"I thought I'd never see that dress again," I admitted distantly. Before me, my mother held my graduation dress. It was a ballgown that required more height than the flats my mother was holding. The skirt reflected in a way that'd made all the girls gasp and the bodice seamlessly wrapped into sleeves that when I'd first tried on the dress for graduation, had made my auntie go;

         "Well at least they'll know you're a princess and not a whore," Before promptly being chided for her foul language.

         "It's what you should wear," My mother insisted, "it's perfect,"

         "I know," I smiled.

         Vlad arrived on the curb some time later. My mother and father had already left with my backpack for later. Cas stood before me.

         "Ready?" He asked, small smile on his lips.

         "Of course, kind sir," I grinned, wrapping my jacket around my shoulders. Cas opened the car door and I shuffled inside. There's so much! I internally cried, wrenching in the last of the fabric. I looked up to Cas to see that he was looking at me. He turned away before I could see his expression.

         This is so embarrassing.

         "Nervous about tonight?" I asked. According to Hanna's schedule, he had a speech or two before a long, complex awards ceremony.

         "It's a part of the job," His words were thoughtful, "you look nice, I like what you've done with your..." He gestures to his own head, a sign of my updo.

         "Thanks," I chuckled, "definitely not a words person,"

         "I did that test today!" Cas grinned, his eyes alight, "I got gifts and time as my two biggest things. Words was uh, definitely at the bottom of that list,"

         "What did I tell you?!" I laughed, we settled into a comfortable silence. That was, until we turned into the Town Hall. Hanna and her motley crew- I'm a terrible friend, I should've helped her beforehand- had pulled off something incredible. Cars lined up as women arrived in elegant dresses and men escorted them out in formal military wear. Golden ropes and chest plates of medals and badges glinted back and forth.

         "I should've brought my sash," I tapped my chin lightly.

          "A sash, what for?" Cas asked as we inched forwards.

         "Did a bit of Red Cross work here and there as well as some other stuff," I looked down at my hands. Now you sound arrogant. I looked back up to Cas and grinned, "might help me fit in,"

         "Next time maybe you can borrow some of mine,"

         The two of us laughed, it settled down.

         "Why aren't you wearing your formal uniform?" I asked curiously.

         "It's not about me," Cas' eyes which had been trained on the line of cars ahead, flicked towards me, "tonight is about celebrating other people's achievements,"

         Deciding that answer was a little too short, he continued.

         "And... I don't want to be asked a hundred times for the story behind every one of them,"

         "You've become an expert at this," I chuckled.

          "Yep, that tends to happen. Though you could be too?" The question hung heavy in the air. I decided to let it. Instead, I opted to study my nails. The painting on them was a little harsh and I'd already lost a little on my left hand.

         "We'll see," I looked back to Cas, "I'm terrible with crowds,"

         "That doesn't have to be a part of the job description," He gave a reassuring smile. I pursed my lips but remained otherwise noncommittal. The car pulled up, a few cameras poised at the ready, my stomach lurched. Cas turned to me, "Vlad will drive you around, I'll see you inside,"

         "Okay," Cas gave a small smile as he left. The cameras surrounding him, lights flashing. He gave a generous smile and was answering a question as the car moved forwards.

         "Does he do a lot of press?" I asked Vlad, who was navigating the horrors of the slowly-moving traffic.

         "Only when it's necessary," Vlad was quiet for a moment as he took a right-handed turn towards reserved parking, "this charity work has pushed him back into it. If possible, he would have a ski mask on," Vlad chuckled.

         "For someone who despises it, he's very good at it,"

          "You have to be," Vlad grunted, "there's no room for mistakes when you're on the camera,"

         "Of course," I nodded, settling back into my seat, my stomach lurching. That doesn't have to be a part of the job description, Cas' words drifted back to me. I took comfort in them.

          Vlad parked the car and the two of us walked in relative silence. The early night was cool- the overcast day from yesterday clearing up. I wondered about Vlad's job and work. It seemed he doubled as the single security and driver of Cas. Despite that, Cas also drifted around a lot unarmed and alone. On tv, I'd seen the security teams that Cas' brothers and sisters had. Especially first in line, Prince Artur who was expected to take up the throne within the next ten or so years.

         I went to say something to Vlad and then stopped myself. Talking about security when I'd only known Vlad and Cas for a few say would be incredibly suspect. Not the right time. I assured myself. Besides, Cas served in the military for however long and there's a lot of cameras here. Nothing like that would happen.

         Vlad opened the door for me, flashed his security pass and then led me up a set of stairs. We were on a balcony. Below us, men and women chatted. Waiters with trays of champagne glasses weaved their way through. It wasn't hard to spot Cas, he was caught in a particularly thick throng of people. His eyes were large as he talked and listened enthusiastically with the people around him. He looked up, locking eyes with me and gave a small wink.

         "Sofia?" I turned. Hanna was there, in a deep green mermaid-style dress. Large, gold hoops hung from her ears and her face was clearly contoured in an unusual amount of highlights. She rushed forwards and Vlad stepped forwards warningly. I nodded at him and he stepped back. She embraced me in a large hug. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes were alight.

         "What, I'm not invited?" I joked, Hanna was still confused, "just kidding, um I was invited," I held up the golden invited that Cas had given me earlier in the day.

         Hanna plucked it out of my hand, studying it. She gasped, "I didn't know you were Prince Casmir-Sefan's guest,"

         I chuckled, "Well yeah, I just bumped into him on the street, helped him out with a few things I guess this is just his way of saying thank you," I laughed to ease myself.

         Hanna looked to me, her eyes squinting. Then her eyes flicked to Vlad who was hanging nearby before looking back to me. We have a lot to talk about, was the look in her eyes. I smiled.

         "Well, we've got twenty or so minutes before everyone goes in," Hanna defaulted back to her planning self, "we've got the first round of speeches and awards and then dinner and then the specialist awards and then dancing," She grinned brightly.

         "Did Mum and Dad drop off my backpack?" She nodded.

         "Okay I've gotta go," She paused, "did you get anyone else for tonight?"

         My shoulders slumped, I'm such a bad friend, "No sorry, I completely forgot," She sighed, grimacing and then chuckling.

         "Looks like it's going to be a long night tonight," Her words were faltering a little. I nodded, internally cursing my forgetfulness. Hanna saw that and grinned, "it'll be fun!"

         "Of course,"

         She patted my shoulder, "Enjoy the party," ending with a little wink before leaving, sneaking into a side door. I turned back to the balcony, overlooking the crowd. Cas had made his way partially through the room, now talking to another, high ranking official.

          "Time to make our way down?" Vlad asked, I nodded.

         A stairwell discretely linked to the back of the party. It also happened to be next to the canapé table. I shot Vlad an apologetic look as I grabbed two for later. He shook his head.

         "I'm going to scout out the area, make sure he doesn't do anything silly,"

         My eyebrows creased, "What do you mean, silly?"

         Vlad gave me a look before going into the side door to the kitchens. I turned back, the two little canapés in my hand. Cas had heard a joke and was laughing, yet the laughter ended a little abruptly. He searched the crowd again, seeing me with my two canapés. He turned back to his group, giving a quick answer to a question I couldn't hear before shuffling through the crowds towards me. He stood before me.

          "You look better in the light," His words were soft, just between the two of us. I blushed, looking down to my hands.

         "I don't know why I picked up two, do you want one?" My laugh was a little pitiful. Cas looked at me, then down at the canapé and then back to me again.

          "Sure," He plucked the cracker out of my palm and we clinked them together as if we were toasting, "to canapés,"

          "To canapés," I chuckled, we ate, lapsing into silence. The strains of the military quartet filled the air. Cas slowly stood next to me, surveying the room, "not much happening so far. I've had a few discussions. It's mostly military men asking a hundred and one unreasonable requests,"

          "Like what?" I chuckled. Cas shook his head, rolling his eyes.

         "Need more tanks here, I want more research money there, silly stuff that's just a waste of funds," His words were barely audible as another couple approached the table.

         "Yet not worrying about the mental state of their own soldiers?" My voice was low and scathing.

         "Exactly," He hummed. To our left, the doors opened, people started moving in. Cas turned to me, "time to go in?"

         "As good as ever," I smiled. The two of us entered and my mouth dropped open. Hanna had once again, turned a worn out Hall into something quite epic. The national colour intwined in an epic array of billowing fabrics across the ceiling. Each long running table was dedicate to one of the eight Apolian provinces. The room split in the middle for a dancing space.

         "Your friend's done an awesome job," Cas grinned towards me.

         "Yeah, she's got a knack for it," I shook my head, taking in the complexity of the ceiling decor. That's going to take forever to get down.

         The night ran smoothly, a result of Hanna's thorough planning. Cas and I were seated opposite an incredibly chatty, high-ranking man and his wife. There was a few stories exchanged before we lapsed into silence.

         "This is my, friend, Sofia O'Zbrojaski," Cas would continuously introduce me as. Once that was established usually their interest in me would cease. Perfect, I thought, I'm usually terrible at aimless talk.

         My parents were seated at the table opposite from us across the open floor. I got in a wave before they were swarmed again by conversationalists. Understandable, my father was pretty high ranking.

         As the lights dimmed, Cas slipped away with a promise to return. He appeared a little while later on stage, giving a moving speech about the importance of the men and women who repeatedly put their lives on the line. He shared a few stories from his time serving. However they were never about him; always detailing the bravery of his friends and fellow soldiers.

         It was a beautiful moment, and if the patriotism in the room could be recorded, it'd be soaring.

         Cas' speech was followed by a round of giving awards and congratulations. A lot of shaking hands. I briefly wondered if Cas worried ever about hygiene. A germaphobe would probably crumble at the challenge.

         Respectably, a thousand years later, he made his way off of the stage, finding his seat again.

         "You did great," I murmured in a low tone.

         "Thank you," He smiled back.

         I ended up striking a conversation with the wife to my left. Her husband was a Colonel stationed at the same barracks as my father. Apparently they knew each other. I briefly wondered if it was the same man that had had some dramas with my father a few months ago. Stay polite and open. I managed.

         My father was called upon for one of our most accomplished awards; The Royal Distinguished Service Medal. I suppressed a cheer as the long list of criteria was read out and as my father was presented with the medal. Cas and him exchanged strong handshakes and a nod.

         The night lapsed into general entertainment. There was a dance for all service personnel and their wives, then the general partners were invited up, then the rest of the hall were too. Cas finished up a hearty conversation with a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel before turning to me.

         "Solid conversations?" He asked.

         "No requests for drones or technology research yet," I chuckled. Cas rolled his eyes, snorting. I wondered if Cas would go up and dance. Then I figured that wouldn't be appropriate. Cas wasn't like that. So I watched as many more came up to him. Lots of thank yous, handshakes, small talk. Occasionally I'd get caught in my own conversation. There'd be a complement, some small chatter but most frequently, burrowing for answers on my relationship with Cas.

         Of course, nothing was more highly valued in a small town than the most reliable gossip.

         About an hour or so into dancing, Cas turned to me, "Ready to go home?"

         "I'm staying," I managed, "I need to pack down,"

         He nodded, pausing for a moment, "Any decision on that offer yet?"

         That's right, I wondered, that's uh, kind of important.

         "I haven't decided yet," My words were honest, "though I'll let you know when I finish up here,"

         "You've still got my phone," Cas grinned.

         "You need to take that back still," I chuckled.

         We once again, eased into silence. Cas looked down and then to me.

         "Well, I look forwards to that decision," He stood, bowing slightly. "M'lady,"

         I spread my skirt a little, nodding my head, "Until then, kind sir,"

         Cas grinned at that. Vlad re-appearing at his side, whispered something into his ear. Cas nodded, giving me one, final smile before departing. The rest of the night fell into a haze. I watched women swirl around their partners. Drinks kept on streaming. Couples were led away, lust in their eyes. My ankles hurt. I wondered when everyone would be kicked out. There was still twenty minutes left that the band were here for.

         Time to get dressed, I figured. Hanna had put my bag in a side room which she'd indicated to me earlier in the night. A pair of comfy dress pants, a white dress shirt and enclosed shoes. I placed the dress back in it's bag with a slight longing. Tonight was fun, I decided, even if it were a little boring at times.

         Hanna was outside the door when I re-appeared. She was also in her 'bump out' clothing.

         "Ready?" She asked.

         "Yep,"

         "We've only got five guys on tonight which will be interesting but we'll see how we go," She gave me a look at the end of it. A look that said, 'we're going to be here until 4am'. The rest of our helpers gathered; a burly father and son, two middle-aged women and an elderly lady that seemed a little confused.

         Hanna turned to them with a beaming enthusiasm that I would never be able to match, "Thank you so much for coming guys! Our tops priority is getting this place shining clean as soon as possible!" Then she started delegating tasks; the men and one of the middle-aged women would be working on the decor out the front, the elderly lady and the other woman would be packing up the interior table runners and the decor inside Hanna and I would be working on the front foyer. She laid out instructions of how everything was to be organised and then sent us out.

         "Foyer huh?" I chuckled. The band was winding down to their last song. The group on the dance floor only half of that which was in attendance earlier in the night. A few stragglers hung by the walls, chatting, but that was about it.

         "Yeah," She sighed, "divide and conquer, maybe an hour in I'll get people to switch places but this should be relatively easy,"

         It was, to an extent; lots of rolling fabrics, removing signs and packing tables. The work was easy but the labourers were few. I wish I'd asked even my siblings to lend a hand. I grumbled to myself.

         Table covers were to be sent off to be cleaned. I'd gathered most of them in a bin bag and was dragging it to the front when I bumped into someone.

         "Sorry- hey!"

         Cas stood, in a casual black tee with a zipped up hoodie thrown over top and denim pants.

         "What are you doing here?" I asked slowly.

         "Heard you needed a hand," He grinned, Vlad rolled his eyes behind him.

         "That'd be... very nice thank you," I blinked, a little in shock. Hanna appeared beside me.

         "Who's this?"

         I looked to Cas, a small smile on my face, "Some extra help,"

         Hanna wasted no time in assigning Cas and Vlad work. They helped the guys outside and soon enough, within twenty minutes, all was packed up. The banners were neatly folded and placed in their bags, the carpet was rolled and the florals decor was carefully placed together.

         "I didn't know there was so much behind every event," Cas mumbled to me once he finished. I chuckled.

         "Funny that," I grinned, "it just doesn't magically appear out of nowhere!"

         Cas rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "I didn't mean it like that,"

         "Alright, can the two of you," Hanna pointed to Vlad and Cas, "move these downstairs? They need to be packed and sent off to the next location as soon as possible!"

         "The next location?" I asked, as they began shuffling carpet and stacks of curtains down the stairwell. Hanna nodded, rolling her eyes.

         "Best way to keep costs low is for each hosting city to borrow on another's decorations. It's like a fraction of the price," Hanna moved off to check how the others were going inside the hall. I stacked up some of the smaller items to be sent off to the next location.

         Why is Cas here? I wondered thoughtfully. Then my mind began drifting to the decision that I needed to make. Probably because he wants an answer. Another part of me hummed.

         So then, what was going to be my answer?

        My stomach flipped at the thought. I pushed it away. No time to think about it now, there's work to be done.

         Hanna, seeing me standing alone, assigned a whole new set of tasks; take down and fold the table runners, pull off the interior table covers, send them to be washed and dried. It was methodical work, that much I was pleased by. The catering company had thankfully removed the cutlery and all of their items already. The women inside had removed the tabletop decorations and now organised them on the stage. The the techie workers loaded the last of their gear. It seemed like we would be the last ones tonight.

        As soon as Cas entered, he was put to work on removing the massive, floor-to-ceiling banners. It was a multi-man job that required all of the guys focus. However, we did exchange a wink or two throughout it.

        Stop blushing, I chided, stay focused on the work.

        The table and set covers were sent off to be cleaned and dried. Now, eight long, bare tables sat alone with a few hundred seats scattered between them.

        "Luckily they stack well," Hanna grumbled next to me, surveying the next stage of the work. She turned back to everyone else, "meal break! Come and get some food,"

         Hanna, the ever thorough planner had made sure to feed her workers. Fantastic!

         We gathered around, sharing in sandwiches and orange juice. I sat at one of the tables, Cas seated himself across from me.

        "What type did you get?" I asked as Cas studied his sandwich.

        "Egg and lettuce... I think," He took a tentative bite, chewing slowly. After a moment, he gave me a thumbs up, "which flavour did you get?"

        "Tomato and cheese," I took a few bites into it, "all going well?"

         Cas lightly snorted at a memory, "Well the guys are fantastic, they have the wildest stories,"

         "Oh yeah?"

         "Yeah, one of them was telling me about this pub crawl that he did with a broken leg and arm. It was wild, included a horse and a racoon,"

        I laughed, "I wouldn't be surprised if that was mostly true,"

        "Well," Cas shrugged, "it was a good story nonetheless,"

         "I'm sure it was,"

         The two of us lapsed into a comfortable silence, sharing in our sandwiches. I knew Cas was pushing himself not to ask about tomorrow. I was thankful that he didn't. I leaned one way but was still doubtful. I sighed lightly.

         "Thank you for coming tonight," I gave him a small smile. Cas' eyes lit up.

         "Well, I am happy to help! Wouldn't want to leave all of you by yourselves,"

         "All of us?" I asked. Cas gave me a cheeky grin but didn't say anything else. As soon as we were slightly finished, Hanna re-assigned work. Now that the table covers and decorations were out of the way, it was a matter of stacking chairs and folding tables. The men would finish pulling down the final wall banner and get to work on the ceiling decor. Our oldest worker had to say goodbye.

         "I'm surprised she stayed so long," I muttered to Hanna who snorted.

         Vlad had insisted that Cas not put himself in any danger. As a result, he got to enjoy the joys of riding up the lift, several meters into the air while Cas had the wonderful job of 'spotting' on the floor.

        "Eyes up, safety manager," I grinned, passing Cas with a folded chair in each arm. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

         For the rest of the night, we barely got to speak to one another. Hanna was diligent in her work- making sure someone had something to do as all times. Once the place was mopped and vacuumed, Hanna locked up and we collapsed on the front steps to the town hall.

         "Thank you so much everyone!" Hanna grinned, we passed out the last of the food that had been organised, basking in the cold air. "You were a massive help! Couldn't have done it without all of you!"

         She rewarded us with a set of free movie tickets each. I rolled mine over in my hands. The closest movie theatre was about a forty-minute drive. Maybe for a special occasion later.

        "If anyone needs a lift home, be sure to let me know! I'm just going to grab my car from downstairs!" Vlad joined her as the two of them darted off. The others hung about until it was just Cas an I, sitting on the cool, stone steps.

         "Can't believe you made it til two thirty in the morning," I jested, cas chuckled, shaking his head.

         "Might regret it tomorrow morning, got a breakfast,"

         "Oh no," I gasped, "I'm so sorry!"

         "It's all good," Cas laughed, "I'll just have to see how I go,"

         Silence, one again. Yet it was a comfortable silence. The wind breathed softly, in the distance, a car could be heard, making its way through the town. The night was dark and the cloud cover had fully cleared. Hundreds of stars twinkled overhead, mostly free of light pollution and interruption.

         "I think I will," I blurted out. Cas seemed surprised. I took in a deep breath, "I think I will, take you up on that job offer,"

         A grin stretched across his face. It quickly disappeared and he looked back out to the view of the town, triumphantly.

         "I'm glad to hear that,"

         "If it would be possible though," I spoke slowly, "if I could see how the first ten days go?"

         Cas nodded, enthusiastically, "Of course,"

         "Sweet, just let me know where and when," I grinned.

         "Ten am, the Westport Airfield,"

         I looked to him. Cas cheeks were flushed and his hair was falling slightly over his forehead. We were close, I noticed. A shared moment. A honk from a car. Vlad had pulled up at the base of the steps, looking impatient. Cas pulled away.

         "I'll see you tomorrow," His words were hushed.

         "Until then," I smiled. Cas gave a final grin as he rushed down to the car. I watched him go, content to hold onto the last strands of the moment. The sleek sedan slid Southbound, probably off to his small hotel before today's breakfast.

         "Ready to go?" Hanna interrupted my respite.

         "Yeah," I shook myself of the daydream. I stood, slinging my backpack onto my back.

         "Now," Hanna scolded, "if I didn't think any better, I'd say that you like him. By the way, who is he? Gosh he looks so familiar and his friend was a little intimidating but-,"