There was no denying it. As soon as Timaeus entered the ballroom he certainly felt out of place here. Adre had assured him that everything would be fine, that there was no possible way that the Athenian court session would any different than the ones he had experienced in Midas. Clearly, though, Adrestus had never been to the Colchian court. From the moment that Timaeus had walked through the ornate doors and into the glimmering hall, the sailor could tell that things would be completely different. On the austere island, things were far more simple. You dressed to impress, but rarely did anyone go as far as to enter the Dikastirio chamber dressed like a peacock. After all, no one wanted to be the one who was overtly showing off in a crowd of men and women who were simple like the stone surrounding them. Here? People were nothing short of overdressed and the sheer amount of glittering jewels and gems seemed to blind Timaeus as he entered the hall. This wasn’t what he was used to. Not by a long shot.

However, Timaeus wasn’t going to let that put a damper on his evening. Even though it was a bitter pill to swallow to see some of the more snobbish of the Athenian elite turn their noses up at him -- mostly consisting of tittering old ladies and their grand-nephews who saw themselves as being better than this flotsam that the surf had washed in -- the Colchian noble wasn’t going to let them ruin this unique opportunity to experience life in a different locale from the bland existence he led on that rubble of rock. The old ladies could whisper to each other all they liked about this young stranger in a slightly crumpled soldier uniform with his untameable curls that ruining their picture-perfect court session. Their grand nephews could huff all they liked about the smell of the sea clinging to him as he moved through the flood of courtiers filling the hall. This was Timaeus’s only chance to enjoy himself as the boys had no plans to still be in Athenia when it was time for the next session. Not when they were only here long enough for Adrestus to visit his family, reassure them that he was still alive, and refill their ship’s hold for the next two years they’d spend away from Athenia.

It was a plan that Timaeus himself had insisted on as he feared an extended stay in Athenia may encourage Adrestus to bring an end to their sea-faring days. The Valaoritis Lord wasn’t ready for that as Adrestus was the one with the experience with guiding a ship. If he were to leave then the whole journey would come to an end. It was safer if they spent as little time in the Athenian port as possible.

This was something that he would soon come to deeply regret as, unbeknownst to him, Timaeus had succeeded in catching the eye of someone who was just as eager for adventure as himself. The Colchian lord didn’t see her at first as they both moved through the crowd, exchanging pleasantries with those they came across. At least he didn’t until the young woman was directly in front of him taking the bold step of introducing herself to this stranger in her midst. For a moment, Timaeus was stunned into speechlessness. There was a couple of reasons for this. The safest one being that he had not expected someone approaching him like this when he was an outsider. This was likely a remnant of the court he was used to where often the guest’s hosts were expected to make the introductions for the newest arrival. However, Adrestus was off doing god knows what so Timaeus had expected to be left alone until the goblet in his hand was empty, giving him the courage to insert himself into whatever conversation seemed the liveliest. He just simply had not expected a young lady to be so bold as to introduce herself alone to this stranger who was also alone.

Though this was not something he was going to complain about. Not when he was actually fairly amused by the boldness of this Athenian woman. A small playful smile beamed across his face as he took in the sight of her and came face to face with the second reason why he had been stunned into silence. She was beautiful. Even though Timaeus was now eighteen and was slowly moving out of his lustful years that made him brash whenever around a pretty girl, that fire and appreciation were reignited as his eyes roamed over her features. From her honey dark hair that had been clearly kissed by the warm summer sunlight to her light green eyes that reminded Timaeus of the ocean’s waves when they were several days out at sea and everything in between, there was no denying that she was breathtakingly beautiful.

In fact, it took him a solid moment to recover from the shock of it all as she curtsied before him, bringing a light laugh to his lips as he returned her greeting like the good nobleman he had been raised to be, “Why hello, Lady Sofia. It is truly an honor to meet someone as lovely as you” Tim then bowed slightly to match her curtesy, the lightest of smiles peeking out from underneath the scruff that darkened his face. “You are right, I am not from here. I am Timaeus of Valaoritis.”

He paused for a moment, waiting to see the girl would recognize his family name. It was usually a bit of a gamble if someone outside of Colchis would recognize his moniker or not. He doubted that the girl before him would. After all, she did not seem as if she was the sort who dealt in the economics of masonry which is what his province was known for. “Colchis,” His supplied when he was certain that she did not know. Of course, he would be direct and to the point. Nearly all the men from his home kingdom were, “I’m guessing that it’s not every day that you meet someone from the land of swords and stone, now is it?” There was a mischievous lilt to his tone, a playful aspect that would be expected from those out seeking adventure and the destinies that the fates had shaped for them. If Sofia was looking for stories, she had clearly found the right man as his two years at sea had given him plenty to recant. Though it would be just a matter of getting the stoic Colchian to divulge them...

Even though Timaeus had known from the moment that Sofia had introduced herself to the foreigner in the Athenian court that she was nothing like other noblegirls, Tim doubted that it would be wise to recount the many details of his adventures.

Granted, this was not some sort of twisted belief that her highborn status mad Sofia some sort of precious flower that should be protected from the horrors of the world. Tim may have only known her for a few minutes, but even in the short snippets of conversation, he could tell that she was the furthest thing from meek and delicate. After all, she had been the one to approach him even as he garnered rather negative attention from some of the other courtiers. The Colchian Lord doubted that even the noblewomen of his own kingdom would be so bold to ignore the stares of the well-seasoned members of the upper crust. Plus not to mention that this girl seemed to be uninterested in the small talk that plagued so many of the conversations here in the palati, she dove right in for her search of adventure and excitement. Timaeus had a deep amount of respect for that sort of thing as that desire was fueled his excursion away from Colchis.

However, that didn’t hide the fact that a lot of his adventures had details that he didn’t think Sofia would take kindly too. Most of his nights in other kingdoms were spent in the arms of women he no longer knew the names of. There was a fair bit of gore in his story as the boys had most certainly run into trouble more than once. His stories would be endlessly exciting to any of the soldiers or young men here at this event. Tim had reason to believe that Sofia might find them distasteful. Even if she completely took the Colchian by surprise and proved him wrong, Timaeus knew for a fact that if any of the gossips listening in would take offense with his tales. He would not put it past any of them to sweep over to the pair and accuse the lord of corrupting Sofia’s poor ears before guiding her away. Clearly, this was something that Tim didn’t want to happen, no matter how far-fetched it might actually be.

Glancing about the room, Timaeus could see that there was a set of doors towards the back of the room that was open. Even though the evening made it difficult to see what was out there, it seemed to be a garden that was well lit for the courtiers in case if they wanted to escape the stuffy grand hall for a few moments. He was fairly certain of this as he could see a trail of braziers lighting the paths. If the pair of them wanted to escape the judging ears and eyes of Sofia’s peers, that was where they would want to go.

Tim made note to suggest as much as he turned back to Sofia with a rather playful grin. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details of bear hunts and exploring the tunnels of Egypt. It’s far too tedious.” He teased, knowing full well that she would likely protest to his reluctance to be forthcoming with the stories that she wanted to hear. It was all in good fun of course and Timaeus would have no issue holding back once they were out of earshot of the other courtiers. He just didn’t think that things would go over well if he openly recounted the sight of rabid animals or explained the need to wear women’s clothes in front of this crowd. He didn’t want to become some sort of mockery or reflect poorly on his host house by having a so-called vulgar guest. After all, it was through the generosity of the Nikolaos that Timaeus was able to go on this trip at all. He didn’t want to anger them with such unsightly rumors.

This was something that he thought would be wise to include as he gave Sofia a basic explanation as to why he was here at the Athenian court. “I’ve been sailing the past two years with Adr- Lord Adrestus of Nikolaos. Do you know him? He’s never been one for court events like this…” Timaeus explained, genuinely curious if Sofia knew about the Colchian Lord’s best friend. He didn’t know how close the royal families were with the noble ones so Tim had no idea if she would. Not that it would matter as it was unlikely that any sort of introduction would occur tonight. After all, Adre was gods only knew where and now that he was speaking with Sofia, he was not going to go on some wild goose chase to track him down.

At least not when Tim was itching to escape the nervewracking stares of the other courtiers. It was at this point that the nobleman offered his hand to Sofia as he motioned to the door that led to the empty gardens, making it clear that he wanted to speak out there instead. “I have to admit Lady Sofia, I am just as eager to hear your own tales as well. Shall we escape to the gardens for a moment or lest we’d horrify the poor old crones?[/b]” There was a certain lilt to his voice that made it clear that he was only joking and did not mean any harm, but that didn’t stop from a scowl or two from forming on the faces of those nearby. That all, but confirmed Tim’s suspicion that the two of them would likely need to find somewhere away from the crowds if they didn’t want to have to deal with the judgment from those who really had nothing to do with this. That alone was a big factor in why Tim had suggested this move in locale.

However, he would be a liar if he didn’t admit that there was also another advantage that came with being out of the public’s view. Tim couldn’t deny that Sofia was a beautiful girl and this entire time he could barely peel her eyes off of her. Had he been anywhere else, he would have had no qualms about telling her as such and utilizing the charming nature that had earned him more than a few romantic nights in the past. He couldn’t do that though in front of so many courtiers, though if they were on their own, maybe this night could end with more than just an interesting conversation…

There was only one way to find out though as he waited patiently for Sofia to accept his proposal to move out to the gardens.

In truth, he had not expected that Sofia would accept the invitation to move out into the gardens. The young nobleman knew that it would break far too many rules and might run the risk of creating a scandal for the pristine Marikas girl. Being no stranger to the courts himself, Timaeus knew how strong that pressure was to conform to the societal pressure placed upon all the younger attendees. The strict rules that were in place were designed to keep this sort of thing from happening, two unmarried courtiers whisking themselves away from the ever-present eyes of their parents. It was all done in some backward attempt to keep everyone pure and, of course, prevent the creation of any bastards, but from Timaeus’s experience, putting so many rules in place was only encouraging everyone to break them all. There was a certain thrill in doing what was considered wrong and once you got that first taste of that feeling, it was harder to realign with the rules that denied it to you.

Timaeus was the sort who didn’t care for the rules. He had already bedded far too many women to give a damn about the damage that might come from sneaking away with one girl to go speak somewhere more private. After all, Timaeus had done all sorts of scandalous things already. Sneaking away to talk without being judged was nowhere near the top half of his list of things that might deem as dangerous in this sort of situation… but Sofia was a different story. Even though Tim could tell that the girl in front of him was an enigma of her own design, she was still an Athenian. She might not fit into the mold all that well, but her kingdom did have a certain reputation for being stuffy and uptight about the rules. It wouldn’t have surprised him in the bit if Sofia turned him down, but he was not going to complain that she hadn’t. Not when he was so eager to escape the judgemental gazes of those who were more aligned with their kingdom’s stereotype.

He laughed at her joke about the older woman not being able to recover from the horror of it all as Sofia threaded her arm with his. “I’d be more inclined to think Hera will take a lover before we see that come to pass. Oh, her poor heart.” His words were accompanied by a mischievous grin, knowing full well that all these old crones would get over it eventually. They were all vultures, eager for any scrap of gossip that came their way. If he knew what they were like, they would whisper about poor Sofia being supposedly lured off for a few days until something more interesting happens. It was just a vicious cycle that never ended where eventually everyone found themselves on top only to be dragged back down to the bottom to supposedly keep everyone in check. They could twitter all they want, but they’ll eventually get over it.

However, these thoughts were quickly pushed from his mind as the two of them stepped out into the crisp afternoon air. As soon as Timaeus felt the light summer breeze run through his hair, he visibly relaxed a bit. It was weird to be back in court halls like that after being out at sea and exploring the world for two years, it almost felt wrong in an odd sort of way. This was where he truly felt most at ease as even here at the palati there was a light scent of the nearby ocean lingering in the air. It seemed to be almost foreign when mixed with the beautiful flowers that made up the pristine royal gardens, but it was still home to him.

Even though he was rather jovial before, his mood was clearly on a whole new level when Lady Sofia questioned him on if this was an excellent spot for such stories. This was something that the young Colchian quickly nodded his assent too. “Yes, most certainly. After all, this is fairly close to the wildlands of Colchis, so it will perfect.” His statement was a bit tongue-in-cheek as everyone knew that the land he hailed from was practically nothing, but flat rock. Every green bit of earth was either tilled or carefully maintained by the rich family that owned it. So, even this garden in it’s perfectly ordered hedges and flower bushes were similar to the fauna that could be found in Colchis.

It was at that moment that the boy realized that he might be making all these references to the land he came from and Sofia might not have any clue what Timaeus was talking about. He had assumed that she would know as everyone in this kingdom was meant to be a scholar of some sort -- if the rumors were true. However, that was a rather foolish thing to presume as even Timaeus did not know the ins and outs of Athenia, just the basics that he had learned in the few classes that he had actually paid attention to. “I know I keep speaking of my homeland, but I just realized that you probably do not know as much about Colchis as I do. After all, I know next to nothing about Athenia… Tell me, before I even start to tell you my first story do you know about the province of Lyncaea?” Timaeus raised an eyebrow at Sofia, wondering if she would know about the one mining province in Colchis that was covered in woodlands. Really, that place wasn’t much to speak of, but it wouldn’t be kind fo him to launch into any sort of story without ensuring that he wouldn’t leave her behind on account he was accidentally making the idiom about assuming true between them.

As eager as Sofia seemed to be to learn about his trials with snakes, mountain lions, and rabid bears; there was a noticeable lull in the conversation when the two of them drew closer to a nearby fountain. As the two talked and walked, they found themselves on the other side of the burbling statues, effectively blocking out the boring courts from their minds as they paused near the water. They couldn’t even hear the light chatter that had filtered out of the grand hall from where they stood. To Timaeus, who was more than glad to escape the stresses of being a foreigner in a strange court it was perfectly serene.

He was not going to lie, seeing Sofia twirl did something to him. Little butterflies crept up in his stomach at the sight of that beautiful chiton swirling around her feet. As much as he wanted to stare for a moment, he was suddenly swept up into the motion with her, and all of the awkward nervousness that came with that feeling in his stomach swiftly vanished as Timaeus tried to keep himself from stumbling over his own two feet. From the light laugh that left him and the way he stumbled, almost falling on Sofia in the process, it was clear that Timaeus was not a dancer. He was not used to the graceful and nimble footwork that came with this artform. Tim was very clearly more used to being steadfast and sure, needing to plant his feet on the ground to provide him some sort of strength before attacking the enemy.

“Only with swords, my lady.” He said in between hearty laughs as he straightened himself out and brought himself back to his feet. Dancing was not something that Colchians did too often. For the most part, it was seen as something that noble children and peasants did. It had been years since he had last been asked to move in time to the music. However, this wasn’t something that he was going to say out loud as he didn’t want to cause any sort of offense. He knew that his culture could be somewhat stiff about these sorts of things and it would not be kind of him to call something childish only because he didn’t know how to do it as well. Under different circumstances, perhaps Timaeus would have been embarrassed by this ineptitude, but not right now. After all, it was just the two of them, what did he have to be ashamed of?

Granted, Timaeus could be a rather bold young man and his experiences at sea had not made him any less willing to take a rather flirtatious lead that others might be too afraid partake in. Perhaps that was why despite this breaking every rule that guided the court event they were attending and this being particularly forward of him, Timaeus had no reservations about stepping forward. Gently he took one of her hands into his and an arm slipped around her waist as he quietly murmured, “I do think that I may be in need of some lessons though.” If any courtier came out and happened to spy the pair, they would both be in a mountain of trouble, but quite frankly Timaeus did not care. The two of them had a certain spark to them and it would have been only a matter of time before this flirtatious side of the sailor came out. What was the point of delaying the inevitable if Sofia was likely feeling the same butterflies as him?

“Will you teach me?” He asked quietly with a knowing glint in his eyes. Although Timaeus might not know how to dance in the traditional sense, he was no stranger to the metaphorical one that was unfolding in front of them. Now it all depended on Sofia to decide if this was a side of Timaeus that she wanted to explore or if this was all too much. Tim could only hope that he was right in his presumption that she would be just as willing as he was…

Timaeus had known that he was going to be a terrible dancer and he certainly did not disappoint. His heart really went out to poor Sofia who had to somehow find a way to embed some grace into this top-heavy soldier that seemed to not know his right from his left food as she led them around the flower garden. Even though the Colchian was entirely focused on his feet, not pulling his gaze away for a second lest he step on her toes, he couldn’t help losing himself in the simple tune that Sofia was humming to help them keep time. It was such a simple melody, but the Colchian lord had to admit that it was beautiful with its light and airy melody that made him feel as if the wind was about to pick up beneath his feet and carry them both far away from the palati.

Honestly, Timaeus would not be all that opposed to that happening right now.

He tried to not think about how close the two of them were when the song came to an end and the two of them paused in the dance lessons for a moment. A playful smile could be seen spread across Timaeus’s face as his lips moved to ask her what the song had been. However, before he could even form the first syllable, Timaeus was utterly surprised to find himself being pulled into the brush by his dance instructor. He could do little more than just go along with it, especially as the two of them found themselves behind a tree as the rough and callous voices of two noblemen rose above the din of the court session, signaling their unwanted entrance to this otherwise perfect scene.

Daring to peer around the tree, Timaeus could see the interlopers that had ruined their moment. They were clearly two older gentlemen, probably dragged to the court session by wives who might not be quite as old as they were. Even from this distance, Timaeus could see that the two of them were not interested in the pompous atmosphere that came with the gathering of the Athenian nobility. That was more than obvious by the sight of shifting feet and the occasional reluctant glance shot towards the door. The two pot-bellied men who seemed more at home at an open buffet than this court session were certainly unlikely to go back inside any time soon.

Timaeus knew that he should not have been even remotely happy at this news. After all, he was in a fairly uncompromising position with one of Athenia’s royal daughters. If these two men moved just a few feet to the left, the two of them would be caught. Timaeus couldn’t think of a single justification that could explain away why he was stuck behind a tree with Sofia that wouldn’t end with him being flayed alive -- or at least that’s how this scenario was likely to end if the Athenian nobility had anything in common with their Colchian counterparts. However, it wasn’t as if the two of them could move away either. The flowers that the two lovebirds spent the last few minutes trampling would not provide enough cover for them to slip away to another part of the garden. They were stuck here behind this tree until the courtiers decided to move away on their own.

Shaking his head slightly with a clear grimace, Timaeus informed Sofia of their predicament without uttering a single word. He didn’t want to speak in case that leads to them being found out -- but that really didn’t seem to be much of a problem as the courtier’s loud guffaws seemed to be almost loud enough to drown out the music filtering out of the grand hall. Timaeus wasn’t sure what exactly they were talking about, but from the few snippets he could catch about the Princess and some other women that Timaeus would never hope to know and their erm.. assests... it wasn’t something that Sofia should have to sit here and listen too. They were just been so crude and obnoxious that it was basically killing the mood.

The foreign lord furrowed his brows at this conundrum. They couldn’t spend the rest of the court session behind this tree, but it wasn’t as if the two of them could just leave together. That made the answer obvious. The two of them were going to have to sneak past them one at a time and pray to Aphrodite and Hermes that neither of them was going to get caught. Though, that was so much easier said than done. The Colchian didn’t know the gardens or these lords so the chances that he was entirely misjudging this situation were astronomically high. However, Timaeus had learned long ago to trust his gut when it came to moments like this where he had no flipping clue what the right choice could remotely be. Granted, those moments had been under far more stressful conditions related to rabid mountain lions and being chased by Egyptian Guards -- but really was this situation that different when he was stuck behind a tree with an unmarried royal girl?

Glancing at Sofia, Tim decided that even though his idea might be a bit risky, it was at least worth trying. After all, he rather liked not being dead, and besides, didn’t they have a dancing lesson to finish? The young lord motioned to the two men and then gestured to a part of the garden that wasn’t that far off from where the courtiers stood but seemed to be so thick with hedges and other flowering plants that it was unlikely that they would be caught there. That seemed like the best place for them to meet up and forget about the intruders that had unknowingly almost ruined their night.

“You go first.” He hissed to her, trying to keep his voice low enough that the courtiers would not overhear, “You know the gardens better than I do and no one will bat an eye to you being out here. Not like me anyway.” There was the slightest smirk dancing in the corner of his mouth as Timaeus glanced down at the sorry state that he was in. His already less than pristine military uniform that bore insignias for a country far across the sea was beyond crumpled and now utterly filthy from the little bits of bark and dirt that had come off from the tree bark. It all clung to him and it wasn’t as if Tim could even hide any of it as his tunic was mostly white with only a smattering of red. If the courtiers were going to bother either of them, it was going to be Timaeus. The soldier recognized this instantly and had made the quick gut decision that Sofia should be the one to go first.

However, of course, his dancing instructor could decide to veto this quick-call that Timaeus had made. She could have equally good points on why the Colchian should be the first to escape from their prying eyes. Though it was very hard for Timaeus to even consider this as he made the mistake of catching Sofia’s gaze. It was very difficult to think about the possible gravity of the situation when he could see that silent laugh on Sofia’s face, lighting her up in the wake of the moonlight. Timaeus knew that it would be very bad if they were caught like this, but the girl next to him did not seem to be worried at all, in fact, she seemed to be more alive the longer they stood here flirting with danger and seemingly… each other.

Timaeus was no stranger to the inclinations of Aphrodite’s whims. In fact, she seemed to be rather fond of toying with him if the trail of ex-lovers in his wake was anything to go by. So when he felt the urge to take advantage of the absurdity of the moment… it wasn’t that foreign to him. The young lord knew that it would be simple enough. All he had to do was lean over and kiss her. He had done it a thousand times before. However, Tim knew that it was a bigger deal for girls of Sofia’s rank. They were expected to remain on some high pedestal their whole lives until a husband came along to put them upon another one. If Tim tried to lay one on her, it would not go well. Though then again, Sofia did not seem to be the sort to conform to what society wanted from her. Maybe he could get away with it… just maybe…

The Valaoritis lord did not realize what he was doing until his face was hovering just a few inches from hers. He had only noticed when he felt his eyes begin to slip closed, his body moving of its own volition as his mind was consumed by thoughts about right and wrong. Once he was aware though he came to a quick and sudden stop. Tim was only a few inches away from her, the two of them so close that they could feel the heat of each other’s quickened breath. Timaeus knew that he should pull away from her, but he was quite honestly shocked by his own action enough that he couldn’t pull away. He was too nervous that he already ruined the moment, that he already majorly fucked up that he didn’t know what to do to not make it so bad. But this was already oh so bad.

His mind scrambled for any sort of reason to explain what he did. There really wasn’t anything that could work beyond the truth, if Sofia was astute enough to realize what Timaeus had almost done. Timaeus had no doubts in his mind that she was, but that didn’t stop him from coming up with a clever enough distraction as his voice dropped to a barely audible whisper, “Do you trust me?” His words would hopefully be enough to save them from any further awkwardness, but who really knew if that would be the case. After all, this evening had already defied all of Timaeus’s expectations. Regardless of whether or not she played along or she slapped him, Timaeus knew that this was a night that neither of them was going to forget.