Having former Consul Valerius visit their shop was something that caught everyone off guard one day when she and her daughter returned from forging. Kipling and Nessaea were left to watch the shop for the day while Julian was away with his son making house calls. Into the shop Valerius was welcomed and told to beware of family pet in the form of Cant. He didn't care about as he handed off a bottle of wine to Jewel from his vineyard with a request to see her house guest. Got him asked how he knew her son's fiance before she was correct he wanted to see Nessaea without their prying eyes. She would grant when he wouldn't take a single excuse about her house guest not wanting to see him.

He ended being left along with her in the kitchen area with only Cant resting on her indoor nest and large brown month on the table's centerpiece. Freshly brewed pot of tea sat between them with a half bottle of wine and two tea cups. Chipped plate of jelly filled cookies and small scones sat beside the tea cups with one them just seating there in silence. One to break the ice between them would be Nessaea, when she adjusted her self in her seat with chair creaking. Making a attempt to get comfortable in her seat before she would a single word to the man she experience her first time with.

"I have come to tolerate you." He's comment was the first.

From first day they met when he was over seeing the delivery of a case of wine to the Palace and noticed her flirting with the guards. In those seconds, a connection form when his scowling Pale Gold eyes looked into her bored red irises. Sparks flew and excuses would be found by her to be around him at all hours of the day until evening came. He somehow found himself able to stand her existence for more the a few minutes when ever he came to the Palace. Small talks within the Palace turned into long strolls within the The Garden or visits to the library's adult section. Become a standing date with spots within the Maze where they would have picnic lunchs with him bringing the wine. Sometimes they would sit on the Parlor and Veranda take about currently events or latest on- goings. Conversations she was able to handle while sober and even carry on reminded him of his patron arcana, The Hierophant. Brought a laugh to his lips and had him welcoming her to his vineyard when he first gave her a invitation. Started off as her being shown around fields where the grapes were cared for until harvested season came. All the way to the building where the barrels filled with the wine and ingredients were stored to age for months. Stopped when his wine was being bottled and corked to be shipped off to whoever had ordered a few cases of his wine.

Changed the fateful night when carnal desire took over and she disappeared the next morning without telling anything. All blame could be put on the crystal wine glasses and stolen bottle of wine from the cellar of her mother's win cellar. She would end up sharing with him within the newly renovated The Abandoned Wing as a private celebration. After the cork was pop and wine that was given time to breath would be poured by them while they talked. One drunken thing left to another when she sat a little to close to him and his ended up placing a arms around her shoulders. Led to a pile of clothes being formed and names being screamed while sweat soaked bodies came together.

"Seems you have been missed." He would knowledge how he missed her presence.

"I have terms." She would answer him.

He would give a nod of his head to answer her while willing to listen to what she had to say upon reaching for the tea cup. Only have the arm he extended taken by her arms to lay the side of head against his shoulder with single demand. Ended up being agreed when forgoing the teacup to interweave his fingers with hers in that moment. He would come to agree to only term she had before into the kitchen flew a rather large month of brown coloring.

"Toworu!" Juliana ran in after the month. "Get back here!"

Month would end up circling for a few more times before fluttering to shoulder of his partner standing a the entrance of the kitchen. She waved to the two of them about to speak before a sleeve clad arm belonging to Narseh wrapped around her waist, and pulled her. Against a familiar chest that was thick with muscle and covered by light fabric of a tunic. Reveal himself to be casually dressed Narseh with his hair in a loose loop styled ponytail done bond by cord.

"Sorry to interrupt." He apologized for himself and Juliana.

"We're fine and I'll be escorting your sister back to the Palace." Valerius looked the two over.

Narseh would end up re-directing Juliana back to the front of the shop where Jewel and Kipling were blending herbs and handle customers. Turning back to his sister to tell her that their parents were waiting to welcome her back home. Stating she was safe to return home with most of the hearsay about what how she and Valerius have die downed. To end up excusing himself from the kitchen area, so the two of them would ave more time to talk.

"I can't believe I am going to be related to him." Valerius could never find himself getting used to Narseh.

His scowl would end up disappearing when her smile would up allowing a small one appeared on his face while asking her something. She would could answer him not caring who was watching them from small hallway that led into the front of the shop. Those eyes belonged to someone that Narseh thought he sent back to the shop's front to help up.

"Juley!" Narseh whispered to her.

He was shush by her once more as he sighed and stayed off to the side for her to keep spying on his sister and former Consul Valerius. Watching him pulled something out from his inner pockets of his robe and lay on the table. Asking her to make a public appearance to the eyes of Vesuvia in the form a date night in private box seats. To watch a opera taking place in a few days within the performance hall as his honored guest or a date. The blush that spread across Nessaea's face when she was given a few minutes of silence him. She looked into his Pale gold eyes with a breath being taken and released for her lung when she opened her mouth. Would be a verbal answer for former palace courtier, if wasn't for one of the spies yelling for her to say 'YES'. Which followed by other one of the spies telling his partner that point of stealth was to be quiet. Making a hush noise after he spoke toward the one that couldn't stop calling him a mood killer.

"You might as well let them join us." Valerius figured Juliana could be ignored.

"You sure?" Nessaea asked.

"If we don't let your brother's confidante join us." He sourly looked toward the prying eyes. "I'll have the wrong excuse to be drinking."

The blush that was on her face got even brighter when into the room her brother would be dragged by a excited Juliana. Who forcefully placed him at one of the other opened seats before seating at the corner of the table with her biggest smile. Swinging her feet when she looked upon a sour faced Valerius just staring at her while Nessaea tried to speak. Her eyes full of twinkle when she looked passed their expressions and on to how they were still connected. Way their fingers were still woven together when their moment was disturb by her and Narseh. Had her taken her biggest breath when she adjusted how she was sitting on the table before speaking.

"Which opera you taking my sister to?" Narseh would end up speaking.

"La bohème and La Traviata to start." Valerius spoke with a raised eye brow.

"That sounds so much better then drunken sex." Juliana gushed.

Nessaea would sharing that moment wasn't how she thought of losing her virginity to someone she was falling for. Since she had something more in mind with candles with a scent of floral and herbal essential oils. In this spacious room with dimmed lights and soft lights of candles with a grand bed covered in silk sheets. Chilled bottled of Montepulciano on a side table in a silver ice bucket with Crystals Flutes on the side.

"Rather detailed for you want to lose your virginity." Narseh was impressed with his sister's fantasy.

"Beats mine." Juliana winked at Narseh.

"You must be so lucky." Valerius dryly addressed the young royal.

"Thanks." Narseh sighed. "Remind me to tell you how we got together."

He got a eye roll instead of actually answer from him about ever being interested in a scene in a seedy tavern in a shadier part of the city. Not like any of the servants hadn't filled the former palace courtier in during one of his visits. He was given all the juicy details about how the young royal came and daughter of the famous came together. Left him wondering how much liker her father Julian was while impressed with the young royal. While one of the rumors he heard about a medicinal wine being made came to his mind before he looked to his tea cup. He would bring up as a change in the topic of conversation in wanting to sample this experimental drink. Willing to give some helpful advice to improve this mixture that only been tasted by Countess Naida and Royal Consort Portia.

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Narseh was in such deep shock about his sister being involved with Valerius, that when he was taken shopping by Juliana with Kipling. He didn't talk back even once when told to hold a piece of clothing or stand and wait for one of them. Sometimes he would react when asked by Kipling about how a gown looked on Juliana or for fashion advice. Nod of the head or a small grunt was all could given them directly without using words since his mind was still fried. Not like the gossip of his sister being counted by the wine snob that was Consul Valerius among mouths of the city folk. Some would stop when they saw his slowly walking behind the daughter of the famed doctor and fiance of famous doctor's son. Hers would just hide their grins from his eyes and point at him about him being unfortunate he was. Saying he still hadn't been seen with a proper lady on his arm since turning down another arranged union.

"Does his mother know about you two?" Kilping asked Juliana.

"We want to break the news to her during the Masquerade." Juliana looked in back of them. "For now, We want to see how far we can get without pressure of his mother or all of Vesuvia.

"Seems far." Kipling nods his head.

They ended up stepping into the large shopping center in Vesuvia with a few vendors in mind for what they were getting. Jewel gave them a list of items were mostly for Julian's clinic and the house since she did the main shopping, that morning with Aemilia and her son. Any thing else was for them since Juliana couldn't find the right accessories for her dress.

"Usual places?" Kipling asked her.

"Maybe." She looked around from where they stood. "This doesn't work out, we'll have to head to the The Red Market and see what they have."

She was mostly the one the led the two guts behind her when she popped around from counter to counter to see their wares. One that caught her eye was around the 5th vendor, his jewelry was similar to what her mother's old Masquerade costume. Rejecting most of the ones that had precious stones such as sapphires and diamonds embedded in them. One with opals and pearls were picked through by her before she figured what she would purchase. Walking away with a set she would place her beside hand Jewel's hand written list and a few items that were already bought

"Your guys even bought a rings for each other?" Juliana asked looking at what vendor had.

"We'll trying to figure out, if we're living at home or moving out." Kipling looked in her direction.

"Just asking." She shrugged.

Away from that vendor when would go with coins exchanging hands for the jewelry tha thad been picked out by her. The rest of the day for them was mostly finishing getting everything from Jewel's list while buying some of own things. A few of medicines Julian used needed to be re- stocked since their glass containers look to be getting low. Besides new reading material in the form of magazines and news prints for the waiting area were picked up from a news stand. Along with a bulk of clothing for bandages to be made from and sterilizing agent for wounds was added. Kipling needed a few more things to finish off his own costume that he couldn't carve or ask Jewel to sew for him. He didn't need much help in picking them out like Juliana did since he already had in made what he was getting with saying word.

"Someone's a natural." Juliana would tease.

"Just good planning." Kipling placed his purchase in his basket.

He got a pat on the back from so hard that he almost fell right off his feet before he could stabilize him self with firmly planted feet. Leering at the woman that tried to get him to stumble backwards towards a still frozen stiff Narseh, right behind them.

"You guys know how you are going to announce your engagement?" Juliana asked. "I know the last time anyone saw my brother, he was leaving to become a doctor."

"We have something planned." Kipling winked at her.

She ended up trying to figure out what he was going to do when they finished up their task throughout the Marketplace. Not like the images of her brother and Kipling wearing matches costumes went through her head. A few were something she pictured her father and her mother wearing when the Masquerade happens. Had her shaking her to hard that Kipling had to catch her when she stumbled on her own feet.

"Careful." He got her back on her feet. "Don't get to excited."

She nodded her head at what he had to say about what had been going on in her head until almost tripping onto the ground. Left her to shake off the edges of her skirt that were mildly covered in dirt with an awkward silence forming. End up bumping into just Kipling's side when he was turned toward the Gleaming white architecture of the Vesuvia's wealthy elite. She shook off her hands to free the dirt with her curiosity peaking wwith where he was looking.

"Everything ok?" She asked.

"Before my mother and her family move away from here at the beginning at of the plague." Kipling's body tensed up. "One of those glittering buildings were her family's home for generations."

"You mean..." She brought her hands to her lips.

"A place filled with stories of my ancestors with imported marble floors all the way from Italia." He recalled his mother's description of the house. "Board up and left behind by head of the house. "

She end took his bent arm where the basket was being held out of a form of comfort since she didn't have the words. Leaning her head on her shoulder when with her free hand lifting to the Attacus atlas moth resting on her shoulder. Allowing the Toworu's phoboscis to feel the skin of her hand for a emotional transference to take place

during minor touch. Mixture of her anxiety over Kipling and consideration she trying to take to keep assist him with this chore. Got Toworu to take off from his spot on her shoulder and in to the air toward the direction of the Center City, where shop was. Flying in to a window that was opened by Jewel to air out the building as she worked out of the front. Landing on the familiar brow of someone that was resting after making rounds for his father in the Flooded District. People there weren't very opened to the son of the famed doctor trying to help out his dad the must of the day.

Who greeted Toworu with a finger he dipped in a honey his mother kept to sweeten her tea whenever Countess Nadia visited. Become overwhelmed by the emotions the Attacus atlas moth carried from his sister during the short flight. Had him on his feet and yelling he was leaving for the day to find find where his mother sent is sister and Kipling. Only answer he got was a loud grunt from his father followed by other noises that bothered him in ways he shook off. He just hurried out the door by adjusting his capelet coat and gloves with his shoulder bag without a second through. Cawing from Malak and Duchovny didn't help him when he placed Toworu on his shoulder for his search. Cant's clucking didn't improve his move when he slammed the door from the outside wasn't enough to the get the ravens.

"Why don't you two help me, instead of whine at me." He screamed at them.

Duchovny would stare at Malak with a head tilt from right to left without cawing once to get that raven to agree. Into the air the would take flight to start searching for the top of Kipling and Juliana's heads from their bird's eye view. Left julius to be told where to go by words from the moth where he needed to go within the city- state. He quietly walked a path of people that publicly greeted him with presents of all sorts and verbally say so. Renewed the sour mood he had in his mouth from working with his father and being disrespected repeatedly. By the time he found Kipling and his sister just standing with their eyes on what was in his arms.

"Your trying to surprise me?" Kipling asked.

"Is that baker Selasi's pumpkin bread?" Juliana asked about a loaf in his arms.

Julius would hand his sister the bread while changing places with her to stand next to Kipling and take his hand. Lacing their fingers together until he drew him near and reminded him of the new life he was forming with his family.