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Darkseeker
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Avery paused as Aspen spoke for a bit. "Sure. Um. I can meet you there? I'll probably have to bring Robbie. But I guess that's some extra hands? If you really don't want him, I think I can leave him behind."
Avery shifted uncomfortably. He hated talking on the phone. He was better at reading body language, which he couldn't do from just a voice. He held back a tired sigh, and waited for the response he knew would be coming soon. So far,he thought the conversation had gone rather well. Neither party really sounded like they wanted to be on the phone, but they were both baring it well, and they'd managed to be polite and reasonably cheerful the whole time.
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Neutral
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Hearing the prince drop the formal aspect of speak was refreshing and interesting. If it wasn't for the unmistakable recognizable voice of the prince's, he almost could close his eyes and imagine that he was talking to a regular client and not the next to be ruler of the kingdom. He didn't mind being on the phone with the prince. He was just surprised and trying to remember to keep his voice formal. He really didn't want to lose this job opportunity by offending the prince, especially before it truly begun. "Oh yes, yes," Aspen hurried back to get his planner, glancing over the estimatated times for each job. It looked like he could handle all of the jobs in the morning,"I prefer to shop locally where I can. How about meeting downtown around 2:30?" He remembered the part where the prince mentioned his brother. He was a little thrilled to see that somebody of the royal family did have an interest in his kind of work. It was a pleasant surprise, royalty typically didn't seem to care too much about common citizen jobs. "Of course he's invited to come with you. I'm rather intrigued by his interest in this type of work," He stated his thoughts on Prince Robert coming with them,"I could never turn down an extra hand, especially during supply runs."
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Darkseeker
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Avery tapped his foot impatiently. Robbie was supposedly "almost ready," but it had been almost 20 minutes. Thankfully, Avery had planned extra time in, for this exact reason.
Avery was already feeling uncomfortable, due to his lack of suit. He knew that he couldn't wear his nice suits to a supply run, and had instead decided on a fitted white T-shirt and nice white washed jeans. He felt like an absolute schmuck, and was praying the press would be busy elsewhere. Robbie finally showed up a few minutes later, dressed about the same, except his shirt was a pale blue color. The boys got into a Range Rover, and the driver took them to the place that Aspen had given him directions too. It didn't take terribly long, and soon they were getting out of the car, and scanning the place. Robbie was re-tying his shoe, and Avery wondered if he could make it in the real world, but just for a second, as he watched Aspen show up.
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Neutral
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Aspen finished his jobs and headed back to take a shower. He made the first mistake of meeting royalty before showering once but never again. He was still rather embarrassed from his first meeting about the castle job. He was even more embarrassed that he hadn't given the anonymous email a second look. Only royalty would want the meeting to be anonymous like that. He showered quickly and changed into his casual clothes. He didn't have much casual clothes since he was rarely out of uniform. He figured that since it was just a supply run, he really didn't need his old stained up uniform. Instead he put on a pair of loose dark jeans and a black tank top. He even layered the look with a solid colored button up, leaving the button up shirt unbuttoned. He didn't own much clothing but he decided the least he could do was give the princes a different impression of they type of man he is. If he had known he was meeting royalty, he would have put more effort into his appearance for the appointment meeting. Once he was satisfied with his look, he slipped on a pair of converse dopes and grabbed his keys. He also rarely drived to places. He preferred walks and gas sure as hell wasn't cheap. However, massive supply runs would take forever without a truck. So he hopped into his rusty old blue pickup that he had since he was 16 and took off. He arrived just a few minutes early and pulled into a parking place. He began looking around for the princes. At first he didn't see them but then he spotted one of the royal range rover and two guys standing next to it. It took a moment for him to recognize the two princes outside of their normal attire. Of course, their relatively attractive looks and posture gave them away. He got out of his truck, slamming the door shut. The driver side door was getting stubborn and didn't want to shut without a fight. He waved to them and jogged toward them. "Wow, you two almost blend in with the rest of us," He joked lightly. He then remembered royal etiquette and gave them both a bow before continuing,"These shops will have a majority of what we need. However, the paint will have to come from the city for better quality-along with a few other things that we might not find here." Edited at February 23, 2023 06:59 PM by Ashes of Night
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Darkseeker
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Avery have a soft laugh.
"I don't think we could ever blend in properly." He took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. Two bodyguards stood at a respectful distance. Avery bit his lip. Hopefully they wouldn't bother Aspen. They were always there, on the shadows, just in case a need ever arose. There was yet to be an instance where they were needed, but he still felt safer knowing that they were there.
He knew some of them well, and they had taught him certain things, in case they weren't quite quick enough. Avery had been highly intrigued by the skills that they possessed, and loved it when they taught him. Robbie had been less intrigued by learning things, and more of pranking his bodyguards, or trying to get them to laugh.
Avery snapped back to reality when Robbie cleared his throat, and realized he'd just been standing there for a bit. He winced. "Sorry. Lost in my own thoughts."
He flicked a piece of hair out of his eyes, and shrugged his shoulders. "So. Where do we start?"
He walked past Aspen, but misjudged the distance, and accidentally brushed shoulders with him. A light blush danced over his cheeks for a split second, realizing that his behavior at the first meeting would make that incident even more awkward for both of them.
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Neutral
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Being famous meant body gaurds. Being famous also meant that the princes would be recognizable no matter how hard they blended in. They, however, weren't doing that bad of a job. He briefly let his gaze slide down Prince Avery's body, judging the look more closely. The look would help him blend in but his posture and his uniquely attractive physique would always give him away. "It's hard to blend in when your face is printed on every magazine across the world," He replied, his gaze quickly looking away. He knew that being famous meant not having the struggles that he did but it also limited the freedom Prince Avery had-both princes had. Prince Avery had fallen quiet. Decades seemed to be ticking in front of their eyes. Aspen wondered if he should say something or make a move toward their first building. Before he could, Prince Robert cleared his throat and Aspen gave the younger prince a nod of gratitude as Prince Avery seemed to jump back into reality. He heard the older prince's apology and the question he asked. "I think we should start at the antique shops and work our way toward more home renovations stores..." He broke off when Prince Avery's shoulder brushed his own. He cleared his throat before continuing, the slightest hint of a blush appearing on his cheeks,"My blueprints did include some vintage items to make the south wing appear more interesting and welcoming to guests." He waited for Prince Robert to start toward the direction, choosing to walk beside the younger prince instead. "May I ask why you are interested in helping me with the castle renovations?" He asked the younger one, wanting to start a conversation with him and ignore the awkward moment that just happened with him and Prince Avery.
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Darkseeker
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Avery heard his younger brother stutter awkwardly for a minute, and then pull himself together. "I dunno. I guess I just know that this is my only chance to do any "dirty work," ya know? After this, I go back to being the perfect posh prince, who rarely leaves the palace, and would rather die then have a speck of dirt on him. It's more fun to be out in the world."
Avery wished he could give his brother a hug. He'd never really felt the way Robbie was describing, but he knew that it was hard to have so many things barred from your path. But, at that moment, his phone rang. "Sorry, it's dad," he explained, dropping a bit behind the two, and talking breifly with his father. A few minutes later, he caught up, walking on the other side of Robbie, waiting for a lull in the conversation that his brother had been part of, before trying to explain the purpose of the phonecall. "He was just making sure that you have the resources you need," Avery explained. "I told him I think we're all set, but I can always call back if you need anything." Avery gently bumped his shoulder against his brother's, their agreed way of showing affection, and reminding each other that they were always there for each other. It was rare that they showed any kind of affection in public, but there was no press, and Avery knew it would buoy Robbie's spirits.
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Neutral
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He listened as the younger prince explained his reasoning for being interested in helping with the castle. He was a bit surprised. He assumed that both princes had no problem with their perfect lives. He guessed he was mistaken which meant he was back to his original thoughts of to never judge a book by its cover. He wanted to give the younger prince advice but he didn't know what to say exactly. He couldn't exactly tell the prince that if he was unsatisfied to pack a bag, buy a beat up ford pickup, and runaway from his family to persue his dreams. After all, Aspen tried that and it was a lot tougher than he would ever admit. He watched Prince Avery fall behind when his phone ring, still struggling on what to say. "Just because your prince, it doesn't mean you have to match the stereotypes of one. I know it doesn't seem like that right now but trust me, you can be whoever you want to be," He settled on this. He didn't know much about royalty but he did know quite a few things about stereotypes. Luckily, he didn't have to say anything else. Prince Avery finished his phone call and moved to walk beside his brother. He listened to what the phone call was about and gave a nod. They arrived outside of their first antique shop. So far no one had noticed the princes' appearances around town. "Alright, I know antique shops are a weird option for redesigning a castle but you'd be surprised by what you can find," He stated, glancing toward the both of them,"We're looking for a gold mirror but if you two see anything else that you want to add for decoration, that's okay too. The theme colors are maroon and gold."
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Darkseeker
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Robbie grinned and nodded, and the two boys fanned out into the store. It seemed bigger than it looked on the outside, and Avery found himself going deeper and deeper into the store. He still heard the muffled voices of his brother and Aspen, but let himself be almost lost in the store. He found a large display of books and paintings, and picked up one of the books. It was dark blue, and slightly stained, and he studied the cover. It was a battered copy of Treasure Island, a story his father had read to him and Robbie when he was little. A smile flitted across his face at the memories, but then the knowledge that those times were over came back, and he set the book back down, sliding his hand across the cover. He looked at the other books, finding other classics amongst them, as well as the paintings, which were copies of famous paintings that he recognized most of. Just as he was settling into the peace and quiet of the shop, Robbie came bounding over, laughing his head off. He was holding a gold cat statue, about as tall as his forearm. It had a vaguely Egyptian look, and had dark red eyes. "It's the perfect colours for our wing!" Robbie declared, holding it out towards his brother.
Avery gave him a grim smile. "If Aspen says it will work, I'll let you get it," he consented. So, the two boys set off in search of Aspen.
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Neutral
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Aspen didn't make it as far as the door unlike the princes. He had walked inside, smirking. Inside there was a beautiful young woman with caramel brown hair. Her back was turned as she was counting register money with one hand and the other holding a coffee. She was whispering sharp curses to herself as she worked. "Morning, Cassandra," He leaned across the counter, his gaze reflecting an emotion of mischief. "Oh if I was mistaken, that voice sounds like infamous Aspen Rhodes," The woman turned around and grinned. She had a rather strong country accent. She moved from being the counter and the two hugged,"Oh my god, boy. How have you been?" The two were lifelong friends. They both grew up being the best of friends from their hometown. Cassandra was the first friend he ever had and for a while, they were roommates. Well until they both couldn't afford the rent of the large apartment and decided to go their separate ways. Visiting this particular antique shop was their first stop for a reason. "My goodness, you have gotten thin these days," Cassandra pulled away from the hug, her hands resting on his sides,"I'm gonna have to pay my granny to come down here and fatten you up."
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