Hello dear inkdrops, I am back with a new chapter:)

Guest: Thank you so much for your review

Important imformation: I decided to play a bit with the actors'/characters' origins and ethnicity. This is by ABSOLUTELY NO MEANS meant to be racist or anything like that, just plot related and time related (yes, London High Society at that time was mainly white). Also I wanted to include the BSG problem with richer and poorer colonies through this. I had to adapt Dee's and Tory's age to match the one of the other "kids". So in my story Tory is 22 and Dee is 23. I kept their nicknames but also changed their full names because the original ones would not fit into Recency writing.

Disclaimer: I still only own my OCs and storyline

October 1803

Cracks in a Masquerade

Laura Roslin

The silence in between the two of them got heavier and heavier, both afraid to make a move, afraid to destroy whatever this was in between the two of them. Then he smiled gently.

"I have always been a curious man Ms Roslin", he said, "and I am very happy to be the first. "

She felt a blush creep up her neck and turned her head, looking out of the window, anything to avoid looking into his deep blue eyes again. When she couldn't take it any longer, her voice, meant to come out defiant, sounded rather like glass, light and easily broken.

"Maybe you will not like what you find."

His smile, genuine before, became even more tender now, making her heart ache.

"I doubt that. If there is one thing I already know about you then that you care deeply about people close to you and they love you in return. Another thing I know too, is that you can think for yourself. You don't have to impress me, I already am impressed enough by you."

She gave him a small grateful smile, but the storm was still raging in her eyes. What would he think if he found out even more? About her life? About her choices? But she was reluctant to lie to him, it felt even more wrong than doing it to others.

"Now, as we are already talking about my personality, what exactly did Mrs Tigh claim to know about me? You wrote me you'd tell me in person!", she dared to comment.

Adama raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you do care about the public opinion after all? I am shocked!", he teased her, even though she felt a bit of insecurity there.

It was as if they were dancing on thin ice, backwards and forwards, not really getting somewhere but not failing either.

"It is not the public opinion that bothers me", she explained, "it is my friends' opinion that matters."

Instead of saying anything he reached over from where he was sitting on his chair, shortly squeezing her hand that she had put on the couch next to her. Grey-green eyes flew to meet blue ones and held the gaze as a weird feeling coursed through her. It was like a spark, sharp and unexpected, but leaving a warmth in its wake that she had nearly forgotten ages ago.

"High Society talk will not change what I think about you. Only you can", he promised her sincerely ," but as a matter of fact, she said that you were the best catch in the room if you weren't that headstrong."

"Well, she was indeed flattering then I guess", Laura answered, already missing the feeling of his hand on hers.

She was quite sure that Mrs Tigh had said a lot more, or at least implied It, but today was not the time for being honest about that. If at all.

He chuckled lightly.

"Despite my distrust in gossip, I am even inclined to believe this piece of valuable information", he said, smirking a bit.

Laura had a hard time to suppress rolling her eyes.

"Another thing I have heard about you", Adama continued, "is that you are very good at playing Whist and Piquet. Is that correct or made up?"

"I would say I am not bad at it", she commented, "why, are you challenging me Commander?"

Her voice held this playful note again that he so easily brought forward in her.

"And if I was, Ms Roslin, what would you do then?"

"Well, if you did indeed dare to challenge me to a game of Piquet, I wouldn't say no", she commented.

"Then I shall get the cards", Adama said, getting up and walking over to a sideboard.

Suddenly the door opened and the caramel-skinned servant stood in the door holding a tray.

"I have made tea Sir", she announced, before putting everything on the table close to the seating area.

She performed a graceful, deep curtsy in front of Laura, keeping her eyes firmly to the ground. The woman nodded friendly and Adama offered the woman a warm smile.

"Thank you Dee! You may go, I will call if we need anything else."

With another curtsy, the servant disappeared again. Putting the playing cards on the table next to them, the Commander served the tea with a routine that definitely surprised Laura. When she took the first sip, her eyes widened in surprise.

"This is really really good. What is it?"

He laughed at her obvious delight.

"Green tea from India. I had it first when I was stationed there, but I buy it now from time to time as a treat."

Laura just hummed in response.

"Your maid is also exceptionally good at brewing it", she complimented then.

"Indeed she is. Dee is a smart woman, would probably make a better hostess than Karolina", Adama admitted. "I think the house would be in chaos without her."

"Well, then you are lucky to have her!", Laura said smiling, "where is she from?"

If he found her question odd, at least he didn't show it.

"She came to London as a toddler, her father was a sailor. Her mother had died at that point, somewhere in Africa, nobody knows. My late wife employed her when she was ten, as a kitchen maid at first. Now she is managing everything. Now, shall we play?"

"Alright", she answered, accepting his change of topic, "so what is your bet?"

He smiled mischivously.

"If I win three games of Piquet first, you have to go for a ride here in Kensington with me", he stated.

For a moment, the woman was lost for words, then she nodded.

"Alright. So if I win three games before you, you have to go to a tea house with me. To one of the tea dances at Vauxhall Gardens, to be precise."

"Ms Roslin, you are not going easy on me, are you?", he sighed, making her laugh.

"Would you like it any other way Commander?"

"Probably not."

Random Regency Fact:

Whist is a card game for 2 or more people that was already popular at Jane Austen's time.

Even though coffee was still a bit more popular, tea was also trendy. It was also pretty expensive and usually the lady of the house was handling the brewing, so Dee being allowed to do it is quite a proof of trust that Adama has in her.

Of course Roslin and Adama are far too honest but I wanted to make them special to each other.

What do you think? Who will win the games of whist?