VA isn't mine sadly …
D-pov
It was a rather unusual sight that came trough court's most busy coffee shop Thursday morning. Christian was heading out of court, therefor I was off gateduty and eating breakfeast with him before we left. While we sat there, Adrian Ivashkov comes trough, orders six doughnuts and an irish coffee to go. It wasn't his early use of alcohol that surprised me, not the fact that he was up at this hour either – it was his attire. Anyone who knew Adrian, knew he never dressed in anything remotely out of fashion. Today wasn't an exception per see, and yet i'd never thought i'd see Adrian ivashkov in a pair of sweatpants and a lumberjack shirt – designer, I am sure. Aparently I wasn't the only one who had noticed this unusual sight.
"What on earth are you wearing?" Exclaimed my as always wordy charge, atracting the attention of not only Adrian but most of the coffee shop as well. Adrian looked at Christian, then down at himself and then back at Christian with a smirk.
"It is called sweatpants Chris, I am sure you have heard of them." Christian shook his head at the quirky remark.
"Sure I have, but I never thought I'd see you in a pair." Adrian shrugged casually but I saw his eyes quickly flicker to me before he spoke.
"Well I am helping a friend move, so I figured I'd better dress the part." Christian laughed in disbelief.
"I am having a hard time believing you have friends that can't afford professionel movers." Adrian just shook his head and smirked.
"Well believe it or not, it is actually two friends, both which were kind enough to do it the same day so I wouldn't have to wear this attire more than once." Christian raised an eyebrow.
"Two movings in one day?" Adrian shifted the weight of the box on his arm a little.
"One just need help with a few boxes, but the other is finally leaving the nest." Leaning his head to the side Christian couldn't control his curiousity anymore.
"Anyone I know?" Finally Adrian's smirk falthered a little.
"Yeah, Rose and Mia actually."
"Rose is moving?" Christian asked in surprise. Adrian laughed and shook his head.
"Nah, her dresses came in yesterday and she nedded some help moving them from the postoffice. From what I heard it is somewhere near a small truck load. Actually can you spare an hour to help?" Christian pulled back like he just got burned.
"No way! I already helped with the shopping bags, and from what I heard they pretty much emptied the store." Adrian just smiled secretful.
"Well at least I get to watch her going up the stairs all day. See you around Ozera." And with that he was out the door.
RPOV
I hated to admit it, but I loved this look. The royal blue satin corset bodice paired with a pair of black leather pants that would eventually be hidden under a long flowing skirt when we attended the party later tonight. The ankelboots had a stilletto heel but I knew how to fight in heels. Well I used to anyway.
After getting ready, putting on a light make-up and stuffing my stuff into my purse, I skipped out to go find Lissa before we left. It was a four day trip so I had to cancel a drinksdate with her. I found her with Christian, Tasha and Dimitri at a bench in one of the gardens.
"Hi Rose, what is up?" Tasha asked when I came over. I smiled politely at her, still having not forgotten how she tried to turn me against Rufus.
"Oh nothing much I just wanted to tell Lissa I am not going to make it Friday, Prince Tarus will be leaving court for a couple of days." Lissa looked slightly stunned.
"Oh, well should we re-arrange?" I shook my head.
"No, It'll be four days, so I figured maybe just next Friday?" She nodded and sent me a smile.
"Sure, have a safe trip." I waved goodbye and left to go find Rufus.
D-pov
"Wauw she looks stunning." Tasha commented as Rose left us. I barely registerd her words, still looking after Rose.
"She really does doesn't she? We used an entire day at the mall to pick it out." Lissa gushed and I payed attention to their conversaiton as Rose slipped out of view. Why did she have to look so damn sexy all the time? I didn't like the attention she got from the moroi men and I honestly didn't like the affect she had on me either. It seemed everything Rufus had bought her hugged her figure in a way that drove me crazy. It reminded me of that little black dress, and every sway of her hips brought me back to that night. The more I thought of her the more determinded I got: I would get her to talk to me again, no matter what it would take.
R-pov
Rufus looked me over before handing me the keys to the car. It was a mercedes Benz. A nice car, a fast car, a flashy car.
"We won't be keeping a low profile?" I asked as I got in the driver's seat. Rufus snorted.
"I hate low profile. I didn't spend my life making cash for nothing." I couldn't help but smile a little. The flashy style was crap fro security, but I loved it. For an old man Rufus was a pretty okay charge.
"So where to boss?"
"Pittsburg." He orded before streatching in his seat.
"It is a long trip, I'll try to get some sleep, we'll be on human sqeual soon so you can catch a few hours once we land." He told me before drifiting off. It was a long way, I woke him up once we got near and he guided me to our hotel where he left me to get some sleep while he had a meeting. We went to a fundraiser, human one. I don't know what they asumed I was to him but since I couldn't just go gaurd him from the wall, I had to be his date for the night. Keeping an eye on him while blocking out the music buzzing voices really tested my skills. Suddenly a smiling face came directly into my vission.
"Anything to drink miss?" A handsome young waiter asked. I smiled back and went to grab a glass then frowned.
"What is it?" I asked suspiciously, knowing the ways of the rich.
"Just champagne, miss." He answered with a bright smile, almost as if he was flirting. I drew my hand back and frowned.
"Where can i get something non-alcoholc?" His smile fell a little but he nodded towards the bar.
"Thank you." I told him and went there to have the bartender make me something virgin while I kept an eye on Rufus.
"Here with anyone?" I looked out the cornor of my eye to see a young man in a fancy suit.
"Yeah." I nodded towards Rufus, " my uncle over there." A small lie, but I felt it was important to establish a family connection or this guy wouldn't back off.
"What is a beatifull girl like you doing here with you uncle?" He asked, impliciting that I should have had a real date.
"Well my dad sent me to him so he could watch out for me." The guy was about to say something when Rufus came over as if sent from heaven.
"ROSE! What are you doing!" His voice came booming over the background noise. I smiled and reached out grab his elbow.
"Uncle Rufus!" I smiled at him a little to sweet to tell him to play along, "I was just telling this fien young man how daddy sent me to you so you could whatch out for me." I bashed my eyelashed for extra effect. Rufus seemed to get it and turned to the guy and held out his hand.
"Rufus Ivashkov, and you are?" The guy smiled and shook his hand.
"Emil Archibald, nice to meet you." Rufus smiled widely and touched my shoulder lightly.
"You too, I know you grandfather, great man. I should talk to him, make a chance to get together sometime. Give you and my niece a chance to talk. Now I am sorry but we have to get going, but I'll make sure she gets back to you. Right Rose?" he gave my shoulder a tight sqeuze and I smiled just as tight.
"Sure thing. Excuse us mr. Archibald." I let him ster me away then wisper shouted to him.
"What the hell was that!" he didnt look at me, instead he scanned the crowd.
"You wanted to play family with me well now you are family. Family date the right people to make connections." He looked at me out of the conor of his eye.
"And we do have to go by the way." I frowned, the fundraiser had only just started 2 hours ago, and it was dark outside, very dark.
"Why?" I asked, starting to calculate the risks of going outside this late.
"I have a date. It is on the Carnegie's grounds don't worry." He added. I shook my head.
"Just becaus it is on campus doesn't make it safe. Can't she wait?" He shot me a look.
"No she can't. We will be doing some light sensitive things." I had to bite myself very hard in the cheek not to make a face. We were going to visit his bloodwhore. I didn't speak to him till we were in the car almost at her dorm.
"You think this is wrong don't you?" He asked me.
"I thought you didn't want my opinion?" He shrugged.
"I didn't, but I have never seen you this speachless before." I inhaled deeply then turned my head to glare at him.
"You know you are just keeping the tabu alive right? Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a dhampire woman as is? And then when people like you do stuff like that, well you set an example for the rest! Suddenly all moroi think they can just throw all dhampires around like they are bloodwhores!" I took a deep breath then suddenly realized something.
"There wasn't anyone from Carnegie University on your list of mistresses."
"No, she is new." I didn't like the way he said new. In fact I didn't like any of this. And interesting enough he didn't seem to like it either. We didn't say anything else. When we got to her building, she meet us outside. She was small, and young, a little younger than me. Dhampire, no surprise, but she didn't seem like your average bloodwhore. She seemed anxious.
"Who is she?" She demanded, noddeding towards me.
"My gaurdian, you know I travel with gaurds." Rufus answered uncaring and a bit annoyed. She looked my up and down.
"Is she any good?" She asked, and I was about to snap at her for her offending comment but Rufus answered before I could.
"Wouldn't have hired her if she wasn't. Now come on, we are wasting time." She didn't say anything else and just showed us upside to her dormroom then she stooped and looked at me again.
"She can't come." She said to Rufus, I was about to protest but he beat me to it.
"Where I go, she goes." The girl scowled but then lead us somewhere else. A living room, closed off from the rest and without windows, much better for security than a dorm room.
"She'll have to stand over there." She pointed towards an arm chari by the door. "We'll talk behind the couches." I never thought I'd see Rufus Tarus sit on the floor but he went over and sat with her behind the chouch, where I couldnt see, and they talked so low I couldnt hear.
It lasted about 20 minutes. When they raised Rufus licked blood from the cornor of his mouth and she had a dreamy look on her face but was well enough to walk to her room alone. We left in a hurry, heading straight for the hotel where there was more gaurds. Rufus didn't speak before we were in our room, waiting for room service to come up with whatever he had ordered.
"You didn't see anything tonight right?" he asked carefully. I looked away from the view.
"Nothing." He nodded satisfied and sat down next to me.
"Good... I am sorry, if I offended you, I didn't know my affairs were well known to others." I shook my head.
"It isn't just you... It is the system that is broken." Rufus regarded me for a few moments before speaking.
"What is the dream?" I really hope my face showed my connfusion cause I was lost for words.
"The dream – If you werent born to be a gaurdian than what would you be?" He asked againg. I thought about it for a moment. What could I be? An author? Saleswoman? Lawyer? I shook my head.
"I couldn't imagine a world where I wasnt a gaurdian." I answered truthfully. He nodded, understanding.
"I was born for this too you know. Royal life with all it's politics. I couldn't imagine a life without it, but it isn't something I've chosen." Just then someone knocked on the door. I opened, if it was a treath it would meet me first. It was roomservice. A young boy handed me a box then held out his hand. I reached over and took five dollars from the envelope Rufus kept for tip-money and handed them to him then closed the door and opened the box.
"You ordered roomdelivery for M&M's?"
2 days later...
DPOV:
I was with the Princess while she trained with Ivashkov late that evening, when it began: First Christian observed people gathering down at the street. Next a medical team came running. Then Hans called me, asking me to come down, armed. As I was making my way to the door Adrian's phone rang. He looked puzzeled spoke a few words then followed me, telling Lissa to stay put. She didn't. Then as we were all on the street, I joined the other gaurdians, who filled me in on why we were there. A car was coming in, the driver and the gaurdian were both injured and needed immidiate treathment, therefor they wouldn't stop at the gate. If it turned out to be strigoi, we had to take them down before they got loose. They were trying to get people away from the place but curiousity kept them there.
"Who is it?" I asked the gaurd seemingly in charge. He shrugged.
"I don't know, but I heard Princess Voda is visiting a nearby city, so we should prepare for a funeral. People her age tend to die from the shock." I looked back at the Princess, deciding I should get her to back away before the car came trough, get her out of line and not tempt her to use her magic, knowing the darkness it caused.
Drama! What do you think? Rose and Rufus getting closer, while court is facing a royal disaster! Comment please!
