~~Recap~~
"Hello, Nesterio." Zory greeted him with an elegant sort of reluctant politeness her next action didn't line up with.
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Her refusal to shake the hand he offered up automatically was enough to make him feel certain he was dead in the water. His ship was definitely sunk before he'd even cast off. All of his attention had become laser-focused on her the second he'd laid eyes on her but he couldn't shake the feeing there was nothing mutual about that feeling. She had not spared him so much as a glance prior to him stepping forth to greet her and she seemed more than eager to not have to spare him so much as a single glance more tonight either
"Hello." He reiterated, still clearly in a stupor as he all but gawked at the otherworldly woman before them.
He lowered his hand awkwardly before shoving it into the pocket of his tux and began to teeter on his heels like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar. He lowered his eyes to the ground in hopes of gathering whatever wits he could that he had clearly lost on the spot.
"Hello." She offered with a bit more warmth but nearly as much as he was now shamelessly longing for.
There was a noteworthy but odd sort of playfulness. Charm and caution regarding trying trying to not clearly treat Nesterio like nothing more than a silly little yo-yo that was being sculpted and refined through trial by absolute fire through every second of feeling like nothing more than putty in her hands. Anyone with half a lick of sense could tell in that moment, no one else in that room mattered to him.
People anxiously awaited whatever sort of history or other general reasoning that explained this record setting low for the poor guy. Seeing him become so flabbergasted he'd barely even managed to remember her name was going to make for a lot of laughs later. Never had they ever seen him gawk the way he had been at her before abruptly clearing his throat again.
He wasn't sure of when his eyes had already found hers again but he most certainly was sure he was becoming far too easily lost in them. He shook his head at himself and looked away momentarily with obvious embarrassment making his cheeks flush as his ears began to burn red over his fumble.
"Hello, Lady Mari." He quietly laughed at himself as he gave himself a take two in even poorer form. "Hi."
The level of facepalm energy Blaize was restraining was practically audible as she watched in horror. It wasn't even just coming from her, it was radiating through the space. Nesterio was practically choking on his own saliva right now and his date was definitely not pleased.
Why Vitale knew their head of both diplomacy and foreign relationships would suddenly catch an insurmountable case of starstruck, she didn't even care at that point. Nesterio was clearly drowning and Blaize had no idea how to throw him a lifeline at this point. New onlookers were giving up the act of pretending to not be fully vested in whatever they were all witnessing. She didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to his state of mind by moving to jump her place in line.
"Hi." Zory nodded just once with a warm but small smile.
If he would just do himself a favor and step back to make way for anyone else to step forward, they could get this show on the road tonight already.
"Hi." He echoed sheepishly with a broad grin.
"I think you broke him." Trixxie snickered as she hugged herself against Zory's leg.
"It would seem that I did." Zory laughed lightly.
His heart skipped several beats at the sound of it. He found everything about even the very little he could make out about her more than just the normal kind of breathtaking.
"I'm not usually like this." He rebutted.
"I know." She chuckled.
His eyes grew wide with many questions he knew she likely wouldn't answer readily even if she could before he set his heart on just one. "Have we met?"
"Not technically, no." She said with a mischievous glint shining in her eyes. "But when I do my homework before agreeing to things like this, I do it well, General Ezierzie."
"Apparently not well enough." His date who was priming to blow over feeling ignored finally snipped.
Blaize was certain that if the member of the Nine Crowns who was next in the line-up had also been an anthromorpher herself, she would have been showing both teeth and claws by now depending on the species. Zory did not so much as blink over the cat fight threatening to likely be squashed before it had even begun to truly ensue which only amazed Blaize all the more. Whatever their guest and the next leader of this alliance were in on together, it certainly was clever.
"Tillie?" Nesterio heaved in exasperation.
"He's no longer just a general." The crude and conniving woman who had been trying and failing to sink her claws deeper and deeper into him for months droned on. "A the latest sustained king regent now over all of the affiliated celestial-types in the Nova Alliance, he should be addressed with an appropriate honorific such as Your Highness or Your Majesty regardless of who you are or perhaps aren't."
Her special care in emphasizing that accusation with a distinct tone of malice did not sit well with anyone, least of all Nesterio, who was mortified on uncharacteristic levels.
"Tillie-?!" He exclaimed in a fierce warning.
Lady Matilda was a noteworthy addition to their top ranks to the point of 'Tillie being in a tizzy' becoming a well-known catch phrase. Zory's informants were abundantly suspicious their thoroughly lackluster relationship behind the scenes was anything but paradise and just one whiff of Nesterio being at wit's end was more than she could truly bear in that moment.
"It's alright." Zory nodded in gentle reassurance.
"Mari?" Trixxie called softly as Zory's eyes settled on the newest member of the Nine Crowns.
Try as she may to field this one, Zory would get nowhere.