Welcome to Gaia! ::

Stephanie was enjoying a simple snack of fruit, cheeses, and bread while he silently communicated with his steward back in Phronese. It was a conversation they had twice daily, though it never took very long. Stephanie had left his work in the hands of a man he very much trusted, so there was no need to breathe down his neck from afar. But he did still prefer to be informed. Rarely did he have to offer direction or even suggestions, but these check ins did afford him the opportunity to do so when needed.

So it was that Stephanie was distracted when his duke approached; he had not even heard the other man’s thoughts as he was far too busy concentrating on his conversation. It wasn’t until he was addressed that he quickly signalled an end to his transmission before cutting contact. He did hate to do so abruptly as he had, but he could always apologize later. Besides, his steward and his manservant Humphrey knew better than most people that he sometimes had no choice if he wished to conduct his business secretly and in plain sight.

”Liam! It has been too long…” Stephanie began as he rose from his seat with a smile. He would have recognized that pattern anywhere; Liam had always been the more tolerable of the D’artagnan twins by a wide margin. Politics forced his brother Levi onto Stephanie and his sisters far more often than he would have liked, but the few occasions he had to interact with the kinder brother were remembered fondly.

It was only a shame that Liam had perished at sea. Stephanie’s smile faded, replaced by momentary confusion before the prince was able to recover his composure and present an inscrutable expression. ”Forgive me. It is Levi, of course; how rude of me. I hope you can overlook my carelessness this once.” Of course it was Levi… wasn’t it? Liam had died. It was a tragic loss, Stephanie had unkindly thought on at least one occasion that he would have rather it been Levi, but life did not much care for his opinion on who most deserved to breathe the same air that he did.

But Levi was different now. Drastically different. Much, much more like his brother Liam. There was no mistaking it, not when Stephanie did not have the privilege of relying on visual cues. He was never fooled by their identical appearance because their minds could not be any more different from one another. Had losing Liam changed him so drastically that Stephanie could barely distinguish him from his dead brother?

Well, that had to be more likely than Liam being alive and standing before him. That had to be more likely, didn’t it? Stephanie remembered receiving the news and there was no forgetting his personal reaction to learning that quiet, kind, and studious Liam was no more. He had never known the man as well as he wanted to, Liam had kept his distance, but he knew enough to regret the lost opportunity. So he knew with certainty that, at the very least, it was Liam whose death he had been informed of. The matter was settled, he had made a mistake, but why did he still feel so unsettled?

He was the man to fool. Even as Stephanie had composed himself and apologized for his mistake, he caught that damning thought. It was something pressing, something at the forefront of the duke’s mind, and it was quite surprising. But of course he had now composed himself and while he could not claim to have been ready to hear something so unusual, it would have taken more than that to break his composure once more. On the outside he was still and calm, but his mind was reeling; was he truly understanding this correctly or was it some sort of morbid wishful thinking? The more this supposed Levi’s thoughts brushed against his mind, the more he felt instead like Liam who was meant to be no more.

He was Levi now. Meaning he had not been Levi before. This was Liam… This was Liam! Stephanie felt relief swell in his chest, but he swallowed it down and kept his expression placid. He might not understand the reasoning, but it was clear that Liam had usurped his brother’s identity as well as his status and that it was imperative this remained a secret. Would he lose his inheritance if his identity was revealed? That seemed implausible on the surface, but what did Stephanie know of the D’artagnan family’s inner squabbles and intrigues? He would do nothing to disrupt Liam’s carefully laid plans.

Levi’s carefully laid plans. Yes, he would have to play his part in keeping the veil in place.

Stephanie counted himself fortunate that at least ‘Levi’ understood that it would not be appropriate to insult Liam in his presence. Pretense or no, even unspoken the words had put a bit of steel in his spine and he did not doubt that he would have lost his temper just a little. It would not have been fair to Liam, he did know that, but the stored vitriol from his far less pleasant twin was surprisingly caustic and he could not have remained unresponsive to it. His shoulders relaxed slightly at the words that were actually spoken. ”Truly he has. He was a good man; I regret not knowing him better.”

Smoldering? Well, he just did not even know what to think about that… surprisingly flattering description. Or the mental image of a pup catching his own tail, though that was admittedly rather endearing.

Levi cycled through potential topics to speak on, any of which Stephanie might have gladly engaged with Liam if they could be honest. But with Levi? A serial killer’s vacation spots might not have been entirely inappropriate, he thought sourly. In truth, he had never found the man to be a very good conversationalist; he was far too arrogant and rude. They never spoke for very long and Stephanie was never more than civil with him.

But with this new incarnation of Levi, perhaps…? Stephanie smiled faintly and gestured to a seat, encouraging the other to officially join him. ”Oh yes, of course. It would not do for me to miss such a high profile party. And if I may be entirely honest, I am looking forward to it. I will be bringing a date.” His anticipation was something he never would have confided to a sneering Levi, but Liam did not know that. He need not know that his cover was compromised, but Stephanie still wanted to speak to him as Liam, in as much as either of them dared. ”Her name is Fiorella; perhaps you have met her? Fascinating woman. But please, do not allow me to dominate the conversation: Have you any plans for the masquerade ball?”

Stephanie was at risk of giving himself away; the truth was that he would not have, under any circumstances, casually invited Levi to join him. He had only ever spent as much time in that heel’s company as was absolutely necessary to maintain appearances. There was no one here in the cafeteria who would be impressed by the gesture so he should have, by rights, sent ‘Levi’ on his merry way but he had not. This was an opportunity to form a closer bond with the D’artagnan family without having to subject himself to the vile mind of the deceased twin and he would take it.

It was not his intention to make his companion uncomfortable, but perhaps that could not be helped. An extended conversation was bound to be a minefield for this new and improved version of Levi who could not afford to give away his true identity. Thus far Stephanie had to applaud him, though; the prince knew that he would still be in the dark if he was not constantly rifling through the surface thoughts of everyone he spoke to. Levi had not actually said anything to give himself away. He had not said much at all, which Stephanie might have found unusual but certainly not enough to think much of it.

Stephanie chuckled and nodded; he felt particularly qualified to judge Miss Affini’s sense of humor and she was an absolute delight. ”I would be happy to introduce the two of you if you would like. She and I are becoming quite close. If all goes as I intend, she will be my future queen so it is just as well that she familiarize herself with the other representatives of our kingdom.”

Would Levi be shocked to be told so much so easily? It was not difficult to imagine how the departed Levi could abuse that knowledge. Would he try to drive a wedge between them? Or perhaps try to blackmail Fiorella and discover Aithne in the process? Of course if Stephanie could have chosen, he might have enjoyed watching the fool try to steal her away. Fiorella would have eaten him alive if he wasn’t already quite dead.

Stephanie nodded in approval upon being informed that Levi would also be attending the ball. He had not expected anything less; such events were very important for one's reputation. It was a shame that he would be attending alone, though. Stephanie could not even have asked one of his sisters for Liam’s sake; they were both once tormented by the classless wonder now lost at sea and Stephanie could not very well inform them of the truth. Besides, by now he was certain that Aleithia at least would have a date. Or… perhaps she would arrive with Nadia…? The prince pushed aside his uncomfortable feelings at that thought. There was nothing wrong with them arriving as friends. And as far as he need be concerned, that was all that might occur.

”Perhaps by the time the fireworks are lit you will have found someone to enjoy them with. Having such an event here at Utopia is a unique opportunity to broaden our social circles.” He did not know if Levi was even looking for such a thing, but could he afford not to be? He was the D’artagnan heir now; it would fall upon him to continue the family line. And if he did not in turn produce an heir, the vacuum could produce strife within the family.

Of course thoughts of children and succession naturally led him to thoughts of Fiorella. What would their child look like? How many children might they have? Would Aithne enjoy having younger siblings? Those were the fun questions, but there were serious questions as well. At the very top of his head: how did he ensure that Aithne was treated as well as any children he sired? While she obviously could not rule, Stephanie would not abide by any of his children being mistreated, sprung from his loins or otherwise. Her future grandparents would likely present the largest problem and Stephanie was not looking forward to that confrontation.

But he was allowing himself to be distracted.

”Have you met anyone you might care to spend at least part of the evening with? I have heard that you have quite the way with women.” It was the first thing that he had said to the original Levi during the entire conversation. He could have done without saying it at all, but he hoped it might set his companion at ease. Reassure him that his mask was still in place. Dear god he hoped that Liam did not think that was an invitation to ramble off some of his brother’s past conquests. That would be wretchedly uncomfortable to listen to. But he would suffer through even that if he must; it was the least he could offer to this grand act.

Everything was going so well. The conversation could be said to be a little stilted, but honestly Stephanie attributed that as much to his own nature as anything else. He was a bit stiff at the best of times, but this was nonetheless pleasant. It should be easy enough to introduce Levi to Fiorella as she was not likely to have knowledge of his twin’s exploits. At least he rather hoped that she did not; there really was no telling how widespread the true Levi’s debauchery was, but there was no point to worrying about it at that very moment.

Stephanie brushed a hand over his mouth to stifle a chuckle. He wasn’t very familiar with cookouts, but he had some idea of what one entailed; a small, intimate gathering of close friends and family over food. And he could not have agreed with Levi more that such a gathering between the elites of the different kingdoms would undoubtedly have ended in bloodshed only a year ago. Perhaps the world was healing. Or perhaps Utopia held tight to reigns that were bound to snap someday. Only time would tell.

”I never imagined a scenario like this. In truth I am not entirely certain I trust it, even now. But it has afforded me opportunities to meet new people and forge new bonds. The longer I am here, the less warring with… most of our classmates appeals. With any luck, others may feel the same way.” Not that he really placed any faith in luck. It would take communication, compromise, negotiation, and hard work to forge a peace that benefitted everyone. But for the sake of casual conversation, luck would suffice.

Besides, he had not really meant to slip into the politics of it all. It was rather his hope that Levi had made friends among the student body. Perhaps it might seem frivolous to do, but Stephanie believed there was benefit to even casual ties of friendship between the kingdoms. And Levi might reach people that he could not. Which meant that if he could trust Levi, and for the first time he hoped that he could, he might also benefit from those connections and by proxy so might Phronese. Ah… never mind; apparently he had meant to slip into the politics of it all.

Perhaps that was a safer topic for Levi; he seemed disquieted by the thought of settling down with a woman and starting a family. Even more so by the reputation with women that he had inherited from his brother. At least they were both spared from any attempt to brag about past conquests and such.

But who was Mercuria?

Stephanie was painfully curious, but he supposed the fault was his own for peering into another man’s mind without his permission. He could never ask about anything he found without revealing that he had found it; how vexing. There was a small opportunity when Levi mentioned there might be someone, but then Stephanie was caught off guard by Levi’s teasing comment and he couldn’t stop a short bark of a laugh from escaping him.

”No, no you could not. What you could say is that one woman in particular has a way with me. She is truly enchanting and I dare say she is fully aware of it. However! As distracting as Miss Fiorella is, even in her absence, now I am curious about this potential someone that you mentioned. Will you tell me about her?”