time to give a little show (Ric)

[elise]

Her regular practice session had just ended; Ellie was starting to regret continuing this year. With Pirzi gone, it just wasn't the same. Discipline had fallen and well, the routines were boring and without even the tiniest big of imagination. It was annoying that she would have to put up with that now, or so it seemed. But hey, at least she got to unwind a little bit, even if it was with less quality than usual. With a sigh, she let her forehead rest against her knee as she stretched, tuning out the chatter and gossip of the other girls as they slowly made their way out of the smaller gym they used for their dance practices. Ellie wasn't in the mood to get up yet, and certainly she wasn't in the mood to hit the showers with the group. She didn't feel like it.

Her cheek rested against one hand, and she could feel the gentle dig of the finger she now openly wore. With a sigh, Ellie opened her eyes and looked at it, her thoughts obviously flying to the one who'd given it to her. She still couldn't really believe it, but given that she was actually wearing it and that her future in-laws were texting her with wedding details and whatnot. It was almost insane how things were changing, how fast everything seemed to be going, and yet slow at the same time. Ric was taking it slow, he wanted to get to know her. Ellie tried not to feel intimidated by that fact. Obviously she didn't even know herself enough, much less be able to tell him everything. She was still trying to figure out much of herself for herself, not for him, or the future throne she would be taking.

She decided against thinking such thoughts and so she pushed herself to her feet, going to fetch her music player from her bag. She could do one more routine, one she'd put together herself at some point when she'd been bored. Then she could go take a shower and hit the hay, she was exhausted from the day of classes, listening to gossip and just plain dancing. Plugging it in and taking a deep breath - forgetting everything just for a moment - Ellie listened as the music floated out through the speakers, Christina Aguilera's voice soothing across her skin, caressing it and making her body move. Ellie closed her eyes as she waited for the solo to wind down so that the actual moves could come into place.

When it did, her body exploded into motion. She was confident in less than an adequate number of fields in her life, but dancing was something she'd always known she was good at. One of the few, if not the only thing. She had nothing to hide when she was dancing. Nothing to worry about. Her body knew what to do without her telling it anything. Coordination between her arms and legs was easy as Christina sung the final song from the Burlesque movie. Actually, the moves were more provocative than Ellie would normally do, but this was a provocative song. And she felt comfortable doing it, which was definitely a plus. She was so engrossed in the dance that she didn't even realise someone was in the small gym with her.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: <3
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. The first week of school really was just all about getting reacquainted with the schedule that everyone was tired of the last year, this year was going to be a little different though considering that he was in his fifth year and really as much as he did not like the thought all eyes were on the seniors and he knew even more so now that he was no longer a protégé but an actual member of the Kings group. He was not the type of person that liked the attention, he tolerated it in the sports that he was involved with because that was just part of the game and when he was on the basketball court he felt like a different person, he no longer was the Crown Prince of Mexico who was going to be married and crowned in less than a year, it was too skillful of a sport to have any sort of thoughts crossing his mind like that. While playing his mind was blank, he had been trained in that way, after all he had been playing basketball since he was very young and always had been very serious about it. While his height was an advantage it also meant there was a lot more room for error, in the sport they did tend to like the tall people but it was also much more difficult to maneuver in the way that a lot of the shorter and sometimes faster boys did but there was where he was a double threat. He was also a sprinter, track and field was a sport that he loved dearly as well and he was going to miss both of them in the coming year so that was part of the reason that he chose that he was going to make sure that he went all out in their regards this year, end the year with a bang that he would look back and be proud of. He was not at all bitter at having to leave the sports behind because it was not like he was not going to be able to play a little when he was King even though it was not going to be the same. It was also going to be a chapter of his new life that he was excited for. Once the feelings of nerves wore of it did leave him looking forward to the future seeing as he had it a lot better than a lot of the Princes that were the same age as him. The set pattern of his future was something that was nice, while a lot of them did not know what was going to happen in the next couple years he knew exactly what his life plan was and was able to plan accordingly, there were no surprises. His parents never would have been the type to spring a previously unknown engagement on him anyways since they were simply nothing like a lot of the other parents of Royals. Ellie had told him over texts the days that she had dance practices so today it was going to be one day that he was going to surprise her, knowing that she was so busy his guess that she had not eaten yet even though it was late was probably well merited. He had just finished with his basketball practice and showered and changed just in time to be able to head to Rexford in order to pick up something for dinner for the two of them, hoping that she had no previous plans. Since she had told him that she liked salads he had stopped at sandwich bar placed that he knew had good food. Ordering them both a sandwich and salad as well as some drinks that she would have a choice of. It would be a little different from what they were used to from the cafeteria in school since it was all homemade and great food while he tended to think what they served at Vineheart was a little bland. With his purchases in hand he made his way back to Vineheart just in time for her class to be over, he did not want to push it by asking if he would be able to watch knowing that she was shy and that would probably not be a good idea, he would start out this way, coming just as she was finishing. But when he arrived it was clear that none of the other girls were there since he had passed a few in the hallway as they changed and walked back to their dorms but there was still music playing brow rose slightly but curiosity was just too much as he stepped into the gym. Spotting the girl his jaw nearly dropped to the floor, but that would have been impolite. He did freeze to the spot though and barely manage to catch the door before it was about to slam shut, he did not want to create a distraction. His eyes were locked on the intricate moves that were proving to do nothing short of mesmerize him. He did not dare move because he did not want to disturb her and definitely did not want it all to stop. The only times he had seen her she was shy this was so different though. She was in her own element and this was powerful, he felt intimidated by the fact that he was going to be marrying her even though he knew that it was usually the other way around for them. The dance was a little more provocative than he pictured something she would be comfortable with and yet she was flawless moving to the beat a well-practiced sequence of steps. While he had always thought that she was beautiful but never wanted to voice these words knowing they would embarrass her he was hyper aware of it now, goose bumps were rising on his forearms his heart pumped rapidly and he was aware that he was no longer thinking of her in the same sweet way that he usually did, there was an underlying want and longing to be close to this magnificent girl that he knew he could not express as it would do nothing but scare her off. Taking a deep breath he calmed nerves slightly but it was to no avail since every different move only proved to captivate him further. He was powerless to this all and really he was coming to realize that even though it was so soon in their relationship there was more there than just the two of them wanting to make it work, he was attracted to her and there was no doubt about that and was almost positive that it was going to flourish into something special as long as he made sure to tread carefully. Notes: Words: One One Four Nine Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

Music was something she thoroughly enjoyed. She had from a very young age. When she'd been about four years old, she'd done her first unsure dance steps in their own home, the family kitchen becoming her little studio, though later on her mother had put her through various dance classes, even ballet. It was where she got her slim figure from, she'd kept going at ballet up until entering Vineheart. Her legs and well, limbs in general were all tribute to the hard work she'd done when she'd been younger, which meant that she would probably take up ballet again at some point. Maybe now that she was no longer a servant she'd have more time to do the things she really wanted to do.

Of course the Burlesque song was nowhere close to ballet, but her moves were both graceful and seductive at the same time. She liked to think she was as good of a dancer as Julianne Hough, though of course there was no way she could be that. She hadn't had the practice at all, but aspire is what she could do, and she did. She turned rapidly on the spot, bringing her foot down to stop herself and proceed into a fluid, sensual step. She wished Pirzi would have been here to see this, the former captain had encouraged Ellie, always encouraged her to try branching out from the safe moves she usually played, from the safe routines they did during practice and even for group competitions. This year it seemed she would be doing more of that.

Her little choreogprahy ended with a very high kick - she leaned to the side, extending her leg up so that both legs were in one line, kicking and then bringing it down again as the song stopped. Her breathing was slightly erratic, more so than it had been previously, and beads of sweat formed on her brow, plastering the side of her hair to her face. It was the only real workout she'd gotten done today, previous things had been just that - things. Nothing half as elaborate or intricate as Pirzi used to do with them. Ellie was going to have to rethink these dance classes, maybe actually do just ballet and leave these aside. But she liked them too, that was the problem, so there was no chance she'd be leaving just like that. Maybe in a week or two.

Suddenly she had a feeling someone was in the room with her, and she spun her head around sharply, eyes landing on the all-too familiar figure of the Crwon Prince of Mexico. The air was still full of the song and the dance, she was sure he could feel that tentative tension just as much as she could. For a second more, Ellie stood there as the young woman who'd performed moves from Burlesque; then she faded, the moon setting for Odette as she transformed again to her usual swan form of the day and the dancer withdrew into the shy countenance Ric knew otherwise. Her cheeks coloured, not knowing when he'd come in and therefore not knowing what he saw, how much of the dance, and whath e thought. There was a look in his eyes she couldn't quite explain. "Um, hi Ric - I didn't hear you come in, have you been here long?" Her low heels clacked against the parquet as she went for her towel so she could wipe her face a bit.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: <3
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. He was unable to tear his eyes away from her and while he was sure that it was only natural he could not help but feel as though he was going to get in trouble for it almost as though it was something private that was only meant for certain people’s eyes. While he had suspected that she was a good dancer by the way that the two of them had danced at the Masquerade he had not expected this, the wow factor of just how amazing she was, was well over his head and beyond his beliefs. Every movement was fluid and graceful adding together the perfect mixture of the discipline she prided herself on as well as another element that he was finding rather attractive, while around him she usually tended to seem as though she was holding back and hesitant to really speak what was on her mind, there was nothing limiting her here. While other people would make this dance look as though it belonged in a strip bar with a scandalous lady on the other end of a pole she added the essential class to make it mesmerizing and a piece of artwork. It was easy to see that the girls history of dance was long since there was no way that someone would be able to perfect this in the way that she had without years and years of hard work, and this was yet another thing that he found attractive, she worked hard, was proud of the things that she did. That was essential because it was impossible to ever get ahead in life if the jobs that you did were not something that you were utterly proud of. He had seen the dance classes before when he had been late in basketball practice and ended up having to walk from the change rooms through the room that they were practicing in, the Queens seemed as though they were just there to gossip and did not take it seriously and then there were the few people that took it very seriously. The German princess had been one of them, as she had been one of the higher members the last year and a role model for the rest, Ellie seemed to fall under this category as well. Seeing how much this mattered to her he would have to look into different dance groups and options in Mexico, he would see to it that it was never something that she gave up, just because she was going to be Queen did not mean that she was going to have to make sacrifices. When the music finished he was rather disappointed having wanted to see more. He did not want to spook her though and waited until she realized that he was standing there still with the bag in hands and probably looking like a fool with his eyes wide at what he had just seen. That was absolutely stunning. He uttered gently, the praise leaving his lips effortlessly. He took a few steps in her direction eyes still directed on hers. I am sorry I did not mean to scare you. I thought you could use some dinner and I remembered you had dance practice. I hope that’s ok. For once he was the nervous one around her as the words seemed to be escaping in a jumbled and rambling mess, the electricity was still in the air from the song and the closer he came to her the more drawn he felt to her, having to avert his eyes for a moment as a deep breath was taken to calm nerves which seemed to be shot. I would guess probably most of the song. I didn’t want to disturb you. He told her and confirmed that he had been there awhile. An intense expression flashed through vivid green eyes as they met hers. I have never seen anything like that. He told her truthfully, the awe still clearly expressed on his face. Hopefully he was not going to end up driving her away since he was being completely truthful and he wanted nothing more than her to realize just how amazing he thought all of this was. He knew that she was going to be shy about it since that was just in her nature but who knows he could only hope that one day she would be confident enough in both herself and him to have no issues with expressing herself like this and no problem with him seeing it. As she went for her towel he spotted chairs stacked in the corner of the gym and he placed the bag down giving her some time to recover from the dance as he pulled two of them off where they were stacked and walked back to where he had been standing and setting them down. Dinner? He asked her looking up to her and pulling out what he had brought in his bag to place it between them. Notes: Words: Eight Four Six Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

She wanted very much to be that confident young woman she was whenever she danced, but Ellie had been brought up in the sense that others would always be more important than her, there was no way she would ever be the same as them, and therefore her personality was more or less sheltered behind the painted canvas they had given her during her training and all her lessons before. With Ric, things were different - he saw her as his equal, though that didn't necessarily mean that she saw herself as one too. She was having difficulties imagining herself making decisions as a Queen at some point, though she knew that day was fast approaching. She would try not to think of it and instead try to be less timid around her future husband - though that name alone sent shivers down her spine. Husband. The word entailed a lot and she didn't know if she could cope with it yet.

His praise brought a more substantial blush onto her cheeks, though of course he had probably expected that. Still, her eyes took on a special shine when she actually realized that he liked what he saw. Being shy had nothing to do with this - it was just a fact, and she could be a little proud. She'd worked hard on the routine, even if she would never really showcase it anywhere. "Thanks. It's one of my favourite routines really - I don't normally dance stuff like that." But she would try to go through something like that again at some point, maybe have Ric involved in the process. There was a thought. They would have to spend time together anyway, so maybe if they did things together that they both liked ...

"Oh no," she told him, shaking her head furiously, "you didn't scare me - I was just confused for a second. I completely forgot about it. We talked about having dinner together over texts. I just got preoccupied." That he had remembered actually meant a lot to her. "Thank you for remembering," she told him shyly, offering him a hesitant smile before pushing her towel back into the bag and making sure her face wasn't as hot as it was previously. She wasn't wearing any make-up so there was no worry for her to ruin the towel or anything. She prefered being without make-up actually, it made her feel more normal. She just hoped Ric wouldn't mind the slight change.

She tried not to think about the fact that he'd been here the whole song. It would make her even more nervous than she already was. When he brought the chairs over, she grinned at him suddenly. "What, the crown prince of Mexico doesn't want to sit on the floor? It's actually pretty comfortable once you get used to it." She was teasing him - actually teasing him, like she had during the Masquerade when she hadn't known it was him, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity. Ellie lowered herself onto the floor with the grin still on her face, crossing her legs underneath herself and waiting to see what he would do. She would enjoy some dinner, but she found that teasing him might be fun too.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: oh my his pictures just get hotter! lol
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. He had never been the type to treat servants any differently than the other royals that he dealt with on a daily basis. They were all people and really they were all the same, the only difference being who his parent were and that did not merit him the right to act like a snob like so many of the others did. He would never allow the power that he was going to wield to get to his head, this was something that was very important, after all everyone knows the quote. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He was not going to fall victim to that and it did help that he was going to have such a level headed girl by his side ruling as Queen of the same country that he loved so much. Mexico had always been one of his top priorities and he tended to do all that he could in order to ensure that he knew the most about its history and that he was very involved in all the political affairs as well as many as the social ones as well. There was one boy he remembered that he had met on the streets of one of the markets that he tended to frequent who had a lasting impression on him, they had played a round of one on one basketball and the boy exclaimed that he was stunned that the Prince would have enough time in his busy schedule to play with common folk and this had appalled him, he never wanted to be the type to be seen as never having enough time for his people and the things that were important, he was never going to be the type to turn a blind eye when things got bad for people, there were far too many people that were relying on him and since that one incident he had done as much as he could which involved events and attending all the small openings as he could to ensure that he was not seen as a stuck up individual, people needed to be able to relate to him. Once he and Ellie returned to Mexico he would see to it that she would be by his side for a lot of these little events that meant the most to the people of Mexico. This was the only way to gain their full respect and support, not through fear and intimidation as some other Kings in the past seemed to have done. Even though she blushed it did appear that she was happy that he liked the routine so this caused him to smile as he stepped closer to her and she told him that it was a routine that she loved even though she did not normally dance like that. Well, wow is really all I can say. He uttered once more with a smile. While he had never been involved with dancing in anything more than social events and the lessons that he was forced to take, if it would mean that he would be the one to be able to be close with Ellie and not some other guy posing as her partner he would not even hesitate in the answer that would be given, even though they were not yet married and he trusted her he still could not help but feel protective over her and not like the idea of another man getting anywhere near her. She stated that she had just been confused for a second but that she did remember talking to him about it over texts which was reassuring and he was pleased that she seemed to be alright with him being there. She thanked him for remembering which caused a small smile to cross his lips. No problem. He uttered softly before fetching the two chairs and taking a seat on one of them. He preferred the fact that she was wearing no makeup, so many girls tended to hide behind makeup and Ellie really was not one that needed it, she was naturally very pretty so it was something that was unnessecary though he knew that it was just acceptable in society for girls to wear make up though he was glad that even when she did wear it she did not lather it on like many of the others. She was then teasing him and commenting that the Prince of Mexico did not want to sit on the floor. When you are this tall the floor is a long ways away. He said with a chuckle which was true since it was quite the effort to contort himself into a comfortable position but he did move the chair away and lower himself to the floor with a cheeky grin. If I am unable to get back up again I am blaming you. He told her with a cheeky grin and a sparkle in green eyes. He took out the contents of the bag handing her the salad and the sandwich as well as one of the drink as he leaned back on his hands to turn his attention to his portion. So how was your day? Notes: Words: Eight Seven Two Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

Ellie was actually feeling absurdly pleased with herself because Ric seemed to have enjoyed the number. Now of course there was the usual shyness, after all, it was more or less a burlesque number, just without the teasing strip tease, but yeah, she could definitely see herself repeating something like that now that she had some feedback. The thing with her was that she was afraid to try new things, mostly because she'd never been a frontwoman for anyone or anything in her life, and now that things were changing in her personal life she was finding that maybe she wanted to do some other things with herself and her free time - which was considerably longer now - than she had before. There was a thought there. Maybe she could do more sports or something.

"Okay now you're exaggerating, I wasn't that good," she told him with a soft smile, stretching one leg out and feeling the way the muscle happily relaxed there. This made her sigh in content. When her muscles weren't pushed almost to their limits, then she wasn't a happy camper because she had way too much energy to begin with and therefore she needed to spend it in a quality way somehow. Dancing was definitely one of those, especially given the fact that you were never still. With math it was different, you sat there and worked your way through problems, but there wasn't much muscle work to do unless you counted moving the heavy books around and lounging on sofas work. Ellie didn't.

Frowning slightly at his tease, she made a face at him, quickly sticking her tongue out. "Being small has it's advantages, I can definitely go through holes you wouldn't be able to even see," she commented with a cheeky smile, reaching out to take the offered food from him. Their fingers touched again, but this time she didn't blush as much. She was slowly starting to get used to all of this, almost resigned to the fact that, despite everything she was going to be married soon - a feat that proved to be even more real when she heard her phone buzz. Reaching for it automatically - the ingrained thought of Aubrey needing her - Ellie saw it was a picture message. For a brief moment, her eyes flashed wide, then she was back to her normal self again and the phone was put aside.

Her focus returned to Ric, to who she rolled her eyes. "If you can't get up I promise I'll go find a buldoser so it can lift you." She unwrapped her sandwich and dug her teeth into it, sighing softly when the flavours touched her tongue. She'd been more hungry than she thought. Carefully wiping her lips on a napkin, she shrugged her shoulders at his question, "Lazy. Now that I don't have to serve Aubrey anymore I have so much more time on my hands ... I don't know what to do with myself. I'm ahead on all my schoolwork and I've already started reading books for a class I have next semester. Really, boring is the word to go by here. I hope yours was better." Her brown eyes looked at him over her sandwich.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: oh my his pictures just get hotter! lol
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. He did not know what he would do if the same thing happened to him and if there was a change in the basketball team where it changed to something that was taken a little less serious, after all he tended to take the sport very seriously because it was his last year and he wanted to make sure that he at least tried his hardest in the last year. It was not that he was going to have to give it all up but he knew that there was going to less time when he became King and it was not as though he was going to be able to play on a team, he was going to be too busy and really he did not think that there was such thing, not competing at the same level as the one at Vineheart at least, it would be a severe downgrade. Just because it meant a lot to him did not mean that he was going to forget everything else for it though, he was never the type, he had other priorities and most of which came far before the sport that he loved. Ellie was one of them and she was at the top of his list, after all even though they did not know too much about one another she would be considered his significant other and the two were going to be married. Now that he had seen how much she appeared to love dancing he was going to have to make sure that he put the effort forth to see to it that she was going to be able to continue when she became Queen, he even did not mind the idea of him taking part in such activities he had always liked it even though he knew that it made him sound a little girly, it was a good stress reliever and plus it was a nice excuse to get close to girls, the only one on his mind lately being his soon to be wife though, he had always been a one girl type of guy, not like Dante who was an any girl, any time kind of guy. He was not even exaggerating when he told her just how much he had enjoyed the small performance that he had been able to witness. His eyes were rolled when she commented that she was not that good and he met her eyes across from where he was standing. I thought you were. He said with a small chuckle though the tone between them was light there was a truth that was shining behind emerald tinted eyes. He was simply enjoying being there as he watched her then start stretching and had to avert his eyes before he would be caught staring, just because she was going to be his wife did not give him an excuse to ogle her. As he sat down and commented that she was going to be responsible if he was not able to get back up, he was being dramatic though since really he was not as sore from basketball as he thought he would be, after all it was the beginning of the season and even though he had done his best to make sure that he kept fit over the summer it was all different muscles and being used to the extreme so there was a certain amount of soreness in the first few weeks that they all started back up. He used swimming to rid the acid from his muscles though and that would be usually where he was at this time of the night, a swim after practice seemed to work wonders as well as calm his mind down enough that he would be able to sleep soundly when he went back to his dorm, he did have a feeling that she was going to have the same calming affect though since he seemed to be laid back around her. As she stuck her tongue out at him he could not help the smile that was etched across his face. I will remember that the next time we are stuck somewhere and the only way out is a small tunnel… He rolled his eyes knowing that there would be slim to no chance of that ever happening but he did enjoy joking around with her. She then responded by rolling her eyes as well and commenting that if he was not able to get up that she would be able to find a bulldozer that would be able to lift him back to his feet and eyes went wide in mock surprise as he then dramatically held a hand to his chest as if she had wounded him. She seemed to be happy with the sandwich that made him breathe a sigh of relief since he had been guessing when he had picked it out but it seemed like a safe bet. When he asked her how her day had been she commented that it was quite boring now that she was not serving Aubrey. She uttered that it was boring. A lazy day to you, would be so hectic to anyone else. He told her. It was true, there were so many people that accomplished so much less than herself. He liked to be busy as well but he was sure that it did not even compare to the way that she was and she seemed to thrive on the organized chaos of all the things that were going on in her life. My day was not too eventful, went to classes, pretended to be interested in it all, did some homework before then going for a run then to basketball, and ta-da here I am now. He finished his sandwich and placed the wrapper back in the bag that he had brought before lounging back on his hands and stretching his legs out in front of him folded at the knee, he took a sip of his drink before placing it back on the gym floor. How are things with you and Aubrey, is she being decent? I can talk to her if you wish. Notes: Words: One Zero Four Three Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

The fact that he was teasing her wasn't lost on her; Ellie found it easy to lighten up when Ric wasn't so serious. Even though she kept telling him being serious was a good thing, with him it was an intense thing, and she didn't know how to feel about that. When he was serious it felt like she had so much responsibility resting on her alone, depending on her, that she had to prove herself over and over again. When he was goofing around, it was easy to forget that they would be married soon, easy to forget the coolness of the metal the ring was wrought of, resting against her left ring finger. She'd deided to wear it openly after figuring out hiding it wouldn't help a thing. It was happening, there was no reason to even think about it not coming to pass.

But when he teased her she gave him a glare through narrowed eyes, making a face. "Shut up." Still, she was glad that she had someone to have dinner with. Most nights, if she wasn't talking to Bella, she ate alone, she'd never really been much for socialising. She had a feeling, however, that this year would be different. "We won't be stuck in any tunnel any time soon, or if we are, you'll be stuck and Ill be the one getting out," she told him with a small laugh, shaking her head. "One of us has to be able to call that bulldozer for you, which means I'll be free as a bird." She pushed her shoulder up a bit, not even knowing that she was subconsciously flirting with him. She was by far too naive and untried for her own good, the only other guy in her life prior to Ric had been Starr, and that had been short.

"For the record, it's our last year at Vineheart and your grades have to be good," she pointed out, using one hand, the other still holding what was left of her sandwich, "so you better stop pretending and actually find classes interesting. Besides, they can be fun. You only have to know what to look for." She was half-teasing him, peeking at him through her eyelashes with a barely-contained smile threatening to spread across her lips. It was so much easier to talk to him like this, on the floor of the gym instead of on a boat or in the company of thousands of flowers. It was definitely something she could get used to, and if she would be able to continue dancing even after their marriage, then she would be satisfied. She would have to ask him at some point, but given that she didn't want to remember the recent picture message, she refrained just now.

"Hey when's the next basketball game?" she asked after a moment, putting down the sandwich wrapping, "we're supposed to put together a routine. Seems like I'll be cheering you on." It sounded like an American movie, but Ellie would like to think she would enjoy it. She'd never actually focused on a particular player before, whenever she'd been the one cheering. At his question, she shrugged her shoulders, "I guess it's all good. She's not happy, that's all I can say, but she can't really do anything since it's all been arranged. I think she was just as shocked as I was, if I'm honest." She shifted, spying the salad, and reaching for it, but it was just beyond her fingers.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: oh my his pictures just get hotter! lol
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. This last year was meant for the two of them to be fun and silly since they were going to be taking on tasks that were not meant for their age when it was all over so he was going to do his best to make sure that she was relaxing and having a good time at Vineheart this year, after all they were seniors and she was now the future Queen of Mexico which was something that she did not flaunt but could use to her advantage if she were that type of person but she wasn’t. He knew that she really did not have too many friends because she had always been too busy serving Aubrey in all her spare time but he was going to make sure that this was going to change, after all he knew that the people that he wanted to introduce her to would love her, his close friends were the ones that seemed to understand Ric the best and even though he had just told them about the engagement they admitted to him that they had been able to tell when he arrived back that something was different with him and they were less than pleased to be kept in the dark about it. After reassuring them that it was nessecary though they were not all that unhappy and wanted to meet the girl. Tanner wanted to meet her, sure he admitted that he had seen her in the hallways a couple times but that was completely different than actually spending some time with her. His brother was also another person that wanted to meet her after he had initially gotten over the shock that everyone was growing up around him. He could not help but laugh as she glared at him and knew that he could not take her seriously as she commented that he would be the one that would be stuck in a tunnel and she would be the one that would be out and calling a bulldozer and eyes were rolled once more. Are you calling me fat? I am very offended. There was a cheeky and mysterious glimmer that settled in green eyes as they met hers in a joking manner with a pout crossing his face. It had been a long time since he had laughed like this and been able to joke around with someone, after all the summer seemed to be so serious and even when he returned to school everything seemed to have changed and while it was for the best and he was very excited about it all there was still not only a lot to get used to but there was a lot that was stressing him out. Ellie proved to be lifting some of the weight off his shoulders though she was good for him, he found that he was feeling tons better even just sitting there with her and he was able to smile without feeling as though it was fake. She commented that it was their last year at Vineheart and that his grades needed to be good. You will be pleased to know that I have always maintained a very high grade average, in fact one that you might not expect. He said only half joking since it was something that was true, while he did not seem like the type to be that focused on school he had always told himself that if he was going to be involved in so many sports that it could never show in his grades and he had always wanted to go to an Ivy League school when he graduated but since that was not going to happen he still was proud of the grades that he was achieving. I am secretly a nerd. Though I really can say that I do not see how Chemistry is ever going to help me in ruling Mexico as I do not plan on blowing it up… He trailed off briefly. The tone then switched slightly when she asked him when the next basketball game was and he had to think for a moment before responding. On Friday I believe. He uttered looking across at her wondering why she was asking. When she told him that she was supposed to be putting a routine together for it this caught his attention. Getting to see you in a cheerleading uniform might be a little more distracting than usual. It will be nice to have someone cheering me on though. He stated with a small smile. When he asked her about Aubrey she seemed to falter a bit telling him that the princess had not been happy about it but she was just as shocked as herself and he nodded. I am sure she will get over it, after all its Aubrey and she really does not pause her thinking about herself for very long to think about other people. While he got along with the girl and was close with her there was no denying the way that she was and he really did not agree with the way that she treated so many people but he knew that there was no hope that he would ever break close enough to that side of the girl to make her even realize it. She reached for the salad and was not able to quite reach so he leaned forward to push it in her direction very aware that his fingertips brushed with hers as he did so and this caused a small nervous feeling to cross through him, something that he was not used to. Notes: Words: Nine Three Four Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

Ellie put on an offended face at what he said. She was good at facial mimics though she'd never considered theatre because she didn't have enough time. "I'm offended. I'd never call my future husband fat. I'm merely saying your personality would need a bulldozer since it would recquire a whole other tunnel for itself." She bit her lower lip to refrain from bursting out in laughter. It wouldn't be the best idea since she was trying to make fun here, and she was enjoying herself. That, and she'd also used the term 'future husband' out loud for the first time, without shuddering or shivering. It was something she was going to get used to so there was no use denying the fact that it was happening. Like with the ring, she had little choice in the matter. Adapting to this new deal was the best way to go after all.

"Oh? Surprise me," she said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands, though she didn't doubt he had good grades. Again, she was merely teasing him, since this was the first actual, real conversation they had since the masquerade ball. That one had been fake anway, given that they had been masked, though information had probably been real. "And you're not a nerd. I'm a nerd. You're the popular guy," she told him matter-of-factly, smiling gently at that, since she totally meant it. Nerd was an offense, though in this case she didn't sense any negativity. It was just another thing to joke about and well, she didn't want to talk about grades too much, that would just be sad. There were other more important and interesting topics to be spoken about.

Though at the comment about Mexico, she tossed her head back and laughed. "THAT would be something new! Heir to the throne blows up home country. I can see the titles already." Her brown eyes sparkled at him with the mirth she felt, and how easily this conversation flowed was amazing to her. It was so different than in Mexico. Maybe because she was starting to relax more. However, his next comment made her blush again, given that she had understood something beyond what he said, and she looked down. "I won't be alone, so you'll hardly be able to focus on me. About a third of the team will be there, you won't even see me." She was tinier than a lot of the girls, and the blonde ones were always up front, plus unless one of the fliers got sick she wouldn't be up front anyway.

At his talk about Aubrey, Ellie immediately went to her defense, "That's not true. Aubrey carres about Alessio as well, and she did care about me, a little. I know she did. Otherwise she wouldn't be upset with this." She was the most passionate when she danced, though when she talked about Aubrey, mainly defended her, she was about as mad as a mother lioness. She would probably always defend her because she knew Aubrey better than most people, having spent a lot of time with her and most of her teenage years, which was a lot. Maybe she hadn't been with Aubrey since birth, but she did know the princess and she would never do anything or say anything bad against her.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: oh my his pictures just get hotter! lol
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. Everything was getting to be so easy with the two of them and this was something that was making him happy with the way it was working out, he knew that it was only going to get easier with time they would have their ups and downs but it was becoming clear that she was trying her best as he was to make this work between the two of them and really that was all that was important, they would make this work and he knew that he was starting to develop feelings for her, the dancing had made this even more apparent as he was able to see a side of her that had never been shown to him, a little more scandalous side and one that was free to express what she was feeling and it had been magnificent and something that he was hoping to get to witness once again with time. He enjoyed watching her dance, she was graceful and knew the steps of what she practiced well, something that a rookie would never be able to achieve and it was clear to see that she had been doing it for quite a long time. She seemed offended that he would even comment that she was calling him fat and while he was trying to keep up the charade of pouting there was no way that was happening as he burst out laughing. He had noticed that she had called him her future husband and he could not help but be slightly excited by that seeing as she seemed to start to come to terms with it all and this caused him to smile but he did not comment on it not wanting to scare her off. These were the small things that really seemed to brighten his day, he was also finding that his mind was on her a lot more often than it had been previously. She asked him to surprise her when he commented about his grades. Well I had always planned on getting into an ivy league school after I graduated and I do not believe on getting in just because I am a prince, so good enough grades to get in somewhere like that, and I just have really continued out of habit even though I know I am not going to be going to university once I graduate. He uttered softly and took on a serious tone for a moment but that did not last long, he did want her to know that he did have some of the same morals as her though and that he did try hard and do his best when it came to school he was never the type to be the one that rode the wave nonchalantly and just coasted through life since there was really no pride involved in that and he believed firmly in being proud of everything you do no matter how small it was. While he had left out a few critical details when they had been talking at the ball everything that he had told her had been true, she could even prove that since she had since met Rigo, all that he had left out of their conversation were things that would have given away his identity even though he had been sure that she would have known after he commented about the floating gardens and appeared to know a lot about Mexico but he was wrong and really since they had never met before then it was something that was not too uncommon. He rolled his eyes when she stated that he was the popular guy and that she was the nerd. Oh please. Me popular, my friends consist of my two misfit roommates, a wonderful girl who is forced to be my wife and my dog who is back in Mexico. He said with a light chuckle. He laughed with her uttering a small smile. Maia would kill me. I don’t believe you have formally gotten introduced to her. She is the one that started screaming at me in Spanish when I came back from dropping you in the ocean, she has worked for the Mexican family for, well as long as anyone can remember, and usually I am getting in trouble with her, she will like you though, see you as a good influence for me. He chuckled at the thought he loved the older woman like she was another mother since she had been a part of his life for just as long as his own mother had been. He was frequently being chased through the house with a flurry of Spanish words being thrown at him. She uttered that she would not be alone when she was cheering at the basketball game and he would not be able to even notice her and he shook his head meeting her eyes across from where they were seated. You will be the only one I notice, I have no interest in the other girls. Hell it could be gorillas with you and I would hardly notice. There was something risqué in his voice that caused him to lean forward from where he had been sitting, finger gently running along her cheek in their close proximity as lips were brought to hers tenderly before he pulled back to meet her eyes. You are the important girl in my mind, please remember that Ellie. He uttered softly. He really did not know how she was going to respond to this but all he could do was hope that she would not push him away. She then started talking about Aubrey when he had made a comment about her only caring about herself and she did tend to bring up points about Aubrey caring about Alessio and he nodded. I suppose that is true. She does. Don’t get me wrong I like her as a friend but she is slightly intimidating and a little too high maintenance for me to be around her too often. He uttered. Notes: Words: One Zero Two One Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

"Well I always thought I'd be going to a college Aubrey would pick and just find an appropriate programme for myself there," she told him with a shrug of her shoulders, "so that went down the drain and now I'm not going to college either, obviously. But I'm a nerd so my grades are high because of that." It wasn't bragging, Ellie didn't brag. Well, only to Bella and only a little, but she really didn't brag to Ric or anyone else really. It was just a fact that when you had little social time, no social life, that you got way ahead on your schoolwork. It was a product of a very lazy social life, or non-existant one in Ellie's case. Really, her only real friend was Bella, and now she was getting to know Ric a little bit more, which was definitely a good thing, but she couldn't decide whether she would let him in entirely yet or no.

She did laugh at his description of his friends though. "You forgot your brother and Rylie, if you ask me," she pointed out in a gentle tone, still chuckling, "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like being left out. And I also don't think Rylie is an enemy or whatever, she probably thinks you're her friend too. She sounds like a sweet person which means she probably has a sweet disposition and Bentley is just being thick-headed." She stated this in a matter-of-fact voice, which was something she used quite often really, mostly because that was how she saw things, and when she saw things like this well, then she had nothing to think about other than saying it out loud, when she got the chance. Since she normally didn't express herself, she was using the opportunity presented to her now.

"Oh! I remember Maia," she replied with a smile, "Well, I remember her voice, not her really. I could definitely hear her." But anyone who went to such pains for their charges was definitely high on her list, given that Ellie herself was prone on doing exactly the same thing. She used to make sure that Aubrey's brothers had all they needed just in case their servants forgot something. Sure, they had people assigned to them, but just like an older sister would, she always made sure to check if anything else needed to be done. Talk turned to the basketball game again, and Ellie laughed. "I'm pretty sure you'd notice if there were gorillaz in the gym, Ric," she told him cheerfully, feeling slightly better about herself when he consistently reassured her he would notice her. But his voice held an edge she hadn't heard before. Ellie met his eyes, those beautiful greens that held so much expression. She could lose herself there, she knew, if only she allowed it.

And then he was right there, his lips against her own in the gentlest of pressures. Ellie'd been kissed before - but not frequently, and it had been a while. And this was their first kiss.Her breath hitched at the back of her throat and she could definitely feel the tell-tale blush spreading across her cheeks now. But her lips had responded. "Please don't do that again," she said softly, unconvincingly. Not even Cosita, Bella's dog, would believe what she was saying. Ellie could hardly focus on the topic of Aubrey now, but she gave it her best shot. "Aubrey will always be Aubrey," she said in a soft voice, "but I guess I know what you mean. She can be ... challenging to handle." She lapsed into silence, looking at him through her lashes.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: oh my his pictures just get hotter! lol
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI

[ric]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: 000000; width: 450px; padding-top: 5; padding: 10,5,10,5px; border: 000000, solid 8px;][/style] I just wanna rock all night long, And put you in the middle of my spotlight, You could be my it girl. He did not like the way that she seemed to tell him that she had always thought that she was going to be going to college and while he knew that it would be something that would have been on her plan since it was a plan of a lot of the Royals here and some of them he truly thought that it was used as an excuse to keep their parents off their backs for another few years before they were going to have to take the throne but that was not at all the case for hi m since there was something that he was truly interested in. He hated that he was not going to be able to change anything for their situation since he wanted nothing more than to give her the ability to do what she wanted and continue with her education though the whole reason that he was going to be getting married and so soon was because he needed to take the throne the moment that he turned eighteen and the minute that he graduated since there was no way that his family was going to be able to keep the people on the council at bay for any longer than that when there was someone that was running the place already and even though the family was Royal by blood there was exceptions to every rule and he knew that while he loved the person who was appointed and they trusted him there were always those cases in which the person was consumed by the power and he was not going to trust whether he was going to get to be King of Mexico on one guy. Sure it was not ideal and he did not like the thought anymore than she did but he knew that it was something that needed to be done and something that was teaching himself to get excited about, he knew that he was ready deep down somewhere even though he was feeling very nervous about the whole thing, but after all what had he spent all his life doing? Getting ready to rule the country that he had grown up in and knew like the back of his hand. He was a person that like plans though and he liked to know what was going on and this was something that had caught him by surprise there was no doubt about that but by now he had come to terms with it and was ready to for the weight of the world to be placed on his shoulder figuratively of course. He would make sure that by the time of his coronation that he was going to be prepared and there was going to be no doubt to the people that he was going to be governing that he was the one that was going to be their King and he was proud of this fact, he would be able to do with that after all he had just a little less than a year to perfect this. He needed their support. He was brought back to the real world when she countered his statement of friends by commented that he was sure that Rylie was also his friend and he knew that was true as well since he had taken a liking to the girl that had been around much more often her care for who he considered to be his closest friend was impeccable and she was generally a very cheery and nice person to be around. While they were not close he supposed that she was right and that she could be considered a friend as well. She is for sure. He nodded when Ellie commented that she seemed like a sweet person and then the topic turned to Maia and he could not help but grin, the maid always seemed to be able to keep him on his toes and he knew that the only reason that she was so hard on him was because she liked him so much and had high expectations for him, after all a lot of people tended to have those same high expectations, while it was flattering at the same time there was a lot for him to live up to that made him slightly queasy, the stress was starting to get to him but he would never admit any of that he did not need people worrying about him, he did not tend to sleep soundly through a night though and that was rare for someone like him who tended to love to sleep and loved the idea of getting comfortable beneath his blankets, lately though the appeal had not been there and he was more restless than anything with a few nightmares. He knew that it would go away though and he was just being dramatic people hit minor blocks in the road all the time. Well I am sure that when we are back in Mexico next time she will not hesitate in making herself heard at least again, she has hit me with various objects at many points in my life, the broom tended to be the biggest weapon of hers, though I do not tend to mind since she does it out of caring for me. He uttered quietly. He knew that one foot wrong and he would be subject to the next part though strangely enough when he was doing something that was not seen as right she was the first person to jump to his mind not his mother so really the maid must have done something right since he was positive that it had always been her intentions. From the time that she had started talking about him not noticing her in the gym and he commented that it was not true he had been thinking about kissing her, one would think that being the crown prince he might have a little more confidence but it had taken a lot to working himself up to decide to do this and even as he was leaning in to touch his lips to hers so gently he was wondering if he was going to regret it and by the look on her face his heart dropped he looked down at the ground in front of him being reduced to something that she had never seen before as tall broad shoulders tended to look a little more slack than normal, there was only so much of a hit his pride could take before he was going to be affected and a look of hurt flashed across his face when she stated for him not to do that again and this caused him to bite the inside of his lip to control the contortion of facial muscles that he was positive was giving off the expression of hurt. I’m sorry, I won’t. He uttered so quietly that he was not even sure that she was going to be able to hear it. After being kissed this was the last thing that you wanted to hear from someone and he did not even register what she said next as he was lost in thought staring blankly at the wrapper in his hands, he cleared his throat rather awkwardly. Maybe it would be better if he just excused himself now and spared himself the embarrassment? He gathered the garbage between the two of them deciding that he needed a moment, he was kicking himself on the inside how could he have been so stupid to think that she would have ever wanted it as much as he had. He took a deep breath throwing the garbage away and returning to sit back down, he was not going to be rude and just leave. Notes: Poor Ric his pride is hurt! lol Words: One Three Zero Six Tagged: Elise Gisela Van Vossen created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

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[elise]

She could easily imagine someone chasing after Ric with a broom. She'd seen this Maia around a couple of times, not in person, and she'd heard her from a distance uttering words in Spanish so fast Ellie thought it had been gibberish for the most part. But she respected the woman, although she was quite possibly more frightened than ever to actually meet her. She seemed like someone who wouldn't hesitate to put her in her place if she did something wrong, though of course Ellie would aspire not to do so. She would make herself as adapted to the new scenario as she possibly could, since she didn't have much more free time on her hands now that the engagement was actually taking off full-speed and working its way to the summit, which was the marriage, something she didn't know what to think about yet.

"She scares me if I'm honest," she said gently, "I'm sure she means well, but frankly when someone screams like that ... gives me goosebumps. I feel guilty even when I haven't done anything, for some reason." She smiled sheepishly, picking at her salad, knowing she was going to be full soon. After a work out she didn't normall eat a lot, only some salad or fruit, but tonight she'd been extra hungry really, which was why she'd eaten the sandwich in the first place. That, and she would never want to hurt Ric's feelings, since he'd gone through so much trouble to get her the dinner and remember when she had her practice sessions. It was awfully sweet and kind of him, and she wished she could repay him somehow.

Of course her plan about not hurting his feelings backfired almost immediately, though she didn't know who to blame for the kiss, him or herself. Who knew? In any case, by pushing him away verbally, she could see the hurt in his eyes. That one hurt her more than anything he could have done, even if he'd yelled at her she would have taken it better. Aubrey yelled all the time. But it was the person's eyes that told you a whole different story, a true story, and that meant she was definitely trading some shallow waters here. And dangerous ones. Suddenly, the salad didn't look half as good anymore, because she was worried about what she'd just done. But how to explain to him that it wasn't his fault? Ellie took a deep breath, and shifted, pushing the food between them - and her natural shyness - aside, so she could reach for his hands again, her fingers gently touching the skin they found there.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was very soft, and quiet, and she made herself look into his eyes all the time. She needed to do that to make him see she was honest. "I want to be honest with you, always. It's not ... it wasn't a bad feeling." She worried her bottom lip. "I just ... got out of a relationship, my first ever relationship that didn't last too long. And now I'm engaged to be married, to probably the nicest guy at Vineheart." She smiled sadly, weakly. "Please, I just ... I need some more time. I will marry you. I'll make you a good wife. It's just a huge transition for me." She took a deep breath, and leaned in to kiss his cheek if he'd let her, then moved to stand. She didn't think she could bear looking at the hurt expression on his face anymore, knowing it was all her fault. Actually, all she wanted to do was cry.

TAGGED: ALARIC LAZZARO OF MEXICO
OUTFIT: CLICK!
NOTES: the poor dolls.
ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CREDIT: AMI