By nine the next morning the students were once again gathered on the front steps of the Academy. The pre funeral coverage started two hours earlier so their chatter was kept to a minimum as they sat grieving two classmates this time.
Originally it was expected that Coriolanus would once again get on stage to start the procession with the national anthem, but when he appeared on stage it was in holographic form. The graphics were crisp and seeing him up there singing with such authority showed how he was starting to resemble the late General Snow more and more with each day.
The efforts were doubled for the twins' funeral in comparison to Arachne's just less than a week prior. Double the banners and double the peacekeepers, with so much more words of praise coming from their peers. It seemed fitting, the twins may have never been close with Riyana, but they just had a quality that made them friends with everyone.
When the service came to an end and the students were released, Riyana turned towards Sejanus. "Are you still coming tonight?"
Sejanus took a moment to respond, seemingly more affected by the twins' death than Arachne's. When he turned towards her she saw he had not been crying but his jaw was clenched and his eyes were glossed over. The tension in his jaw subsided almost completely when he looked at her.
"Planned on it, what time should I pick you up?" He asked.
"What are you talking about?" Riyana asked, her confusion spreading to Sejanus.
"For the dinner, I thought we were going together." Sejanus responded.
Riyanas eyes widened, "Oh, no, well yes together. I have to be with my family though. I assumed you'd just come over beforehand."
Sejanus' eyes widened for just a moment, but the surprise was wiped away by the time he blinked. "Oh, okay."
"You don't have to come, if that's weird for you. I honestly don't even know why Beatrice invited you in the first place."
Sejanus' eyebrows furrowed slightly as he asked hesitantly, "Do you not want me to go?"
Riyana quickly shook her head, "No, I want you there. I just don't want you going because you feel pressured to do so."
"Don't worry, I want to be there, I want to be with you." He assured her.
Riyana could feel the blush creeping on her cheeks so she quickly cleared her throat and rose to her feet. "I'll see you tonight then." She said quickly, hurrying to hide her rosy cheeks.
When Riyana ran into the living room later that night, searching desperately for the bracelet she seemed to have misplaced, she seemed to have interrupted a rather awkward conversation.
"Sejanus, You're here!" Riyana exclaimed, leaning in to hug him until she heard her father clear his throat.
Riyana stiffened and stood up straighter than she had been before. "I'm sorry for the interruption. I seem to have misplaced my bracelet, could I borrow Sejanus to help me look?"
"Me and him were having an important talk, Riyana." Her father said, his patience for her already running thin.
"Oh but what could be so important, really my outfit will be dreadful without the bracelet to pull it all together." She said, just trying to get herself and Sejanus out of this conversation.
"If you must know," Her father started, looking directly at Sejanus. "I was letting your date here know how he should act to maintain this family's stature, well what will be left of it after arriving at this event with a district savage."
Riyana's eyes widened and she turned towards Sejanus with wide eyes but he just shook his head, telling her not to interfere. She ignored him.
"Don't call him that. He grew up here, just alongside us." Riyana said, using all of her willpower to keep her voice at a steady volume.
"All but those eight years, half of which were spent living amongst rebels. The capital is not so quick to forget." Her father said, still maintaining eye contact with Sejanus.
"Quick to forget how much money his family donated to war reparations though. Most you ever did was get rid of mom." It was out before she even realized what she was saying, but her father sat there stone faced, just as he had before.
"Sejanus, you may be excused to assist Riyana."
Sejanus looked between father and daughter trying to figure out what had just happened, but when he saw Riyana exiting the room he quickly stood to follow. He caught up with her halfway up the stairs and he trapped her wrist.
"What?" She asked, flinching at the touch.
"Sorry," Sejanus apologized, backing away slightly.
Realizing it was just him, Riyana relaxed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd talk to you like that."
Her fathers opinions were of no shock to her, he had openly shared his distaste for the Plinth family more times than she could count. His own distaste aside, he had always made sure his complaints and snickers were told in spaces that would never get back to the family, nonetheless speak directly to the son.
"Don't worry about it." Sejanus said, still leaning away.
Riyana nodded once in acknowledgement and walked up the rest of the stairs and down the hall into her room. She hesitated in front of the door, suddenly feeling childish for the piles of clothes and accessories scattered across her room that she had thrown around while getting ready.
"It's a little messy." Riyana warned as she slowly opened her bedroom door.
Upon entering the room Sejanus began looking around, "What did the bracelet look like?"
Riyana waved her hand dismissively, "Forget the bracelet."
Sejanus nodded awkwardly, unsure what to do with himself.
Riyana sat down on her bed and began picking at the comforter. "He's so rude, god, you're a guest in our house does that mean nothing anymore." She said, frustration evident in her voice.
Sejanus took a seat on the very edge of the bed and tried to smile reassuringly at her. "Don't fret, it's not as though it's the first time. Used to it all really." He said, trying to play it off.
Riyana let out an aggressive sigh and shook her head. "That's absolutely absurd, you shouldn't let him get away with it for other people's faults, you should be mad at them all!" She exclaimed.
Sejanus quickly looked back at the cracked open door and grimaced slightly. Turning back to Riyana, his smile dropped, he said, "I know Ana, but I don't think your father hearing me talk ill of him is in my best interest."
Riyana wanted to argue back, feeling no desire to let the subject go, but the look on Sejanus face showed he knew best. Instead she leaned over the side of her bed and her hand reached underneath the bed, eventually pulling out a bottle of posco. She took a generous gulp and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Do you just keep that there?" Sejanus asked, eyebrows lifting slightly in disbelief.
Riyana held it out but he shook his head. "Clemmy's parents check her room, so we always keep a bottle here." She explained.
Sejanus watched the liquid finally settle in the bottle and gaped at how nearly empty it was. "You've drunk all of that?"
Riyana shrugged and bent over to put it back in her hiding spot. "They usually go by quite quickly between the two of us."
Sejanus nodded, and rose to his feet as he began looking around her room. At first he stopped in front of a small framed picture sitting on her dresser and smiled softly. The picture was taken years ago, when she was likely eleven or twelve. It was a day at the lake, spent with the friends she used to be much closer with Coriolanus and Clemensia. All three stood completely awkwardly, Coriolanus had just hit a growth spurt and his movements had not yet adjusted to his now lanky frame, Clemensia was on his left and was in the peak of the years long crush she had on Coriolanus and it appeared she was considering grabbing at the back of his waist for the picture but she was too unsure of herself so her arm sat awkwardly in the air almost a foot back from his body, and Riyana had felt so grown up by that point in her life and trying posing with such sophistication that left her looking like her skin sat incorrectly on her bones.
"Oh god, that's an awful picture don't look." Riyana said, well hoped she managed to get out through her laughter.
Sejanus shook his head laughing quietly with her, "It's cute."
He moved over to a stack of books on her dresser and began reading the spines. She honestly did not even remember what books she had over there, she had not touched them in weeks. He stopped on one book and opened it up. It if was anyone else she would have yelled at him to be more careful to not crack the spine but for him she simply sat staring, praying he would have nothing bad to say about her taste in literature.
"Jane Eyre, Ma says it's one of her favorite books." Sejanus said, as he closed it to read the description on the back.
"It's good, you can borrow it, if you want to read it." Riyana offered, feeling more ecstatic than she thought she should at the fact he had something nice to say for the book.
Sejanus turned his head back towards her and smiled, "Not my thing really. Thank you though."
Riyana nodded and just watched as he moved from item to item until he reached a messy pile of crumpled up papers she forgot she had left out.
"Don't touch those." She snapped, her voice raising without intent.
Sejanus immediately took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sorry," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
Riyana mumbled something incoherent as she rose to her feet. She grabbed all the loose papers and opened a drawer to shove them into. They had been her attempts at the letter she was planning to write to Sabyn's family, but each time she brought the pen to the paper her words failed her. Nothing felt enough, no scratching of her pen would be enough to feel the void Sabyn's death would form in her family's life.
Three airy knocks on the opened wooden door broke the tense air and Beatrice poked her head inside. "You two are dressed right?" She asked, her eyes downcasted to the wooden flooring.
Riyana closed the drawer, slamming it in the process and walked up to open the door all the way. Beatrice, who had been leaning her weight on it stumbled, quickly regained her footing and patted down her dress as if it had been ruffled in the commotion.
Holding up a thin silver bracelet she asked, "Could I wear this, I think it's yours. Found it in the kitchen."
Riyana grabbed it from her sister's hand harshly, "I have been looking for this for nearly an hour Beatrice."
Beatrice smiled innocently, "Well, I've found it for you then. Should really do a better job keeping up with your stuff."
Riyana was about to make a snarky remark but Beatrice had already lost interest in the conversation and was regarding Sejanus. Sejanus, whom Riyana had learned by this point did not enjoy being the subject of one's gaze, was rocking on the balls of his feet, producing a noise she presumed to be an attempted series of whistles; they came out more like spluttered breaths.
"You look nice."
Beatrice said it casually, no weight in her words, no flirtation in her tone- so why did it make Riyana feel so vitriolic towards her sisters? Riyana should have said it first, should've been the one to make his movements halt for just a moment, should have been to one he stuttered out a thanks to. She had been thinking it, she should have said it.
Riyana held the bracelet back out to her sister, knowing it would be the fastest way to get her out, "Go away."
Riyana swiftly closed the door behind her as her sister skipped away, then turned her attention to Sejanus. She walked towards him, taking in his appearance with a pang of regret for not appreciating his handsome appearance until the obviousness of it had been pointed out. As she neared him, she reached out and lightly touched his lilac silk tie, pretending to adjust it even though it was already perfectly straight. Allowing the tie to fall back onto his off-white linen shirt, she studied him intently, her gaze roaming over every detail, from the holes in his belt to the tightness of his curls. Refusing to retreat or divert her eyes, she observed the subtle twitch of his fingers and the flush that crept over his face.
"You do look nice." She said as though it was a quick observation, not as if she'd been studying each crinkle forming in his shirt.
"You do as well." He said, his breath warm on her skin from such a short distance.
This time, she didn't attempt to conceal the flush that spread across her cheeks. Instead, she embraced the moment, allowing herself to fully experience the rush of sensations that coursed through her body. The blood surged to every corner, awakening long-forgotten places that tingled with anticipation. From the tips of her ears to the backs of her knees, she felt the heat of desire, a throbbing pulse that resonated in the very edges of her palm. As she observed him, she noticed the subtle changes – his quickened breath, the trail of his tongue over his apple-red lips, the struggle to avert his gaze from her own lips.
As quickly as the moment had ignited, it fizzled out, and he gestured towards a framed photograph on the wall. "Is that your mother?" he inquired.
The walls, which had felt like they were closing in just moments before, now seemed to expand, and the weight in the air lifted. It was indeed her mother in the picture, captured alongside her seven-year-old self. She didn't want to delve into the backstory of the photo – how it was taken on her birthday, or the reason it appeared dull. Her mother had been preoccupied assisting rebels responsible for the suffering and loss of those she had grown up with. She didn't want to recount how, on that day, the only person to wish her a happy birthday was Beatrice, who had improvised a makeshift candle-lit birthday "cake" using a piece of bread. She didn't want to explain how she had tugged on her mothers sleeve, trying to plead for a word of acknowledgment, only for her mother to flinch at her touch. She didn't want to discuss her resentment towards her mother for prioritizing honorability over her own daughter's needs, how childish it was that she could resent a dead lady for the lack of attention she had received growing up.
"Yes, it is," Riyana replied, her annoyance palpable at the abrupt shift in topic, and the unwelcome mention of her mother.
She couldn't fathom why she still kept the picture displayed. For years, she had made a conscious effort to rid every crevice of her life of her mother's presence. She had shunned her given name, opting for a nickname she didn't particularly care for, solely to distance herself from her mother's name. She had openly sided with the capital during the rebellion numerous times, determined to prove she was nothing like her treacherous mother. Yet, deep down, she knew it was all futile. The woman in the photograph, just eight years her senior, gazed back at her like a haunting reflection in a mirror.
"She was beautiful," Sejanus remarked, leaning in for a closer inspection.
"You would have liked her," Riyana replied, making an effort to mask her annoyance.
Leaning back and shifting his gaze back to Riyana, he raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
Riyana hesitated before responding, unsure of how much she should disclose. "She sided with the districts in the war and died while aiding them," she revealed quietly.
Sejanus attempted to conceal his shock. "I'm sorry," he offered sympathetically.
Riyana shook her head wearily, her voice heavy with fatigue. "It's fine, really. You can't miss someone you never truly knew."
"I never knew that. Your family were known supporters of the President during the war. I even heard my dad mention yours back in the districts," Sejanus expressed, his words tinged with confusion.
Riyana felt conflicted. A part of her wanted to halt the conversation, but another part desired for him to understand every facet of her, even the aspects she found repugnant to share, as a means to test if he would stay or flee. "My father, yes. I suppose he was the only one who truly mattered. He held the wealth and controlled even the money my grandparents had bestowed upon my mother during their marriage. Her efforts were in vain, to be honest. She was too arrogant to see it. My father was among the few individuals who still maintained partnerships with the districts that remained untarnished. The hospitals in the districts were under his jurisdiction. Even they wouldn't dare sever ties with him, so he simply outdid any attempts she made for a better standing."
"No one talks about her though. Haven't heard a single whisper." Sejanus replied.
"Well, I don't know. Both my parents came from old money families, one bad apple just wasn't enough to tarnish both their names. People just know better than to try to interrupt the social structures already put in place."
"Do you think she did the right thing?" Sejanus inquired.
Riyana hesitated and started picking up some clothes from her floor, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know. I know you want me to say yes. I mean, yes, the treatment of the districts is abhorrent, but you didn't witness what it was like here during the dark days. I just don't think I could bear watching everyone I care about suffer, even if it made me a bad person."
Sejanus nodded and responded softly, "I don't believe you're a bad person. I think that same perspective is what drove the districts to rebel in the first place."
Though his words were intended to be reassuring, the comparison made her feel uneasy. She longed to hear something affirming, perhaps a reassurance that her neutrality didn't diminish her worth, but the notion of being likened to a rebel unsettled her.
"Perhaps we should head downstairs. The driver should be ready for us any moment," Riyana suggested, picking up a pair of silk gloves from her dresser, matching the same lilac shade as Sejanus' tie.
Sejanus was momentarily taken aback by the shift in topic, but opted not to press further. He simply nodded in agreement and followed her lead.
The car ride to the President's manor was mostly quiet, with none of them certain of what conversation to engage in. Beatrice had chosen to sit next to their father, much to Riyana's relief. This decision spared her and Sejanus from having to do so.
As soon as the car came to a stop in the curved driveway, an avox opened the car door, while another stood a few feet away, prepared to collect coats and bags from each arriving guest. The sound of chatter reverberated through the halls, leading Riyana to realize that this dinner was far larger than Aiden had led her to believe.
Ascending the steps with her family, Sejanus extended his arm, which Riyana gratefully accepted. The only aspect she found comforting about Aiden during these events was the simple act of holding onto someone's arm and feeling as though that was sufficient social interaction in itself- even if he had been the only one getting a word in all night.
The first person to greet Riyana was Andromeda Ravinstill, the President's wife and Aiden's mother. Andromeda was a tall, slender woman with high cheekbones and honey blonde hair. Despite being close to her sixties, her appearance defied her age. She leaned in to plant a kiss on each of Riyana's cheeks in greeting.
"Oh my, it's wonderful to see you. And who is this handsome boy on your arm?" Andromeda inquired, her breath revealing that she had been indulging generously in drinks throughout the night.
Sejanus extended his hand, but Andromeda simply leaned in and kissed his cheek as if he were an old friend of hers. Riyana struggled to suppress a laugh at Sejanus's flushed face.
"Sejanus Plinth, an honor to meet you, Ma'am," Sejanus replied, his voice taking on a formal tone that caught Riyana's attention.
"And a Plinth, how scandalous of you. I fear I'll have to endure Aiden's chatter about this for weeks. But a pretty girl like you deserves some fun," Andromeda commented, redirecting her focus to Riyana.
Riyana reconsidered her earlier notion; while clinging onto Aiden at these parties was comforting in the past, nothing quite compared to the unpredictable events that unfolded when the President's inebriated wife made an appearance.
"And what's a pretty woman like yourself doing tonight?" Riyana asked teasingly, placing a hand on Andromeda's arm.
"Oh, you know me," Andromeda replied airily as she grabbed another glass from an avox passing by. "I'll just have to turn down every man here tonight, exhausting it is. But the sacrifices I make to be married to such a man."
Riyana nodded, pretending to be serious in her expression. "Your honorability is an inspiration to all of us girls coming of age."
"Oh, thank you, dear. I better go, let you two lovebirds have some fun," Andromeda said, leaning in to plant another kiss on Sejanus' cheek. He cringed at how wet it had been, but she didn't seem to notice.
After Andromeda had skipped off and was out of earshot, Sejanus turned towards Riyana, gaping in disbelief. "That is our First Lady?" he asked incredulously.
Riyana brought the back of her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Once her laughter subsided, she said to Sejanus, still grinning, "Oh, don't tell me you've never met Andromeda Ravinstill before?"
They moved from guest to guest, discussing their mentorship and their post-graduation plans. Sejanus remained mostly quiet, with very few guests acknowledging his presence in their conversations with Riyana. She made little effort to include him, aware that the topics being discussed were not ones he would handle appropriately in that setting.
They had learned from Tigris that Coriolanus had chosen to stay home, still recuperating from his injuries after the bombing and catching up on much-needed rest. Tigris had launched into a ramble about her latest work project, but Riyana had become distracted. She became acutely aware of Aiden's presence in the corner of the room, of each glance he spared her, and the way his nose twitched every time he looked at Sejanus.
After a stretched moment of eye contact with Aiden across the room, Riyana turned back to see Tigris and Sejanus looking at her expectantly. Unsure of what she had been asked, she mumbled out a barely audible, "Yeah, sure."
Noticing the shift in energy, Tigris quickly made an excuse about seeing an old friend walk in and scurried off. Sejanus, completely unaware of Riyana's past with Aiden, was thrown off by her distraction and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Are you alright?"
Riyana flinched at his sudden closeness but cleared her throat and nodded. "Lovely, just thirsty. Could you get us some drinks?"
As Sejanus stepped away, Aiden quickly filled the empty spot. While Sejanus had opted for a linen shirt under his suit jacket, Aiden had chosen a deep maroon velvet one. He smelled strongly of hair gel, and each breath he released emitted an unpleasant stench of posco.
"Oh don't say you've stooped to such levels just to make me jealous." Aiden said, standing much closer than the conversation called for.
Riyana stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, "He has nothing to do with you, and even if he did, it'd be an upgrade."
"Oh come on the president's son, or what so district filth. I never believed you to be out of mind." Aiden snarled.
"You want to know something just incredible about him?" Riyana asked, leaning in as though she was about to whisper a secret. "He doesn't need to shove his father down everyone's throat to have any friends."
Catching Sejanus out of the corner of her eye, Riyana stepped away and made her way back onto his arm. They spent a few more minutes going from guest to guest, sharing empty words and forced laughter. The conversations only came to a draw when the President hit a little golden spoon against a glass and announced dinner was to be served.
Riyana and Sejanus both listened silently to the conversations throughout dinner. Her father and the President both did rather well at maintaining a conversation that kept only those they were interested in talking, and everyone else gladly ate the roasted salmon that was being served.
Then, after the plates had been cleared away, and they waited for desert to be taken away, President Ravinstill directed his attention towards Sejanus. "Marcus is your tribute, yes?"
Sejanus cleared his throat, "Yes sir."
"A shame he ran away, I'm sure they'll find him though."
Riyana watched as Sejanus' grip tightened around his fork and could even see his legs tense through his dress pants. Riyana had no clue what he was talking about, Sejanus had not mentioned Marcus to her. Nonetheless, he was taking too long to respond, and Riyana almost cut in to release the awkward tension brewing.
"Oh gosh!" Andromeda exclaimed, as the red wine in front of her fell and began to cover her and a few close unlocks guests with crimson stains.
Everyone else was too distracted to think about Sejanus, all too focused on the drunken lady of the house, so Riyana took the opportunity to lean in. "What happened to Marcus?" She whispered.
Sejanus gulped before responding, "Ran away after the bombing, no one's found him yet though. I think he might've gotten away." He said, but it was clear in his tone he was not hopeful.
The rest of the dinner was uneventful and after everyone had time for the food to settle the guests made their way to the ballroom. Instrumental music was playing and a few couples made their way to the center of the floor.
"Would you like to dance?" Sejanus asked, not quite blushing but the red tips of his ears revealed his nervousness.
Riyana slipped back on her silk gloves and held out her. With one hand on hers, and the other on the small of her back, Sejanus led her to the corner of the dance floor. He was a much better dancer than Riyana had presumed, though it made sense that Strabo would have him coached in all ways of the capital's upper class society.
They were so close together that Riyana could hear their breaths starting to mirror each other, and she could feel their pulses beginning to synchronize through the palms of their hands. For a moment, it felt as though they were the only people in the room. Then, in the corner of her eye, Aiden appeared, dancing with Beatrice. He smirked at Riyana, as if he had won something. She wasn't sure what there was to win, but she knew she wouldn't let him win with her sister as collateral. Doing the only thing she thought there was to do, she looked back into Sejanus' eyes, leaned forward, and kissed him.