The next few days were somber for most of the court inhabitants. Of course, there were the select Moroi who couldn't care less about the loss of Guardian life - but overall, many Moroi were showing respect too. Training was cancelled for two days following the attack, but Rose kept up her personal training in the gym. She was beginning to match Dimitri easily wearing the earplugs - she still thought it was stupid, but with Alexei gone, she didn't complain once out of respect for her former trainer. Once life resumed as it had before the South Gate attack, Rose decided it was time to hook up with Mia for a little Bachelorette party planning. They were meeting at the cafe at two, the day before the wedding. As Rose walked in, she spotted Mia's blonde curls in a two-seater booth by the window.
"So, what did you have in mind?" Mia smiled, pushing the second coffee mug on the table towards Rose. Rose accepted it gratefully, and as she sipped it, she mused, "Since there'll be guys there too, I don't think we need much for decoration. Think you could get a hold of one of those gaudy 'Bride To Be' Crowns?" Mia laughed, nodding, "Can we make her a shirt, too?"
"Do it," Rose grinned, nodding, "I've got music covered, and Adrian wants to foot the bar tab. So drink up!" Mia smiled, taking a drink of her latte, "You and Adrian are pretty serious, hmm?" Rose shrugged, backing away from the subject a bit, "We're close. We've always been close."
"Do you love him?" Mia asked suddenly, abruptly. Rose nodded, and Mia smiled, "Good. If you didn't clue in soon, I was going to try to steal him away from you. But I'm happy for you." Rose laughed, finishing the rest of her coffee, "Thanks, little girl. See you tomorrow." She grabbed her bag, and headed out of the cafe as Mia snorted at the old insult. She started to walk in the direction of the bar they would be at that evening. Karma was in a building tucked out of the way, due to the lively crowd it pulled it. It wasn't a bad place, by any means - just not somewhere the pristine Moroi royalty would enjoy. More of a common-Moroi and Guardian place. She walked in, and smiled at the young guy behind the bar. He grinned shyly back, and she walked over, sitting on a stool.
"Can I get you something?" He asked, walking over. She shook her head, "Not just now, but I'd like to make a reservation. A party of- oh, 7 or 8 people will be here tonight, later on, to celebrate Princess Vasilisa and Christian Ozera's wedding." The boy nodded, and leaned on the counter, "Will you be there too?" He gave her a grin that would have made the old Rose smile just as wickedly back, but instead, she just backed away, smiling gratefully, "Thanks. See you tonight." Without another word she strolled away, wondering if she would have done the same thing a few months ago. Probably not.
After Karma, she went to the salon to make arrangements for Lissa, and to the mail office to pick up the dress she had taken the liberty of ordering for her. She knew Lissa would never approve it, so she didn't tell her - it was short, black, and very risqué. Perfect for the party. She thought about knocking, but instead left it just outside Lissa's door, not wanting to have to argue her into it. She quickly scribbled a note to attach, telling Lissa the time of her hair appointment. With that finally out of the way, she headed back to her own room. She unlocked the door, with thoughts of getting ready herself in her mind - it was almost four already. She walked in, and found Adrian sitting on her couch, his feet up on her coffee table, tv on.
"Done with the OMC already?" Rose mused, not surprised to find him there. He nodded, not taking his eyes off the - wait, the cartoon? She raised her eyebrows, and came to sit with him, "Please tell me your watching this for any reason other then you enjoy it." He shot her a sideways grin, and said, "Why, does that bother you?" She laughed, shaking her head, "Oh no. Not at all. I always wanted to date a little kid." He snagged her waist before she could jump away, and grinned, "Then its a good thing I promised Patrick I would learn who is favorite characters were." She smiled, rubbing her nose on his cheek, "You big softie. But now, you need to leave."
"What? Why?" He asked, as she pulled him up. She pushed him towards the door, and smiled, "I want to get ready."
"I always watch you get ready!" He protested, opening the door as he did. She shook her head, "I want to surprise you. Now go get pretty."
"I'm always pretty," Adrian scowled, but Rose just closed the door on him. She locked it so he couldn't sneak back in, and she turned to her closet. She had work to do.
At 7 pm sharp, Rose walked into Karma. The place had a different feel then it did during the day - the dimmed lights and sultry music made you feel like anything was happening in the dark corners. A lit up dance floor was empty for now - it would surely fill with bodies as the night went. Her stiletto boots clicked on the floor, bare, tanned skin up to her mid-thigh gleaming with the lotion she painstakingly rubbed into it. She hadn't spent this much time on her appearance in years. She wore a jean skirt, and a black tank top - simple, yet hot, she had rationalized. She didn't want to take away from Lissa's outfit. She had her hair down in its usual waves, and dark makeup around her eyes. She spotted their table easily, which was really a few tables shoved together, in the center of the room near the dance floor. Seated already was Tasha and Dimitri - both drinking water - Eddie, Lissa and Christian. Mia was at the bar, ordering something, and Adrian was leaning back in a chair to Christian's side, talking to Dimitri about something. Rose grinned - time to make her entrance. She waved at a few Guardian's she knew, who were openly eying her legs, and she strolled over, her boots making that satisfying click noise again. Adrian's eyes fell to rest on her, and he stopped talking mid-sentence. She gave him a wicked smile, and made it to the table, doing a little twirl for him.
"About time!" Christian said, taking a bit drink of his beer, "We thought you'd ditched."
"No, we didn't," Lissa laughed, working on her first cocktail. She had worn the dress and made the hair appointment, Rose noted smugly. She sat next to Adrian, kissing his cheek, "Hey, hot stuff."
"What do you think your wearing?" Adrian scowled, surprising everyone. Rose raised an eyebrow, turning completely towards him with an amused look, "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Adrian grumbled, grabbing his jacket from his chair and putting it over her lap, "That skirt in non-existent. No way." She looked at him incredulously, and suddenly, she laughed, easing the tension and throwing her arms around him for a tight hug. She heard Christian mumble, "Damn, I wanted her to take a strip out of him..." Then she heard Lissa's hand whack him in the shoulder.
"Your nuts," Lissa laughed, shaking her head as Rose pulled back. She kept her body close to Adrian's, and let his jacket stay on her legs. It felt good to have someone worry about her like that. She raised her hand to the bar to order a drink, and the night got started.
"Rose. ROSE! Come dance!" Lissa's voice shrieked from the dance floor. She and Mia were dancing to the latest human pop singer, and Rose had been talking to Christian about removing every one of his fingers individually if he hurt Lissa once they were married. She wrinkled her nose, and yelled, "No!" The dance floor was pretty busy - more word then she thought had gotten out about the party, and the bar was most likely the busiest place in Court. Adrian appeared to her side, and nodded, "Oh, yes you will." She let him pull her up, and she wavered, her drinks hitting her all of a sudden. Tasha and Dimitri were across the table, and Tasha chuckled, "I think she's a little drunk."
"Just how I wanted her," Adrian teased, pulling her to the dance floor. He spun her around, pulling her close as bodies swayed around them. She laughed, kissing his neck affectionately, "I think I'm drunk."
"I think you are too. But that's okay - like you said, the wedding isn't until the afternoon tomorrow," Adrian replied, gripping her hips closer. She gave him a seductive smile, and kissed him until she felt a tug on her arm. Lissa's flushed face found hers, and she laughed, "Stop doing that, god! Rose, come with me." Rose was pulled from Adrian's grip, and was pushed straight into Mia, who was wearing a shimmery silver dress that sparkled in the lights. Laughing, they danced and danced, until the wee hours of the morning were coming and they were all thoroughly drunk.
"Phew," Lissa breathed out, throwing herself into her chair. Christian was almost falling asleep into his drink, and Adrian was nursing a beer next to him. Rose tried to count how many drinks she'd seen him have over the night, but she didn't think it was that many. Any thought beyond that, and her mind went fuzzy.
"So, Mrs. Ozera," she teased, running a hand through her hair, "This time tomorrow you'll be on your honeymoon, having amazing sex. Probably the best of your life, considering your with Fire-Boy." Christian didn't even reply, and Lissa laughed, "Honeymoon sex? Must be good. Maybe one day you two can have it, too."
"We don't need a honeymoon to have fantastic sex," Rose said smugly, leaning heavilly on Adrian. He snorted, "I think we should head out soon, its almost closing time." As he said this, Dimitri appeared, having promised to help Adrian get them all home. Dimitri smiled, "All ready?"
"Yeah," Adrian replied, seizing the group up, "Think you could handle Lissa and Christian on your own?" Dimitri helped them both up, and as Christian slumped back down, he threw him over his shoulder, holding Lissa's elbow, "Yep, I got them."
"Okay, thanks," Adrian replied, seeing them off. He turned back to Rose, who was watching him with a look of disbelief, "How are you not drunk?"
"I have some will power, you know," He replied, heaving her up out of her seat. She giggled as she swayed, and she gripped him tightly, "Lets go." They slowly made their way back towards her room. As they reached the courtyard, Rose broke away from him, tugging on his shirt, "Come on!"
"Rose..." Adrian sighed, but he had no choice but to follow her. They went to the little hill that had a big oak tree on it, which provided shade for the yard. She laid back on the hill, sighing as she stared up at the sky. He laid beside her, and said, "Stargazing?"
"Mhm..." She mumbled, entwining their fingers, "I love you." He smiled, not looking over, "Love you too, Little Dhampir."
"More then I loved Dimitri," She continued. Adrian paused, but waited for her to continue before replying. She turned to face him on her side, and said, "Seriously. I miss him. But I'm with you for good. You can go ahead and try to get rid of me." She giggled after this, and added, "Of course, once you marry a beautiful Moroi, that might be hard."
"What?" Adrian frowned, turning to face her too. She nodded, "Of course you will. I've thought lots about it, theres no way your parents will let you not marry someone."
"Who I marry is my decision," Adrian said, a small smile on his lips, "But I don't think this conversation should be had when your drunk, Rose. Let's go sleep this off." She let him help her up, and said, "It makes me sad, you know."
"What does?" He asked, knowing she was only speaking because she had no inhibitions right now. He also knew she was going to regret whatever she said next. She glanced at him, as they walked towards her door down the hallway, "Im sad when I think about you leaving."
"I'm not going anywhere," he replied, letting them in and locking up behind them. He led her straight to the bedroom, not bothering to make her undress as she fell into the bed. She snuggled right into the pillow, and said, "One day, you'll get tired of seeing a Dhampir. Then you'll leave. And I'll ne-ever let myself love again." She almost sang the last line, and before Adrian could mutter a reply, she was lightly snoring.
"Christ, Little Dhampir.." He muttered, quickly undressing her and slipping the blankets on over her, to keep her warm. He kissed her head, and said, "When will you get that I'm not leaving you? One of these days, I'm going to make you see that. We'll stay how we are, maybe even get married, have fantastic honeymoon sex..." He sighed, and stood up, crossing to the other side of the bed, and laid down thinking about how horrified she would be when she realized what she'd admitted to him the next morning. He fell asleep with a small smile on his lips.
A/N: I know this chapter was a little uneventful, but it was more of a prelude for the Ch. 18. Want a little preview for the next chapter? Four words: All hell breaks loose.