If Not For Me

Vibes of Aggression

<><><><><<>><><><><>

Breakfast the next day is the first time something generally exciting happens. 

"Wow, our schedule is packed," Deidre sighs, looking over the paper. The ladies-in-waiting, to properly cater to their nobles, were also given the schedule. "Damn, gardening. Who knew these women would be doing something mildly active?"

Amara grabs another slice of bread from the middle of the breakfast tray, her eyes widening as she gasps. "That's so romantic. It's like the beginning of a love story and they grow together, their little plant grows up and gets all strong and healthy-,"

Deidre ends up blocking her out, reading down the rest of the schedule. A snack near the gardens and then of course- "Another stupid dance,"

"Dancing is so intimate-,"

Chariss huffs a laugh. "Amara, please get yourself a man,"

"I wish. Lady Soleil would never let me get married," She whines, covering her face with her hands. "It's okay, though. I don't want to get married. Just have a few love stories with a few people,"

Sloane scoffs. "Whore,"

"You're one to talk," Deidre sighs, rolling the schedule closed and sliding an egg onto her plate. She pops the yolk with a tear of her bread and uses it as a dip. Chariss thinks she should be decapitated for such foolery. "Don't look now but- Amara, I said don't look,"

"Sorry!" the girl quickly apologizes, turning back around. "Where exactly am I not looking?"

"Lady Bates ladies-in-waiting. One of them just poured something in her drink," 

Chariss pretends to be fixing the bottom of her dress and glances over just as one of the ladies puts something in the cup of her dress. She uses a spoon to mix her drink before reaching over and filling her plate with bread and sliced cheese. "What do you think it is?"

"It was a dark bottle so I don't know what's in it," Sloane answers.

Amara shrugs. "It's probably just ale,"

"At 7 in the morning?" Deidre asks and Chariss puffs out a sigh. She hates the reminder that she's awake before the sun has properly settled in the sky. 

Amara shifts a look at everyone at the table. "You don't day drink?" She asks, eyes widened.

"You have a problem," Deidre tells her in a deadpan tone, throwing a bored look around the room. "She could be day drinking but I think it's more serious than that. Naresse's ladies are dumping flasks so she wouldn't have been ridiculed if that's what it was,"

Farren spreads a ridiculous amount of zurian butter on her bread before layering it with a fried egg, nodding at their findings. "She didn't drink it immediately. Maybe it's medicinal," She shrugs, putting a piece of cheese on top of her egg and topping it off with a perfectly golden slice of toast.

"She'd have to take it in the clinic to make sure she isn't abusing substances," Amara says, biting off a large piece of sausage. 

Farren just finishes half her sandwich when the bell tolls, marking the end of breakfast. The ladies-in-waiting would now have to escort their noble to the next activity which was- yay, hooray- gardening. She slips a cracken berry into her mouth as standing, rubbing down her day dress. Chariss taps her arm, eyes steady on the lady-in-waiting with the spiked drink.