Moving Day (Henry)

[angel]

Angel was not a very happy camper, he honestly hated being called in for guard duty of all things for a simple night. It wasn't like he had no life, hell this would be perfect for the captain if it was so important. Instead the orders to camp out in the hall in front of Henry's door had been given to him. It was possibly one of the worst jobs he had been given since actually becoming part of the Regular Palace guard and as such the Personal guards to the royal family.

It of course didn't help that at the moment his mate Summer was in their comfortable bed, without him their to warm the covers. For a moment he seriously considered calling a squad of guards back from their off duty hours and making them watch the door, and just going home and trying once more with his wife. Annoyance, he decided did not suit him well, nor did sitting in a stone fortress. It just felt and smelled wrong. Needless to say he had started with standing, then even sitting and pacing in front of the door since the prince returned.

Of course he had also been tracking the prince all day, he was supposed to report Elina's progress on taming the carefree Prince. Of course they didn't know that, in all honesty he only had a few hours left and one of the few others lycans nearly as intimidating as he himself was would be joining him and taking over. This lycan though 100 years younger had been trained fully from pup to soldier by Angel. The boy knew how to track and in fact had picked up on some of Angels odder choices in clothing like the moccasins he wore on his feet.

It was at one of his random moments that he was at attention that the door swung open. Angel stood glaring into the room as if he wasn't protecting the prince but rather the prince was a prisoner. Which he pretty much was all things considered. Every movement he was making at the moment was being tracked and watched by Angels best Trackers and scouts. One couldn't miss the gleaming silver blade of the 6 foot long Claymore that Angel had unsheathed with its tip resting upon the stone floor as he leaned ever so lightly against the cross guard. As if the Lycan that wore deer skin hide and carried a 6 foot sword wasn’t intimidating enough at the moment he bore a deep scowl that could have wilted lettuce on some.

"Lieutenant, I assume you're here to keep me in?"

Angel said nothing, he had after all not been told to keep company with the child prince, for it did seem like he was a child, though more than that was the simple fact that he had been born long after he had been brought to the island and joined the guard. He like Dawn was one of those most often sent to track him down and drag the prince home. The only noticeable change in the way Angel stood was the fact that his finger drummed lightly upon the hilt for a moment almost daring the prince to make a run for it.

Something did seem off in Henry though, he seemed flushed and even confused by something. Then their was his heart rate, that in itself seemed to be matched to what his was like when he came home and saw his mate lying in wait for him. Then came the reason for his being stationed outside the door. The future princess, Elina Cali. He was stationed at that are of the palace as much for Henry as he was for her.

"Henry.... who are you talking to? What's going on?"

“Orders...”

Not particularly feeling like speaking any more than that he tossed a handwritten note to Henry, on it was in his own handwriting. In short terms It stated that Angel or one of his hand picked Guardsman, were to stand guard at all times near Henry and ensure that neither Henry nor Elina chose to sleep anywhere other but in their shared quarters. It did not however mention that the orders had come strait from Vaan. That he had chosen Angel for this task simple because he was bigger than Henry and more than that, he was much more intelligent than he acted... Vaan was one of the few people that didn't underestimate Angel.

In all honesty though Angel had been waiting for Henry to open the door as he stepped forward his hand gesturing to the new bolts that were mounted on the outside of the door. Without waiting for a response from the pair that both seemed to be struggling with something inside he grabbed the door before pausing for a moment to glance at the pair.

“ not live you life on a run... Sometimes pause see what have before it vanish on the breeze... Much lost have I, yet other more important Mate... Piece of soul Understand each shall when one you come.”

With that he slammed the door shut on them managing to whisk the door out of Henry's unprepared grasp in the process with an audible thump that echoed through the hall before slamming into place each of the bolts. It was then and only then that he sat upon the floor. Nestled into the alcove of the door awaiting his replacement for the evening... He wanted to get home and be with his mate, she was probably worried with him not home yet as it was... perhaps he would have to pick something up for her. Of course it was a little late to dig up anything like a Hibiscus flower. He would figure out some way to make it up to her later.

[henry]

Henry stood just inside the doorway, staring at the scowling warrior in front of him. After having his lips pressed up against Elina's, he felt as if he'd been through an emotional ringer, and the last thing he needed at that moment was to be guarded like some criminal. He heard Elina's voice behind him and he tried to appear relaxed. To her, it probably looked like he'd been caught trying to flee. Such was his luck of late. He was beginning to question which direction was up, he was tired, and his body was still on fire. Knowing that Angel could see those things within him only made him more frustrated with himself.

With a single word, Angel handed him a folded piece of paper and Henry took a deep breath before reading it. It was simple and to the point, but he scowled at it. Neither he nor Elina was to be allowed to leave the suite. Moreover, it seemed that Henry, at least, was being watched. Unbidden, a low growl escaped him. Without looking, he held the note out behind him for Elina to take as he stared at the soldier in front of him. The only person he could think of who would give orders like that would be his father. Elina might have done it, but he doubted she would have included herself in the lock down.

Before he could ask any questions, Angel gestured to the newly installed bolts on the door. Henry took a closer look, trying not to gape. They locked from the outside. They locked from the-- Henry fumed, choosing anger over his rising panic. Before Henry could gather his wits enough to make a remark about them, Angel grabbed the edge of the door like he was going to shut it, locking Henry and Elina inside to whatever fate might await them, but he hesitated. Then he spoke in the strange broken English of his, making Henry's mind work to understand his meaning.

Henry had just worked it out when the door was pulled out of his grasp to slam in his face. All was silent except for the sound of the bolt sliding home. Stop to enjoy what you have before it's gone... a piece of his soul... The panic he'd been trying to repress came to the surface at those words. That was exactly what he was afraid of. He didn't want to lose himself to her. If he did... if he fell in love with her... and she left him... He cut that thought off ruthlessly. No. That wouldn't happen. He wouldn't give her the chance to break his heart. Not caring that she was still standing there with him, he let his head thump against the locked door. He had to find a way out of this situation.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She looked to Henry when Angel just simply stated the word "orders" and handed over the letter. She watched her future husband read it before he held it to her. She snatched it from his hands and read it over many a times before she let out a frustrated noise of distress and looked up to Henry and Angel. He was joking right? They were not seriously going to be locked in here all night.... Were they?

Her eyes flew to the newly installed bolts on the door that she hadn't even seen earlier. She let out another noise of annoyance before looking to Angel. They couldn't be serious. There was no way she was going to be locked in this room with him. She looked to Henry, seriously shocked that he wasn't putting up a fight. She expected him to put up a fight.

She looked up to Angel as he began speaking in broken English. She frowned softly. What the bloody hell was he talking about? She glanced to Henry for a moment before watching as the man slammed the door in her face. She scowled softly, watching as Henry just leaned his forehead against the door. She stared at him for a very long time before she let out a growl of frustration and crumpled up the letter. "This is all your god damn fault." She chunked the wadded up paper at Henry before whirling around and stomping into the bedroom. And she hadn't gone to get supper in the kitchens yet either. In another couple of hours she was going to be starving.

She relaxed a little as she walked into the bedroom and climbed into the bed. She sighed, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment before she pulled out the bridal magazine once more. She may have not wanted to be the bride of this wedding, but it was going to be her damn dream wedding if she was being forced into this.

[henry]

Henry couldn't believe that his father had pulled rank and ordered him and Elina locked in the suite. No, not just locked in. Locked in and guarded. This was idiotic, and it probably would have rankled him more if he hadn't already given his word to remain inside. The bad thing was that there wasn't a single thing Henry could do about it. The only orders he could give Angel that would be obeyed were those that didn't influence his current orders. Henry was certain that telling the giant lycan to go home to his wife wouldn't only influence previous orders, but would contradict them completely. He let out a low growl as he stood there, forehead pressed against the locked door.

Henry could feel anger and frustration absolutely radiating off of his future wife behind him. He ignored her small sounds of vexation as he thought through his predicament. "This is all your god damn fault." Then he heard her wad up the paper and felt it hit his back. With a growl, he turned to face her. Sparks practically flew from her eyes, and he wasn't much calmer. Dealing with her, the lack of available females, the deal he'd just made her, a great amount of sexual frustration, being angry at Vaan, and now being locked and guarded inside his own suite was enough to break his calm control. Still, he couldn't bring himself to take his anger out on her, no matter how beneficial it might be to him.

Henry watched, scowl still in place, as Elina stomped off to the bedroom and slammed the door. For a moment, he could almost see her doing that many, many times in the future. He gave a frustrated shake of his head and made his way to the large, open kitchen. Windows extended along the entire outer wall, giving both the living room and the kitchen a wonderful view of the sunset. The golden light bathed the room in a soft glow and reflected off of the stainless steel appliances. They were effectively on lock down, and he'd be damned if he was going to starve because of it. Luckily, he'd had the kitchen stocked the day before.

He passed the island-style stove top and reached for the ipod home unit. Setting the entire thing to random, it started softly playing Autumn by Tchaikovsky. He had a soft spot for classical and he needed something that might calm him down a bit. Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the granite counter top and let the sun's last rays warm him and the music lull him. The only thing better would have been a woman and a run, but he could get neither of those things locked in as he was. Instead, he let himself have a rare moment to himself without his barriers. He did that every once in awhile, just to remind himself of who he was. Then, no matter what, he wouldn't forget.

The song ended and moved on to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The romantic period definitely had some beautiful and passionate music. With a sigh, Henry pushed himself away from the counter and approached the refrigerator, digging out supplies so that he could cook himself and Elina something to eat. Chicken, rice, garlic, oil, peas, carrots, a bit of broth... Much as the music calmed him, the act of cooking would too. He told himself that he'd rather cook and listen to music than to go after Elina, but it would be a lie. What would he say, anyway? That he was sorry? He wasn't going to apologize for who he was and what he did in his spare time. He'd agreed to stay for the night, but come tomorrow he'd chew through those locks if he had to.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She looked over an absolutely gorgeous dress thoughtfully. Who was she kidding? Her wedding wouldn't be a dream wedding. The biggest part of a dream wedding was a groom who loved you no matter what and wouldn't want to lay a hand on any other woman. That was most certainly not what Henry was. She sighed and flipped through another couple of pages, suddenly not so joyful about wedding plans. She liked the dress, but it's not what she wanted. It wasn't appropriate for a beach wedding.

That was one thing she always wanted. A wedding on the beach. She loved the idea. She had already made it very clear to Vaan that she did not want a big fancy wedding. Well.. not big. Every girl wanted a fancy wedding. She just wanted to have a quiet wedding with as few people as possible. So far she had the guest list down to two hundred, but she was determined to get it down to one hundred people. She just didn't want a big flashy wedding. She wanted something simple on the beach. At sunset. She had decided on that. This dress was far to fancy for a wedding on the beach. It was co vered in lace and beading. It was beautiful, but it wasn't for Elina or her wedding.

She sighed and flipped through several pages before letting out another sigh and tossing the magazine down on the bed. That's when she realized that she heard music. And not that poppy crap, but real music. She perked up a little, frowning softly. She climbed out of the bed and quietly padded across the room and very quietly and discreetly cracked the door of the bedroom. Tchaikovsky filled her ears even more as she opened the door and she frowned. She knew that Henry enjoyed music, but she didn't think he liked this type of music.

She slowly peeked her head out of the room and looked around. Henry wasn't in the living room. She glanced towards the kitchen. She wondered why Henry's suite had a kitchen. She couldn't seem to fathom her future husband as much of a cook. She wasn't much of a cook to be honest. She could do the basics. That was about it. That was fine for her though. As long as she could have some scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, she was happy.

She quietly snuck towards the kitchen, wanting to see what was going on. She was surprised to see him actually cooking. She took note of all the ingredients he had gathered up and she very quietly hoisted herself up onto the counter behind him, where he wouldn't see her while he cooked, and her scent wouldn't be picked up right away. She wanted to see just how well of a cook he really was. She just hoped her growling stomach wouldn't give her away.

[henry]

After getting out the necessary utensils--pot, pan, spoons--Henry set everything up on the stove. The chicken breasts were large, and so he flayed them, making each one into two thinner ones. Already, the dish he was making started to take shape in his mind. He put the rice on to boil, adding in the peas before he diced up the carrots and added those too. Getting out a pan and adding flour, he covered the chicken in it before dousing each piece with a hint of garlic. Those went into the pan with a splash of oil before he turned to add broth to the rice, giving it time to soak it up. He worked quickly and efficiently, his skills borne of long practice. Very few knew he liked to cook as much as he did, and he certainly didn't flaunt the fact, but he was making something at every opportunity. The aromas were soothing and the simple act of making something good come together out of random ingredients always made him feel better.

Throughout the process, his thoughts started to calm and he tried to look at things rationally. Tchaikovsky flowed through his veins and lent him clarity. Henry and Elina were engaged. So far, he'd been unable to change that fact. Assuming he couldn't change it, he had to find a way to live with it. The option he thought Elina would like best would be to drop dead, but he wasn't going to do that any time soon. He could just give in and do what she wanted, but that wasn't in his nature. He knew that if he did... if he gave up his way of life just to have her... Henry shook his head. If he did that, he'd fall for her. It seemed to him that the best plan would be to come to some sort of truce. Henry would be discreet, and the marriage would be for public image. Somehow he didn't think she would go for that. No, she'd demand complete fidelity. It was probably why Vaan had chosen her.

Idly, Henry drummed the spatula against the stove top, mumbling to himself. "Stop being an idiot, Henry." What he needed to do was make Elina want him. If he could do that, she might be willing to bend on her "rules." He needed to bring out his charm and seduce her like he'd never seduced before. Either that or make her hate him. He liked the second option better. Smiling suddenly, he turned the chicken over. Maybe being locked in the suite wasn't so bad after all. Turning around to check on the rice, he saw her sitting on the counter, watching him with those blasted beautiful eyes of hers. Her taste lingered on his lips and he licked them, remembering. A slightly mischievous glint in his eye, he gestured to the browning chicken. "Hungry?" To make her want him, or hate him? Damn this confusion.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She watched him as she sat there beside the iHome, enjoying Tchaikovsky company. This was an interesting new development in the situation. Chocolate pools watched him as he moved with ease. He flayed thick pieces of chicken. He put rice on to boil in what she assumed to be some sort of broth. By the smell of it, it was chicken broth. She licked her lips at the delicious scents, momentarily forgetting about Henry.

She leaned back against the counter and just watched him, relaxing as the music played. A faint smile laid upon her lips as she watched him. She was not going to let him live this down either. Oh no... she would find herself a way to get him to feed her bed in breakfast. She imagined it would take a little work, but she bet she could get him to do it. That was a lovely prospect, but she supposed she should probably keep dreaming.

She smirked softly as he turned and finally realized she was in the kitchen with him. She didn't move from her spot. She was perfectly comfortable there on her temporary perch. She had a good view of Henry as he cooked from there. "I was not aware that you were such a good cook, Your Highness." She commented calmly, chocolate pools looking him over intently. This certainly wasn't a side of him she had seen yet, but she would like to see this side of him. Perhaps the two of them could have a calm, civil dinner together.

She studied him thoughtfully, taking in the mischievous look on his face. He was up to something. She wasn't sure what exactly, but she could tell by that look on his face. "Starving, actually. I was going to have some rabbit I hunted earlier, but seeing as we're locked in here now, I guess I'm subject to whatever you're fixing. " She nodded her head softly before she looked over to the browning chicken curiously. "What are you fixing?" She asked gently, looking to him once more. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly. The scents were even better now that everything was set to cook.

[henry]

Henry tried to tell himself that his heart didn't speed up at the sight of her. He tried to tell himself that he didn't care if she was there or not. He tried to tell himself that he didn't want her in every possible way. Of course, all of those things would be a lie. He was slightly surprised that those things weren't completely obvious. He tried to push his confusion and desire down so that he could focus on the task at hand, but it was hard. If he didn't manage it, he'd end up staring into those chocolate eyes of hers and burning the food. It was blasphemy to burn food. Oh, but that kiss. He wanted to wrap himself around her and stay there. "I love to cook, Baroness. It's how I keep myself in check when I'm frustrated by a particular beautiful woman or something more serious such as being locked in my suite with one that wants nothing to do with me."

He winked at her and drained the rice, saving the broth before adding a few more ingredients. The broth went into a separate pot, where he added flour, cream, and some more spices before turning it up to a high boil. With the chicken nearly done, he got out a couple plates and set them out. Henry smiled as he worked, especially now that he knew Elina was hungry. They always said that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, but he'd found the saying equally true about women. It seemed that most of them liked men who could cook. Well, this was far from his best dish, but it was quick and easy.

Henry moved to stir the gravy as it thickened. "It's garlic chicken on a bed of rice pilaf with gravy. Nothing fancy, but it should keep us from going hungry." He paused for a moment while stirring as a grin broke his face. "Well, it'll keep us from getting hungry for food." Damn, he wanted to kiss her again. Her scent mingled with the chicken was enough to drive him crazy. With a great deal of reluctance, he turned back to the gravy and kept stirring. He had to keep himself under control. For this night, at least, he was going to test this out and try to be civil. He could feel Elina's eyes on him and he shifted his weight. Every time he was around her, it felt like a trap was closing around him. She was the perfect temptation, and he couldn't resist.

Taking a deep breath, he turned off the stove and prepared the plates. The rice went first with the chicken laid carefully on top. Then he covered both of their plates with a helping of gravy to tie everything together. The music had switched over to Beethoven, and it created a dramatic backdrop when he set the plate of food on the counter next to that infuriatingly beautiful woman. His future wife. He guessed he'd better get used to the idea. "Bon appetite, mon cherie." He fixed the moment in his head. The music, the food, the fading sunlight bathing everything in gold, but most importantly, her... smelling of cherry blossoms and a scent that was all her own. What a perfect trap.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She smirked softly, deep pools watching him thoughtfully for a moment. She made no comment though. She never said she wanted nothing to do with him. She couldn't deny herself anymore after that amazing kiss. There were feelings for him there that she would really rather not have. She only sat there, tilting her head tot he side in a very canine movement. He had no idea how amused she found this entire thing. She drove him to cook. Perhaps she should piss him off more often while they were locked up in their suite on a regular basis. She would have to be careful about that though.... She drove him too far and things may go in a much more intimate direction, and that would be bad. For Elina at least.

She watched him as he finished the food and skillfully set the plates. She looked to the plate as he set it down next to her. "Merci."She grinned and hopped down from the counter. She felt her arm brush his chest and she tensed a little, remember that kiss as she felt a jolt of electricity run through her. She carried the food over to his kitchen table by the window and placed it gently down where she would sit. She looked out the window for a moment though, relaxing a little as she watched the sun lowering over the island. You could see a small portion of the beach from here too. It was certainly a beautiful sight to behold. She liked to think the view of the beach was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to the view that Henry had from his suite.

She studied the view for a few more moments before she sat down in the chair, studying the scene for a moment longer before looking up to Henry. "Do you have any wine?" She asked it calmly. She would survive if he didn't, but she could have really used some alcohol to take the edge off at the moment. Especially with the memory of that... amazing and arousing kiss fresh on her mind. She didn't want that fresh on her mind. As a matter of fact she wouldn't have minded draining an entire bottle if it meant she could forget that kiss.

[henry]

Henry watched Elina as she slid down off the counter, her arm brushing against him. Like someone had lit a match under his skin, desire flared. Damn it, Henry! It's just her arm! Control yourself. He wanted to snatch her back and touch her again. Anywhere... Her arm, her hair, her face. He wanted to run his fingers down her spine and watch goosebumps rise on her skin. With teeth clenched, he remained still and watched her walk to the table with a seductive sway to her hips. Damn the woman. Standing there, watching the sunset seeming to to be completely at peace with herself and her situation, Henry felt another little piece of himself break away. This wasn't good. He had to find some way to stop this. He couldn't fall in love. He couldn't. But until he came up with a plan, he was stuck and she was slowly pulling him in.

Taking a shaky breath that didn't help at all, he grabbed his own plate and set it down on the table across from Elina as she sat down. She looked up at him before asking if he had any wine. A slow grin spread across his face as a plan started to form. It might kill him to pull it off, but he was pretty sure he could do it. Without a word, he walked to the cabinet in the far corner of the kitchen and pulled open the door so she could see inside. It was about four feet deep and wide enough for him to walk inside a couple paces. Lining the walls were bottles upon bottles of wine. Picking out an expensive favorite, he picked out a couple of glasses and carried it all back over to the table. "2132, Chateau Lafite Rothschild. I hope you like it. It cost me a small fortune." Not that he was trying to impress her with how expensive it was. Not really, anyway.

He set the glasses down and popped the cork with his fingers, savoring the pop and the aroma with a small satisfied smile. Staying standing, he picked up her glass and poured before handing it to her and pouring his own. Henry sat down across from her and set the bottle aside. He swirled the wine and took a small sip, setting the glass aside. "Little known fact. Chateau Lafite has always been created by lycans. Since our senses are better than a human's, it has often been voted the best wine in the world. My father keeps a stock of it downstairs and I sneak some up here periodically. Since you're stuck here with me, I figured you could at least share the spoils." He sat back and glanced at the sunset for a moment before grabbing his fork and taking a bite, a bit more relaxed than before now that he had a plan.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She watched him disappear into what she thought was a pantry for a moment before she looked back out the window. She just watched the sunset as Henry went to retrieve some wine. She didn't even realize he'd returned until she heard the pop of the cork. She looked to him as he poured her a glass.

"I suppose that is supposed to make me feel impressed." She said calmly. It was an expensive wine. She knew that because her mother had a fondness for expensive wines. Elina had no doubt that her love for wines was a hobby that developed when she found out her husband was frolicking around with other women. The thing was that, Elina wasn't impressed. So he could take expensive wine from his father's stores for his own private store. Big whoop. She glanced up to Henry as he set her glass down in front of her and then picked it up and sipped at it. It was a good wine. She could not deny it was a good wine. Over the years she had picked up her mother's like for it and has a nice collection of wine herself. She would have to see if her mother was courteous enough to move Elina's stores to the suite.

She looked to Henry for a moment, studying him thoughtfully as she took a sip before looking out the window as well. Deep chocolate pools watched as the sun began it's descent over the horizon. This was actually rather soothing. Watching the sunset with a glass of wine and a good meal. She looked to the food as she gently set the wine down and began cutting into the chicken. She looked up to Henry as he explained about his particular selection in wine for the night. She glanced to her glass as she let the flavor from her sip rest on her tongue. "Ahh but they do not put into account that Lycans have different tastes. I prefer a good riesling myself." She stated matter of factly as her eyes went back to her food as she cut up her chicken into several pieces before forking some of it up with some rice.

She let out a soft hum of delight as she let the flavors mix around in her mouth before she swallowed. "This is very delicious, Henry. " She meant that with all sincerity because it really was good. She was genuinely surprised that he could cook so well. And she felt a bit jealous too. She wished she could cook this well. She could scramble eggs and make grilled cheese sandwiches. That was about the extent of her culinary capabilities. Well, at least he was bringing one useful quality into this marriage without her having to pry it out of him.

[henry]

Henry watched Elina's reactions carefully as he sat across from her. She was clearly not impressed with the wine, but that hadn't really been the point of choosing it. It was connoisseur blasphemy to drink red wine with white meat, but he had a thing for reds. She mentioned that she liked a good Riesling and he cocked his head in thought, wondering if he still had that one Napa Valley bottle in his pantry. He recalled cooking with it a couple times and he might have another bottle stashed in there somewhere. He took another bite of his food, following Elina's gaze out to the sunset. It seemed like she was trying to focus on something besides himself, and he didn't half blame her. "I may have a Riesling if you'd like me to get it out."

Henry took another sip of wine, thinking that Elina's lips tasted better. He should kick himself, walk away, and not look back. He couldn't bring himself to do it, though. Despite the cold shoulder and raging hot body, he liked Elina's company. He should kick himself twice for that alone. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and studied her face as she commented on the food. Letting out a light laugh at her barely veiled surprise, he took another bite of his own. So she was impressed by his cooking, but not by the wine. He thought about the difference between the two and cringed. The cooking was something from his own hand. The wine hadn't required any effort on his part. That was really the only difference he could see, and it was obviously a difference that mattered to her.

One side of Henry's mouth quirked upward as he sat forward, looking Elina in the eye. She had what were often referred to as doe eyes. Deep brown eyes that appeared innocent, and hid a cunning mind that could match his own. As he swallowed, he steepled his fingers in front of his chin and considered for a moment. "Will you answer a question for me?" He let out a small laugh. "I'm trying to be nice for the moment, and the whole purpose of dinner for most people is to get to know each other better. So... a question for a question?" He raised his eyebrow at her before taking another sip of wine. If nothing else, this night was proving to be interesting.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She shook her head softly as she sipped at the wind calmly. "No, this is fine." She glanced up to him for a moment before looking back to her food. It was a good wine. The brand really was a nice brand. Riesling was her favorite type of wine, but she was happy with any wine really. If it was wine she was happy. It helped to take the edge off in situations such as these, where she was stressed out. And she was pretty stressed out at the moment. It always left her a little rosey cheeked though. She wasn't sure what caused it, but she didn't really care. As long as it relaxed her, she was happy.

The food was excellent. She wasn't going to say that though. She didn't want him to get too full of himself. He would learn soon enough that she just couldn't cook. As much as she would like to be able to cook, she really didn't trust herself in a kitchen. Helen liked to tease Elina and say that Elina could easily burn water. It was probably true. Even when she fixed scrambled eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches, she ended up burning the food on occasion. Henry just didn't strike her as the cooking type though. She would have thought he couldn't dane himself with cooking. He chased women constantly after all. Not many people had time to cook when they did a lot of woman chasing.

She looked up to him as she sipped at her wine calmly. Those doe eyes of hers studied him for a very long silent time. What could he possibly want to ask her? "That would depend on the question, Your Highness." She said calmly. She had a slight feeling that she already knew what the question would be, but she gave no hint to it. She just looked back down at her food and forked up some rice carefully. She knew that dinner was for people to get to know each other or discuss their days, but Elina and Henry were not the typical couple. She would be happy just to have a somewhat civilized dinner with him. She would rather have a civilized dinner with him actually. They were stuck in this suite with each other until morning. They might as well make the best of it, and civility was part of making the best of it.

[henry]

Henry was so entirely confused. On one hand, he wanted to take Elina to bed, strip her out of her clothes, and ravish her until neither of them could think straight. He wanted to lose himself in her in every possible way. Those were dangerous thoughts for him to have, but they were there. She set his blood on fire and turned him upside down like no one else had ever done before. He didn't understand it and there was no possible way for him to define it. It was like he was instinctively reaching out for something he knew he shouldn't have. She was like a roaring fire... best observed from a distance. And here he was, wanting to walk into the flames. He wanted it more than he cared to admit, even if he did get burned.

On the other hand, he wanted nothing to do with her. He wanted to send her away to a place where she couldn't torment him any longer. Her presence and their engagement was changing everything and it was something he was desperate to avoid. It was almost as if he could see the future where he fell for her and she broke his heart so badly that it could never be repaired. Not that it was whole to begin with, but he was as normal as he could be under the circumstances. At least he didn't love her now. Small favors when he was on his way to hell.

Henry watched her, gauging her emotions. She was angry, but he couldn't tell if it was at him, the situation, herself, the lock-in, or something else entirely. Perhaps it was a combination of everything. In his experience, women were rarely simple and Elina least of all. "That would depend on the question, Your Highness." Henry thought for a moment, genuinely surprised at how many questions he wanted to ask her. He wasn't supposed to care, dammit. Instead of looking too closely at that, he asked her the first thing that came to mind. "Why are you so angry?" As soon as he asked the question, he was a bit embarrassed with himself, but he tried not to show it. He took another bite of food instead, hoping Elina didn't see the slight blush he couldn't avoid.

[Baroness Elina Cali]

She focused on the food for a moment. The food was fantastic. She was almost tempted to ask if he had a dessert planned because if he was such a good cook, she couldn't imagine what his desserts tasted like. Probably heavenly. She took a bite of gravy covered rice and savored the taste, letting it roll around her tongue as she looked up and out the window as the sun grew lower in the sky. She realized then that their last encounter before their parents informed them of the engagement had been under the sunset colored sky. She thought about that day for a few minutes. She tensed when he asked his question though.

She looked up to him and she just stared at him for a very long, silent few minutes before she slowly sat her fork down. Was he seriously? He did not seriously just ask her that! Why was she so angry? Really? She knew he had to know why she was so angry. "Did you really just ask that?" She asked softly, meeting his gaze. "I can't imagine why I'm so angry... " Her words were pointed as she took up her fork and knife once more and started cutting up her chicken more. "Seeing as I'm not only being forced to marry a man I do not approve of, but a man who is exactly like my father. Womanizing man, who whores around and parades a new woman around every other hour. The very type of man I vowed to never marry. In just three months. Who has time to actually plan a wedding in three months!And now...Oh-ho-ho... now all my stuff has been moved, without my consent, might I add, to your suite, where they expect me to actually share our bed while you continue to whore around." The more she spoke the harsher her voice got and the more tense she grew. It was a wonder she didn't break the plate considering how much pressure she was putting into her fork and knife as she cut the chicken up. She slapped her knife and fork down on the table and let out a very unlady-like growl before she closed her eyes and took several very deep, cleansing breaths before they fluttered open and she fixed him with a dark, angry glare. "Any more questions?"