t catch Ada openly admitting that she thought her companion for the evening was more than a little handsome.
That being said, a small wave of disappointment actually washed over the Vessalius when the orchestra brought the song to a close and their steps slowed along with the music. Well, it was fun while it lasted, it was just unfortunate that they waited so long to actually come out onto the dance floor. That also being said, the blonde gave a quick and eager nod to answer his question. There would still be a little bit of time before they both actually left the party tonight to go to their respective homes, so hopefully she could still spend them with him
“I’d like that a lot, hear something you play that is. Do you know what party you might be at next? I know there should be a few more before the season comes to a close, and I’ll be leaving for school.”
This was one of the few times Elliot had danced at a gathering. It had only been a few months since he came of age and began attending social functions with his family. Most of the time, Elliot hung behind his brothers, watching how Ernest smooth-talked the women, or how Fred paid greetings to the other nobles as the heir of the Nightray house. They interacted civilly enough, but Elliot had always felt a tension hidden behind the polite smiles and kind words, exposing the true politics of noble society. Tonight, however, he was glad to put names and past grudges away and simply spend time with another girl his age, unburdened by ill thoughts.
Elliot was glad for the darkness, which hid the flush that he could feel in his cheeks. It wasn’t as if he came here tonight wanting to dance. It had been an impulsive decision, made without thinking that he had surprised even himself. But as usual, Elliot had acted on his impulses. She was kind and he had felt at ease with her, so it felt like the natural thing to do. He definitely didn’t have the sort of intentions some of the other nobles might have had in mind! But if he were honest with himself, it was true she was quite pretty, especially when her eyes lit up and she smiled.
Now that he was holding her hand, the rush of nerves and excitement settled in his stomach. Especially since she seemed entirely comfortable with dancing and was probably more experienced than him. Her encouragement was reassuring though, and Elliot relaxed as they turned, his movements becoming less stiff.
“Not very often. Most of my practice has been during my lessons. But I’ve always enjoyed music, so the rhythm came easily to me.”
Ada on the other hand had come of age a year and some odd months ago, so though she didn’t know exactly how old he was, it would explain why they weren’t too familiar with each other yet, simply because he hadn’t been to too many parties quite yet. Or rather ones that Ada had been in attendance at too. Her attending Lutwidge didn’t exactly allow her to just leave the campus whenever it suited her fancy, the boarding school had rules after all. It’d be interesting for them later on when the next term started and they realized that they were attending the same academy together.
Though Ada herself was a touch out of her element simply because she didn’t socialize with a large amount of boys her age, she felt comfortable with him all the same. Just something about how he was kind when he spoke to her, how they were able to openly talk about things but not prodding for details or making judgments, though it was rather hard to when they still didn’t have a concrete idea on which noble family they both respectively belonged to. Even if she saw the slight flush on his otherwise alabaster cheeks, she wouldn’t have thought much on it. Ada was about as pure as they come, so it was fortunate that she chose to spend the evening with someone who was on the exact same wavelength as her.
Despite what he said, he still had an easy enough time moving them to the tempo of the music, as well as staying in the traditional box shape that the waltz did. But hearing that he liked music, that was interesting. Though she hadn’t really studied it in too great of detail at school so far, it was still something she enjoyed listening to, be it at a party or at home if her uncle was playing records of some sort. Needless to say, there was a fresh look of curiosity on her face.
“You like music? Do you play anything? I’ve never been taught to play an instrument yet, I just enjoy listening to others play.”
Her answer brings a rare smile to his face, and Elliot let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Although it might have been second nature to some of the other noblemen navigating the social scene, Elliot wasn’t used to asking noblewomen for a dance. They were still a distance from the other guests, and he was spurred on by the reassurance that they weren’t in the view of the other nobles. He didn’t know if he would have asked if they had remained with the others. The last thing Elliot wanted was for Ernest to tease him about it for the rest of the week, because it wasn’t often that their little brother showed interest in other noblewomen.
“Yeah, that was what I was thinking. A last dance before things come to an end for the night.”
Unaware of who she was, he could feel his heart pounding with both excitement and nervousness as she wound her hand in his while hoping it didn’t show in his expression. Like all nobles, he’d learned to dance as part of his lessons in preparation to enter society. It wasn’t a skill he practiced often at social gatherings, but he remembered the steps well enough. After a bit of a shaky start - a quickly mumbled apology as he missed a step - they fell in time with the music. It was easy enough for him to pick up on the rhythm, and soon Elliot guided them into a slow waltz.
As long as her uncle didn’t see, Ada would be in the clear to dance with the boy as much or as little as she pleased. Her uncle was the overly protective sort as opposed to the mere teasing kind that Eliot’s brothers were. So it seemed to be in both their best interests to stay off more to the side during this, and Ada was alright with that.
She was a teenage girl, being faced with a boy her own age, one who was nice to her, and one who was quite handsome in his own right. Her uncle’s watchful eye meant Ada didn’t have the greatest amount of ease conversing with noblemen her age, so it was rare that she had an opportunity to do so now, and have one that was going so well. She’d known how to dance for several years now, the art of the waltz had come relatively easily to the Vessalius, so following the blonde’s lead would be easy enough for her. Ada flashed him a reassuring smile that the momentary pause was fine, after all they got right back in time with the music, so at the end of it it didn’t affect them at all. But being this close, holding his hand, having his other hand on her waist, it was safe to say Ada was blushing just a little bit while they were moving about.
“You’re quite good at this. I remember watching my brother learn to dance, my uncle was a fun teacher to watch even if I couldn’t join in. Do you dance often?”
It took Elliot a few seconds to regain his composure at the sudden interruption. The lively music lifted the serious atmosphere and his mood with it, and the Nightray finally nodded to her, replacing the words that were at the tip of his tongue with a different statement from what he originally intended.
“Then we should head back. My family will be looking for me as well.”
Since he had left the confines of the party and spent the evening in her company, the time had seemed to have passed quickly. He had felt the night would drag on tediously, but now that it was coming to a close, the Nightray was finding that it had arrived sooner than he expected. As they made their way back to the mansion accompanied by the music of the orchestra, he was struck with an impulsive thought. Elliot halted at the edge of the garden before they rejoined the other guests, turning to the girl.
“I was wondering if you—”
Wait, what was he thinking. He didn’t usually approach other noblewomen with such a request. But it’s not like it would be unusual. This was a ball, wasn’t it? It shouldn’t be so hard to just. Spit it out. So why was he suddenly growing flustered? If he was going to do this, Elliot was determined to do it properly. He extended an arm to her, noble etiquette and all. The words come out a bit forcibly, but earnest in its intent.
“I meant, before we part for the night, would you like to dance?"
Ada hadn’t even realized she’d been outside for this long a time, it was almost surprising that Oscar hadn’t come looking for her sooner just to make sure she was alright and enjoying herself.
She’d done a bit of dancing earlier, but nothing overly complicated or much that would’ve drawn a few whispers among the other party guests. Her being in a Dukedom meant the watchful eyes of the other gossiping nobles were often passing over her, but Ada was about as straight-laced as a noblewoman could get. Even as she and the boy were walking back, they seemed perfectly comfortable with it, having been alone together for that period of time. Why that was, she didn’t know, perhaps it was because the other blonde seemed easy enough to talk to, and them being the same age probably made it a bit easier for them both, despite only just meeting.
"I meant, before we part for the night, would you like to dance?”
A surprised smile, along with a little dusting of color rising up her cheeks at the offer. It would’ve only made her blush that much more if she knew that the male was doing the same. But nonetheless, Ada’s decision to accept his offer didn’t take more than a few seconds to be made, and she took his arm once again, gently winding hers around his, and the smile never left her lips.
“I’d like that. We can right now if you’d like, before things start slowing down too much.”
@occulte-amour
Her inquiry caused Elliot to frown again, caught between wanting to be honest with her and wanting to brush her question off. Of course the girl would naturally be curious about his family. She wasn’t intentionally prying, but the fact remained that it was a difficult subject to broach. How would she react if she knew he was a Nightray? Even so, that was no reason for him to keep the truth from her. He was proud of his name and to hide it would be cowardly— an insult to his family, and Elliot was never one to run away from confrontation. With his jaw set, he faced her with a determined look.
“It’s because my family has always been distrusted by the other nobles. No matter what our intentions are, we’re met with disdain. Our actions are scrutinized and judged and slandered. Knowing this much, I think you understand why we would keep this event from becoming gossip.” He drew himself up to full height. ”I haven’t introduced myself to you. My name is Elliot—”
As luck would have it, he never had the chance to complete his sentence. The moment was interrupted by a sudden chorus of music carrying from the mansion. Had someone thrown open the windows? It seemed the orchestra was winding up for the finale of tonight’s gathering, inviting the guests to a surprise waltz under the starlight. Whose ridiculous idea was this? Suddenly the garden didn’t seem so quiet anymore as the chatter of couples filled the air and Elliot’s sentence was left hanging.
Elliot was lucky that he was conversing with someone who’d been raised in a good environment. Though he didn’t know it yet, Ada wasn’t a judgmental person, what family he was from wouldn’t affect her newly forming opinion of him, despite the history between their families in the past. He was being perfectly nice to her, so why would she not be returning the gesture. It wasn’t often she got to talk with people her own age, and ironically now it was someone whom Gilbert was close to as well. They were more closely connected than they thought and they didn’t have any clue. So when the blonde finally gave in and started answering her question, Ada’s attention only honed in on him more. She was surprised to hear what she did, but Ada didn’t look away until the sudden increase of music caught her attention as well.
The night was getting later, so it wouldn’t surprise her if that was the song that was bringing the soiree to a close and it was the guests last opportunity to dance and mingle before they would be leaving to return home. But now people were pouring out into the gardens, not far from where Elliot and Ada had been not ten minutes ago. Glancing over at the sudden change in company (or rather their solitude being broken), Ada then glanced back to Elliot inquisitively.
"Um…should we go back with the others, or go somewhere else? If the dance is almost over then my uncle will be looking for me soon.”
@occulte-amour
“He sounds like a kind man and a great uncle.” If Elliot had known who Ada was referring to, he would have withheld those words even if he knew it was the truth. There was no way he’d be caught dead praising a Vessalius. Nightray blood ran through his veins and so did the streak of pride that put his family at odds with the other nobles and blinded him to his own prejudice. But simply hearing the girl speak of her uncle with perceptions unclouded by hatred, Elliot pictured an affectionate and outgoing nobleman who cherished his family. And that was a quality he could respect.
“My family usually keeps our privacy, so it’s not surprising you haven’t heard. But I believe they’ll be extending the invitations soon." Though they had kept quiet for reasons he did not elaborate on, Elliot trusted that she wouldn’t be the type to spread around rumors. It was inevitable that as soon as the news was revealed, the nobles would whisper of this new development and question the Nightrays’ motivations.
Of course, strings had been pulled behind the scenes to ensure that the match would be more than the joining of a happy couple. The marriage was a strategic one as much as it was a match of love. Lately tensions were raised again over Raven’s contract, but Elliot himself had little knowledge the Duke balanced upon a tightrope of politics that often kept his father on negotiations away from home, or otherwise holed up in his study. For all that he was aware, the marriage was an occasion to celebrate. He was happy for his brother, and it showed in his expression.
“Of course I’ll be there— I wouldn’t miss it.”
The compliments to her uncle were more than enough to make Ada happy, even though the fact remained that Elliot was essentially blindly saying what he was. It was just unfortunate for Ada that she didn’t know that Elliot didn’t know who her uncle actually was, nor the true thoughts he had regarding her entire family. That’d be an uncomfortable change of events if and when that particular bit of information came to light.
That was surprising, from what families of nobility that Ada knew enough about, news of an engagement would’ve been announced at the first possible opportunity just to increase the amount of time it would be talked about amongst their peers, increase the amount of attention put on it as a whole, etc etc. Such was a thing when they lived in the upper class society that often thrived on attention and the like.
"Is there any reason your family wanted to keep it a secret so much? Most of the familes I know would’ve jumped at an opportunity to make the announcement, there’ve been a lot of parties lately, that would’ve seemed like as good a time as any.”
Of course Ada being the girl that she was, was now getting excited at the prospect of a wedding to attend. The ceremonies itself were always beautiful, and being in love with the idea of love made her attention on everything that much stronger; it let her flashforward to what her own wedding might be like someday.
“How big of a ceremony is it going to be? The one or two weddings I’ve been allowed to attend since my introduction were quite big.”
@occulte-amour
He fell in step besides her as they left the mansion behind. As the other couples vanished from sight, he was suddenly aware that this was the first time he had extended an invitation to walk with a girl, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it for long before she spoke up about her brother. His expression turned serious, but this time it reflected concern rather than anger or frustration. “It must be difficult for your family.” Elliot could tell from her voice that she missed her sibling, and her vague response only raised more questions about his disappearance. However, as brash as he could be at times, he knew not to pry on a topic she didn’t seem eager to speak about.
“My parents aren’t as social as your uncle,” He answered truthfully, though he didn’t say that social gatherings were further complicated by the position of the Nightray house in society. Of course, Elliot was more than proud of his family name and would never think to hide it, but in a casual conversation that did not carry the weight of politics, it didn’t seem important to mention. He had always wanted to be approached not as a Nightray, or even a noble, but as an individual.
“My siblings and I have been attending in their place. Fred is taking over most of their duties as the next heir. He’s getting married soon, so father will probably make the announcement then.” Little did Elliot know the event would never come to pass, but speaking of it now lightened his mood, and he felt comfortable enough to share the information with her.
For Ada too it was the first time she’d done anything with a boy her own age, but that fact wasn’t particularly on Ada’s mind either. The conversation was still going, not to mention that it was about a topic that was still sensitive to the Vessalius to this day. Though no names had been exchanged yet, and though a part of her didn’t think he knew who she was, an irrational part of her mind had made her think that he did know who she is, so in one respect despite the fact that she wasn’t naming particular names, something made her believe that he understood what she meant.
“I still miss him, my uncle does at well. My mother hasn’t been around since I was born, so it’s just been my uncle and myself most of the time. He’s good to me though, I know he loves me as if I was his own.”
That was good, switching the topic over to Oscar helped bring Ada out of what would’ve been a lowered mood. There were many reasons that family leaders weren’t the most social of people, Oscar was just a rare exception as someone who enjoyed any and all gatherings. She knew the Rainsworth Duchess’ health was occasionally a factor for her absences at gatherings. Zai’s constant absences were for reasons technically unknown to his daughter, though she knew that the man avoided a lot of human contact when he could. The Nightray’s patriarch wasn’t present too often, much like this boy’s parents were. Ada knew some about the Nightray family, but not quite a whole lot. She knew they had several children, but their ages and gender were unknowns to her; no time together had been spent with the children of the two families for obvious reasons, and unfortunately for Elliot and Ada it was showing now. But being the girl that she was, the mention of a wedding in the future perked her interest, and her expression turned to one of curiosity.
“Who by chance is your brother marrying? I don’t know of any of the nobles who’re in a serious relationship, it’s been years since I’ve been to a wedding. You’ll be at the ceremony I assume?”
He looked to be about her age, and since Ada knew nothing about him, she wasn’t sure if there’d be something that’d prevent him from being at his brother’s wedding. A doubtful reality, but one could never be sure. But in any case her curiosity was still piqued. Perhaps if the Vessalius’ were invited to the ceremony as well she could meet up with this boy again, have someone her own age to talk to. Ada knew she’d enjoy that prospect and she’d hope the same would go for him as well.