Arching her eyebrow at him, Theodora huffed. "Beats being an old man like yourself." It was a terrible attempt at an insult and she knew it. Yet, she would still defend it. Their age difference wasn't that great, really ― all things considered. Though, there was still enough for her to poke fun at, and that was far better than nothing.
Theodora huffed a laughter at his question. There was plenty of things she could complain about, yet they all seemed silly to speak out loud. "Perhaps I'll tell you some day." Whatever image of he had of her was one she'd rather keep over the light he'd see her in if she allowed her childish fantasies be birthed through words.
She didn't need yet another person chastise her for being ungrateful.
She wasn't so silly to think him being here didn't mean anything. While she didn't think much of it, it didn't take a fool to understand that whatever she had said and done had captured the lord's attention ― if only for a moment. It seemed important to him, that people's opinions of him remained pure and unscathed and therefore she would not push it.
While Theodora didn't mind the attention ― in fact, she quite enjoyed it ― she was not so foolish to think it would bare any fruit. She knew it would lead nowhere and that it would never amount to anything more than silly fantasies. In fact, the young girl had even come to terms with that.
She didn't hesitate to look up when he called for her attention, though wasn't offered much of a chance to ask him why before his eyes locked upon hers, silencing her tongue. It was only when his lips met hers that she felt the bolt of surprise course through her body. The surprise only lasted for a second before she felt herself lean into the kiss and return it.
It was much different from before. The kiss the two had shared in the field had been all her doing. A quick peck offered as a prize for solving her riddle. This, however, felt different. It was passionate ― almost demanding. It was enough so that her breath caught in her throat.
When he pulled away, all too soon, the touch of pink the wine had brought to her cheeks had been replaced by a deep crimson flush. Yet, she did not look away, but instead, huffed at his apology. "Now who's letting the wine get to their head." She huffed a laughter before leaning her head back against the cold, wooden surface behind her. It was a far better kiss than the one in the field. A far better kiss than any before it.
He sat back, aware that he was grinning stupidly but quite unable to still the expression. Well then So much for not acting upon the desires that the Leventi girl stirred in him. Achilleas took a deep breath and tried to settle himself, distracting himself from the temptation that sat just next to him by plucking a piece of the long seagrass that sprouted from beneath the stall he braced himself upon. He threaded in through his fingers, laughed quietly at Theodora’s words.
“Perhaps you are right” It was a feeble excuse he knew, but it would serve well enough should it bear scrutiny at any point. Still smirking, the Lord Mikaelidas’ gaze lifted to their surrounds again, and he sighed, glad that his momentary indiscretion did not seem to have garnered any undue attention.
He was wary of letting himself look at Theodora, trying not to imagine how prettily she would be blushing, nor how her lips would look, just kissed. It was proving difficult though, and he wondered at the wisdom of having allowed himself that little taste. Had he just made everything infinitely harder?
Achilleas was quiet a moment longer before he thought he ought to speak, to say something more. Finally mastering his self-satisfied expression, he glanced askance at Theodora. “ So if I am blaming the wine, what is your excuse?”
She had kissed him back after all, had not held herself back, and he was not complaining. Still there was part of him cautious about her expectations. She was young still, what if she thought more of this than it was? Achilleas was not oblivious to the Lady Evelli’s attention to him earlier, and for a brief second, he hoped he had not just fallen prey to any orchestrated efforts. But Theodora did not seem the type, he thought. And she had been downright rude to him before. If she had been set out as some little honey trap she was not the most efficient, perhaps.
Though ultimately successful he mused, running the pad of his thumb over his lower lip, and then scraping a hand over the stubble beginning to shadow his jaw. “ That was not my intent when I came to speak to you today” he clarified, as if attempting to find his way back to a more even keel. “But it was nice nonetheless”
Again, his gaze returned to their surroundings. While she knew that most people cared a great deal about their repuation, Achilleas seemed more worried than anyone she had ever seen before. His reputation wasn't the one that would sour if anyone had seen them, so why did he care so much?
"Are you saying I can't blame the wine, too?" She asked, raising her eyebrows as if daring him to say otherwise, but before he could formulate an answer, she continued, "I can blame youth if wine isn't an acceptable answer." She offered him something of a shrug at that. She could also blame curiosity, though only if he claimed the other two reasons were too bad. She didn't really think he would.
In truth, Theodora hadn't really expected to see him again after his visit to her family home. They might both be in the same circles now that she had entered the court, but there was still quite a lot of people who frequented there. The chances of seeing him again, let alone actually interacting with him was slim.
Did she expect anything from him? Of course not. She knew better than that, and if she had, she would have sought him out instead. But then, he'd been the one to seek her out, which posed a much larger question. What did the young lord expect? Surely, he wasn't looking for a wife, and Theodora had no interest in being one yet. She was far too young to settle down at such an age, and she had quite a lot of years ahead of her still.
Or so she hoped, anyway.
Looking at him, Theodora chuckled at his words. "Then pray tell, my lord, what exactly was your intent when you came to speak to me?" Perhaps he was lonely, or perhaps he needed something different in his life. Perhaps he was just looking for some kind of company that didn't automatically agree with him, or fawn over him like helpless child. If there was something the members of court were good at, it was sucking up to the right people.
She didn't doubt that could get tiresome after a while. "Though, I feel inclined to agree with you, I'm afraid it might go to your head. You seem plenty full of yourself as is." She grinned at him.
He raised a skeptical brow, eyeing the barely touched wine that she held- her excuse was even more feeble than his own. But then Theodora laid claim to youthful naivety, and he supposed he could not argue with that, even if her actions did not exactly convince him of the truth of it.
“You can blame me” he supplied, looking her up and down. “After all, you were sitting here, innocently reading your book-that-is-not-a-diary before I imposed upon you.” Of course, last time he had tried to protect her by sacrifing himself, she had seemed almost irritated with him for it, he mused, remembering her face when he had spoken up to assure her father that unfortunate incident in Macendia had been of his own conception. Though perhaps he had no quite considered the light he was painting himself in doing so, the baron recalled, thinking how unimpressed Georgios had been, and how he had lost out on a good deal on those horses.
What had he been thinking?
When her question came at him, the easy smile he had worn slipped a moment, and Achilleas’ expression turned serious, his eyes resting on her face, almost searching in their intensity. “ I am not sure” came the confession, and still he looked at her as if hoping to find his answer somewhere there- in the depth of her gaze or the lips stained wine red with a remembered kiss.
“ You amuse me I suppose” the Lord said a moment later, dismissively. He had retreated behind the arrogance she would accuse him of in her next breath, for that was easier worn than the honest answer -that something about her had caught his attention and it tugged at him and would not be ignored.
Achilleas was not usually one to let his head be turned by a pretty girl, and so he found it a little unsettling that she had proven so difficult to remove from his thoughts. It would do him no good to entertain any ideas pertaining to her, this he knew, and yet here he was, doing nothing to put her from his mind. Doing the opposite in fact. He pressed his lips together in a firm line as he considered it. He had to stop.
There was a wry smile at the girl’s intimation that he was self-important, and the Lord Mikaelidas gave a small shake of his head. “ I see...well if that is how you feel, my Lady..” He had pushed to his feet and stood over her. “ Perhaps I should not inflict myself upon you any longer. Will you let me escort you back to your family now, or are you still determined to be stubborn?”
It was abrupt, his sudden shift in gears, but Achilleas was starting to question his own judgement when it came to Theodora, and suddenly found himself wanting to remove himself from the situation, take himself out of the path of temptation as it were. He extended a hand once again, poised ready to help her to her feet once again.
"I don't make a habit of blaming someone else for something I was just as much part of myself." She countered. After all, she could easily have pushed him away and told him no, but the fact remained that she hadn't. Besides, it was nothing more than an innocent kiss. It was hardly the end of the world. And she would much rather not have a repeat of what had happened the last the two had met. It seemed as if most people had nothing against having the responsibility of their actions tossed onto other people. "If you can't bare the responsibility of your own actions, then you should not make them." She offered with a shrug.
Theodora couldn't help the snort that passed through her nose. "I amuse you?" Any other woman might have found themselves annoyed. Theodora simply laughed at that. "If you ever plan on making your future wife happy, you might consider working on your compliments." Still, it was hard not to miss how Achilleas seemed to retreat within himself. It was painfully clear that he wasn't used to dealing with people asking him direct questions. Or perhaps, he simply wasn't used to replying to them in the same fashion.
But such was the way of court, she supposed.
Furrowing her brows at his sudden urgency to leave her presence, Theodora's lips pursed. Had she offended him somehow? It would surely be the first time he'd taken anything she'd thrown at him to heart. Perhaps it was something of a sore subject, or perhaps there was something entirely else bothering him. It didn't really matter, though, because in the next moment, he was all but ready to ship her back off to her parents.
For a second or two, Theodora stared at his offered hand. Then, her brown eyes lifted to look at the man once more. "No." She simply said. Reaching for the book again, Theodora opened it and turned her gaze back towards the pages. If she'd wanted to be with her family, that was exactly where she'd be. And she was more than capable enough to find her own way there, when she so pleased.
"If you need an excuse to escape my presence, my lord." She began dryly: Whatever else the reason was, she couldn't garner. It was very clear that something had changed, and he was more than eager to leave her presence. "Making assumptions of how I feel about your ego isn't going to work. If you have nothing better to come up with, simply walking away without a word works just as well." She didn't look up from her book as she spoke, and her voice was flat, but not in any way aggressive or angry.
His words had the desired effect, moved them away from the question of why he could not stay away from her, and turned her focus entirely onto something else. It was unfortunate perhaps that it was his poor manners, but Achilleas would take it over the other. He did not tell her that there were a thousand compliments just waiting to trip off his tongue and that was why he had instead said something so unflattering. She would not understand - if nothing else, the Lord was coming to learn that Theodora seemed to view things very much in black and white.
He didn’t react with much more than a shrug at her scolding, and then he was up on his feet and she was staring at his hand as if it were somehow insulting her,before burying her nose in her book once more. It was his turn to frown. This again?
But Theodora had not quite finished, and her words did not leave him much room for maneuver. Indeed, Achilleas opened his mouth to reply but found non, and so closed it again, stared at her. And that only irritated him further because he damn well wasn’t going to do exactly what she had suggested. He tried again. “ Do I need an excuse?” he said. “ It has been a long day, I am tired. Perhaps you ought not to make assumptions that everything is about you.”
Words sharp and tone clipped, It was not at all how he had intended to to leave her, and he would kick himself for it later. Not to mention that it was patently a lie, because his wanting to leave was everything to do with her and the unpredictable actions she seeemed to provoke in him.
He was not unpredictable. He was steady and dependable.It was how things were.
But at that moment, Achilleas was thrown by how direct she was being. It was usually a thing he would appreciate, but from this girl? It left him him flustered and that was not a feeling he much liked.
The Lord of Mikaelidas drew himself up then, folded his hands behind his back and offered Theodora a smart bow. “I will take my leave of you then, Lady Theodora, and leave you to your book. I hope you enjoy the rest of the festivities.”She felt his gaze upon her but a moment longer before he breathed a quiet sigh and turned, a long legged stride carrying him quickly away from her and her infuriating manner.
It wasn't necessarily the words that got to her, but rather the tone he used when presenting them. Sharp and clipped, as if speaking to some child that didn't know any better. Very similar to how her father often talked to her when he was displeased. Similar to how everyone talked to her when they were displeased.
It was nothing if not infuriating. Staring at him, she could feel the annoyance bubble within.
And it wasn't just the manner of which he'd just talked to her too. It was about how he'd swooped in, trying to save her from her father's ire as if she was some helpless damsel in distress that couldn't do anything for herself. It was about how he always played hot and cold, and whenever pressed about it, acted as if he didn't have a single care in the whole world. As if he could do whatever he damn pleased and blame it all on her being a petty child that needed chastising.
It was about how demeanor had immediately changed upon learning her name and title. And about how he kept approaching her and taking whatever he wanted until he was full, then walking away without a proper explanation.
And more than that, it was about how he amused her.
No. Theodora refused to be treated like some helpless child that simply didn't know any better. She refused to be treated like someone who had to be put in their place.
She didn't say anything. She didn't move. Not until he'd announced his departure. Calm and collected. Dismissing her just like that. Pushing herself to her feet, Theodora's fingers curled around the book as she pulled her arm back, and before she could react, her body moved on its own volition. Her eyes followed the book as it was hurled towards the lord.
It was only then that the rational part of her brain kicked in and she realized what she'd just done. Rather than apologizing, and rather than asking him if he was alright, the brunette was rather quick on her feet as she stepped back and then to the side, pushing herself behind the closed down shop stall, and out of sight. Pressing her back against the wooden surface, Theodora slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead.
Achilleas was trying to convince himself that his exit had been necessary and not as poorly executed as he feared. It was for the best, anyway and he...
Whatever thought had been forming was cut off when something smacked him in the back of the head. Hard. Ducking forwards, the lord reached up to rub at his skull, turning to see what had struck him. He paused when at his feet he caught sight of a familiar looking leather bound book.
As if she had..
There was a faint sense of disbelief as Achilleas bent to retrieve it, and his expression was hard when he looked back up to find its owner, less than amused. Girl or no, Theodora had a good arm on her it would seem. Words of reproach were already forming on his tongue and he breathed in, ready to speak then.
When he looked to where he had left her not moments before though, there was only empty space, and the man stood there as he tried to decide if he should seek her out. She could not have got far, after all.
But before he could move, Achilleas caught himself. Had he not just pulled himself away? And ready again to go back for more? This was exactly why he needed to keep clear of the girl. A distraction he could hardly afford, and that had no possible future.
He turned the book in his hands, let out a soft snort of amusement. Perhaps then, his exit had been that poorly executed
He lifted his gaze once again to where he had sat with Theodora, and then glanced around as if suddenly aware that there were others present. Finding himself in no mood for further socialising, the Lord Mikaelidas clasped the book in his left hand, picked up a cup of wine with the other and made his way through the crowds.
Luckily it was not a particularly weighty tome, and other than a slight knot he could feel forming and the inevitable dent to his -already over large according to his attacker- ego, Achilleas was unharmed. But as he moved off, ready to leave the festival behind him, he could not help but think Theodora had left more of a mark on him than she had intended.
