When he had heard first heard of the masquerade, he had scoffed. But then he had learned that it was open to all. Immediately, the gears in his mind had begun to churn as an idea formed. This was the perfect opportunity to scope out the castle and perhaps even glean some riches from the king. He had told his men and many had begged to be the one sent. However, he had turned each and every one of them down. He may have been acting selfishly in a way, but he wanted to be the one to go. As much as he trusted every man and woman in the band, he could not risk this opportunity. No, he would go himself. Of course, his band would be on stand by, ready to aid him in toting away any riches he could find.<br/><br/>That was how<a class="link link--internal" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fblackdahliaroleplaying.com%2Findex.php%3Fthreads%2Felles-little-darlings-character-closet.126%2F%23post-3621&amp;hash=82c7bbe5eb61f0fd06f41ce0153f5a72" href="http://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/index.php?threads/elles-little-darlings-character-closet.126/#post-3621">Nikolai</a>found himself in the hallway, away from the masquerade ball itself and in a location that he probably wasn't allowed. He paused at the sound of a female voice, having not heard the approaching footsteps. His back was to her and he turned slowly, a smile tugging at his lips. He was dressed rather nicely and had a mask on. He looked every inch the noble's son he had originally been born as.<br/><br/>"Oh, my apologies. I was indeed lost. Thank you, I will be on my way." He didn't know that she was the princess, as he had never seen her before. How was he supposed to know that his job was almost cost at him being caught? He moved to step towards her, intending to pass her by and head in the direction of the ball.<br/><br/>He was hoping that this nosy woman would buy his lie and let him pass. The last thing he needed was for his plan to be put in jeopardy because one woman had stumbled upon him in mid thought. He had been careless and he would have to up his game if he wanted to accomplish his goal. However, something nagged at him and he stopped and turned back to her. What was she doing here in a restricted area? "Would you care to walk with me? I would hate to get lost again."