She watched with bated breath as her lover took the offered rose, surprise glinting in the eyes she had grown to adore before emotion slipped away. What thoughts crowded Eirene's mind? Daphne longed to pull her Mistress aside and beg for her opinion yet anxiety immobilized her. It was guilt over her own infatuation that had kept Eirene in the dark but Orion's intrusion into their private moment forced Daphne to admit her father's growing and impatient desire to see his only child wed.<br/><br/>Toying with the rose's long stem in an ever growing nervous energy the blonde young woman watched as Eirene addressed her suitor before turning to her love, irony a sarcastic drip in her tone causing Daphne's eyes to flutter closed to hide the gentle wince. Nothing would have made Daphne happier than to stay by her Mistress' side yet she knew marriage would be inevitable and, according to her mother, should come soon while she still retained such youthful happiness.<em>But not so soon!</em>She wanted to scream her defiance in that moment, beg and plead for a little more time with the woman who made her feel whole and Orion... Well up until now he had been a polite businessman, charming enough to make her smile and wish to see more of him but so completely static and one-leveled as to force her to find a small shard of comfort when he left her home.<br/><br/>Now though, now he smiled and his happiness was neither a mask nor a forced grimace to appease her father. In the middle of the marketplace he made her want to laugh and dance and find joy in life just as children do. It warmed her to know that she could still feel such giddy happiness despite how she trembled with growing nervousness. Although she had felt a pang of fear at the boldness of her Mistress' cynistic attitude she more feared the notion of losing the one person she loved with her heart and soul. Later, once they were alone, what would be said? What would then be said once the party commenced and Orion approached? Sickening fear gripped her and, in that moment, she swore her lover and her father's approved suitor could hear the pounding rhythm of her pulse, surely enough to rival the trample of horses' hooves upon the cobbled roads.<br/><br/>Focused upon the battle of wills between the two, Daphne jumped in surprise as a masculine arm, toned from years of manual labor, slipped about the feminine curve of her waist earning a quiet gasp from her lips. Although she felt herself melt into the tender touch of a man, her body immediately tensed upon being tugged closer despite the approving blush that spread across her cheeks at the firmness of his grasp. Could Orion not feel the tension running across her shoulders? Could he not see the anxiety written so plainly on her face? For a moment, as he smiled down upon her, he must have surely seen the walls come up within her. Daphne, despite the sweetness of her nature, would not allow him to step between she and her love.<br/><br/>But his words... So sweet...<br/><br/>His tone... So genuine...<br/><br/>A poet hid beneath the business facade he had presented so carefully to her father's critical eye. A woman must be deaf and blind to not fall at his feet, pleading for such passionate lyrics to be sent her way. Daphne found thoughts of anything except the kindness of the man before her had slipped away and the breath had left her just as easily. Fingers itched to thread through his hair and a returning smile spread across her lips. "That was beautiful, Orion. You surely are a man of many talents and I look forward to seeing you at the celebration," blushing at her own forwardness, she brought the rose to her nose once more and peered up at his retreating figure from beneath her eyelashes.<br/><br/>As the crowd dispersed and the two women were once more left to their own devices, Daphne kept her gaze upon her lap, her fingertips toying with the delicate rose petals. After a few moments of silence, the blonde finally raised her head to glance up at Eirene. "What have I gotten myself into? I thought he was like all of the other men my father brought home for me to meet. He was nice and courteous like all of the others but his only saving grace, or so I thought, from being given an apologetic disapproval was his tales of the world. The way he spoke of his trips to Egypt and Syria... Eirene, even you would be impressed and I was hopelessly fascinated. But I had thought him like the others, I had believed him to be single-layered up until now."