Archived:The Modern Janissaries/Lounge Room

**Lounge**

She was flicking through the files once more but had figured out that either the kingdoms were keeping something from them or that they really were clueless about this rebellion that had sprung up right under their noses. She sighed and rubbed her temples. Something didn't feel right.

Julian, while walking past the door to the lounge, caught a glimpse of Elle reading through files. The lunar prince stopped in his tracks and stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and gazing at Elle without saying a word. He wasn't exactly sure why but, he just stared at her for a few silent moments. Finally, he started to talk. "Haven't you looked through those files enough?" Julian voice as he entered the room and walked over to Elle.

She looked up at him then back down to the files before throwing it back onto the table. "I probably have," she confessed, "but it's all we have and I feel so useless sitting around doing nothing," she continued as she stretched her arms behind her head.

Julian glanced at the files that Elle had thrown before slightly smirking. "You just need to learn how to relax..." He responded as he walked over to a cabinet and grabbing a bottle of liquor along with two glasses. "Luckily you have me to teach you." He smiled as he set the cups down and pour some of the liquid.

She waited for him to pour the drinks, "you should see me stressed," she said jokingly, "I think you'd see I am already rather relaxed."

A light chuckle escaped his mouth as he poured the drinks, sliding one glass over to Elle once he was done. "So, find anything important?" He asked while sitting down and propping his feet up on the table.

She took a long drink before sliding the glass back onto the table, "I found out that we're pigs waiting to be slaughtered. That we are the cannon fodder the kingdoms have placed to distract the cult," she suggested, "other than that? Nope."

Julian raised up his glass while slightly smiling. "Well heres to us.... the pigs waiting to be slaughtered." With this he brought his cup up to his mouth and let all the liquid slid down his throught. A slight burning sensation passed through his throat for a second but, he didn't really mind it.

She watched him, "can I ask you something?" She asked but continued without waiting for his reply, "knowing what we know so far, the travel...if offered the chance, would you go back to the academy?"

Julian looked at Elle for a few moments, thinking of a responce. "My sisters are there... and without me people would use them." Julian began to say. "So yes, for them... i would return to the academy."

She regarded with him simple curiosity, "it must be nice to have siblings," she murmured.

He gave a soft shrug. "Not really... they can get pretty annoying." Julian replied with a small laugh after. "You don't have any siblings?" He asked out of curiousity.

She paused for a moment before shrugging, "I could, I don't particularly know." She said taking another sip. "If I do, I've never met them."

Julian gave a soft nod in responce. For a few minutes he was silent, taking small sips of his drink. "It's boring, waiting for the others." He finally said.

She chuckled, "everyone's still here," she replied, "Eliza and Roger are doing...something in the bedroom. Liam's skulking the hallways, or maybe he did end up going to sleep. The other's I believe *are* asleep." She continued, "you should be too. It's nearly two."

"You should already know... I don't sleep much." He smiled. "What about you? shouldn't you be asleep?"

She contemplated how much she should tell him. In all reality, she was kept awake by nightmares that she never remembered, for that she only ever got an hour or two of sleep each night. She contemplated, upon arriving in the academy, that she should get medication to keep her asleep but she knew that if she touched a single pill then she'd be hooked. Plus, all it did was keep her trapped in the dreams but they did keep her from waking up screaming. Shrugging this off, she smiled and tapped her coffee, "that tends to keep you awake and there's a lot to think about. I don't have time to sleep."

Julian glanced down at her coffee for only a second before looking back up at her. "Guess your luckier then me then." He replied before pouring himself a drink and taking a sip of it. "It's the nightmares that keep me awake." Julian added as if it were something normal to say.

She tilted her head at this, slightly surprised, "oh? Can I ask what they are? Or am I pushing it?" She asked with a small smile.

"Pushing it..." He said with a small smile and letting his legs fall off the table. "Now i'm bored, should we do something since were going to be up all night anyways?" The lunar prince asked.

She moved her head from side to side as she debated this. After a second, she jerked up and moved into the hallway and grabbed two coats and walked back into the lounge. She threw Julian's one at him and shrugged on the other.

Julian couldn't react fast enough, his jacket slightly hitting him in the face as winced. "Where we going?" he asked before moving his jacket and standing up, sliding his arms into the sleeves of the jacket.

"There's a festival going on in the centre of the place," she said, "I didn't pay too much mind to it. But it might be fun."

He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "You want to go to a festival?" he asked with a questioning tone.

"Why not?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, "music, food, people, the sight of Moscow all lit up."

He blinked at her for a few seconds before slightly shaking his head and moving his shoulders in a shrugging motion. "Sure whatever...." He finally said as he walked past her and towards the front door. "we should probably walk though, it wouldn't be to smart for me to drive" He admitted.

She clipped him over the head as she followed, "show some enthusiasm, Jules, it's either this or scrabble."

He glared at her for a second before walking opening the door and waiting for her to walk out first. "I atually really enjoy scarbble..." he replied.

She ducked under his arm and into the cold air, "you won't like it after I'd thrash you." She said, "give you some advice, Jules, take the festival over scrabble. It'd save you your pride."

"I don't like to be called jules..." Was his only reply before crossing his arm and walking out the door, letting it close on it's own.

She snorted, "too bad," she said with a sniff, "it suits you. Better than Julian. Jules sounds like Jewels. That suits you more."

## Timeskip

She weaved through the crowd, careful to keep her hand in Jules's. The crowd was thick and she didn't want to lose him. Music pumped through the air and Russian vocals screamed into the night. Despite the noise and crowd a contagious smile lit up Elle's face. She could barely hear her thoughts and, to her, that was a blessing.

Julian allowed Elle to drag him along, a small smile shown on his face. "Where are we heading?" The lunar prince shouted over the music.

She tilted her head and put a finger to her lips. They moved to the edges of the crowd and she stopped at a church. The church had it's doors locked for the event but with one look behind her, Elle bobbed down. She brought out something and fiddled with the lock and soon the door swung open.

Julian stared at Elle with a slightly confused look. "A church?" He said as he walked in and closed the doors behind the two. "Out of the whole festival, you choose to come to a church?" the prince added on as he walked down the main isle and letting his eyes wander around the building.

She grinned wickedly, "because I must confess to my sins before committing any. To make sure I have a clear head and I know what I'm doing," she said before moving through the aisles.

Julian was unable to stop the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Well get all you sins out so we can get to the festival." He said letting his smile fade away as he reached the front of the church and stared at the designs.

She giggled slightly and disappeared behind the pew and up the flight of stairs, "up here!"

Upon hearing Elle, Julian walked over and began following her slowly.

She hurried up the stairs, her hips swinging side to side and soon they reached the bell tower. She hit the barrier and looked out. Down below was the entire festival and lights was flashing across them. People and people were flocking around and the music was there but slightly dimmed. The lights danced across Elle's eyes as she watched the dancing.

Finally, Julian had reached the top of the bell tower and neared next to Elle. As he came up next to her all he did was lean against the window sill and watched the lights. "So are we ever gonna go down there and get a few drinks?" Julian asked without looking at Elle, a small smirk placed on his lips.

"I'm not stopping you," she pointed out as she tore her gaze away to look at him, "you can go drink till your hearts desire but the last time I got drunk...well, I don't do it. Not anymore. No more than a small glass. But even that's rare." She said vaguely before looking back.

Even though he wouldn't admit it, Julian wasn't just gonna leave Elle alone. So, instead he just slightly shrugged. "Ehh... i don't enjoy drinking alone... it can get rather boring and pathetic." He chuckled as he glanced over to Elle before looking forward once again.

"There's a lot of people who would drink with someone who has a face like yours, Jules." She said with an airy laugh, "you wouldn't be alone. Not for long." She continued before leaning forward, now slightly over the edge with her stomach on the barrier, "you know...all those people. They could all die, in just a second. All of them. One bomb. That's what it would take. Even an army of mercenaries. They're all so defenceless." She ranted, "even now, they have an army looming at their feet. Maybe even dancing with them. It could end up being an all out war, you know," she said glancing back at him, "because if we fail and the cult does reach the kingdoms. Then this will just be a war ground with that crowd simply a sack to be thrown in each others path."

Without looking at Elle, Julian slightly shook his head. "The girls down there are probably a bunch of drunken idiots... i'd rather drink with you." he said casually. Upon hearing her word Julian looked down at the people more intently, finding her opinions to be true. "Then i guess we shouldn't fail?" he said while looking to at Elle with a serious expression.

She laughed, "that'd be a start," hse said before gazing out at the city. "you like architecture, right? I saw you look at the church below. I...the view up here, it's the best you'll find in the area."

He slightly shrugged. "I like to take in designs for my art..." he responded.

"Surprised you're letting this place go to waste," she observed before taking in one more breath, "and...you want to go down there and drink."

His gaze turned to her, a small smile placed on his lips. "Who says i'm letting it go to waste?" He asked before pushing himself up off the sill. "Besides, i didn't come to this festival to draw... i came to have fun and forget about the quest" he added on before taking a small breath. "You're kinda making it hard to do that with all this quest talk." Julian chuckled.

She regarded him for a moment before she took a step towards him and leant up to press her lips to his, her fingers gripping his shirt.

Julian was a bit caught off guard but, he didn't step away. Instead, he just stood there and let Elle do what she had to.

After a second, she pulled back and something flickered across her face. She stared at him for a moment before pulling back, "then lets go," she said. With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared down the stairs.

Julian watched as Elle dissapeared down the stair, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Ok then..." He said in a quiet tone as he began following her down.

## Timeskip

She gently closed the door behind them and breathed a rush of exhilarated air. Her cheeks were flushed and, despite her attempts of staying away from the alcohol, she had downed a couple of drinks. Enough to make her a tad tipsy.

Julian, who hadn't been as responsible as Elle, stumbled into the house - falling against an end table and almost knocking down a lamp before he caught it. "Oppss....." He chuckled as he set the lamp back onto the table and looked at Elle.

She pressed her fingers to his lips, "they'll definitely be asleep now, so quiet."

He held back a laugh as he nodded his head. "Mind helping me to my room?" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he threw his arm around Elle's neck.

She stumbled slightly under his weight, not expecting it, but gained her footing and helped him up the stairs. "Which rooms yours?"

Julian looked around the hall, trying to find his door but his eye sight was to blurry. "Umm i think it's that one." He answered, finally seeing a door that looked familiar.

She struggled to open the door but when she did, she flicked on the light to show his room. "Good guess," she said and dragged him over to his bed.

Upon entering, Julian unhooked his arm from Elle's neck and walked away from her. "Thanks." He said casually as he walked over to his bed steadily and took off his jacket.

"Surprisingly stealthy for a drunkard," she lightly mocked him as she closed the door with her foot.

He only shrugged while throwing himself onto his bed, crossing his right leg over his left one and putting his hands behind his head. "I may have to lazy to walk up here by myself." He smirked.

She huffed and nudged at him, "shove up."

As Elle climbed into the bed Julian moved over to make more room for her, luckily the bed was big. "A lot of girl do a lot more than say shove up to get into my bed." Julian smiled while looking up to the ceiling. "Your lucky i like you." He added casually.

"You're lucky I like you enough to even be here," she said as she crossed her legs on the bed as she eyed him with a smile.

Julian only smiled at her responce. After a few minutes of him looking up at the ceiling and being silent, His gaze suddenly turned to Elle. "Can i ask you something?" He said in a soft and kind tone that would probably shock anyone Julian knew.

She looked over at him rubbed her feet against the blanket in a small circle. "Depends on what it is," she replied. "If you're going to ask me if I'm in love with you, the answer is a definite no."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he heard Elle. "Why do you really stay up late?" He asked, looking her in the eyes. "I know it not because Theres to much to think about...."

She hesitated before sighing as she stared at him, "I get nightmares. Bad ones. They don't let me stay asleep for long."

He gazed at her for a few moments, realizing how similar they were to eachother. "I would ask what the nightmares are about but, then i'd have to tell you mine." He smiled before looking up at the cieling and closing his eye, not sleeping but only staying quiet.

"How many siblings do you have?" She asked after a while.

With his eyes still closed, Julian began to speak. "Don't know... I usually ignore most of them besides Sophia." He replied, trying to dodge the question. "What about you?"

OOC: I confused with how to answer her question tbh. Cause Julian and Sophia are the onlylunar royals right now but i know there will be future ones so yea, Confused xD.

Ooc:That's okay, Sophia'll be the only notable one anyway.

She rolled her eyes at him, "you've asked me that before, Jules," she teased him, "I don't know. If I do, never met them."

He frown at this, not remembering when he asked her that before - maybe because he was buzzed. "Whatever." He answered. "What about other family members? Wheres your mom and dad?"

She stared at him for a moment with a frown. How drunk was he? Would he remember? "I don't know," she said with a shrug, "last time I saw my mum was when I was three and my father...well, my birth father–I don't think my mother even knew his name. She was a prostitute, you see."

Julian rolled over onto his side, facing Elle but with his eyes closed. "At least your parents aren't the Lunar King and Queen." He replied.

She shrugged, "at least they wanted you. Mine sold me to a practical stranger in return for heroin," she said this without really thinking it through and she bit back a curse. She wasn't really known to let things slip, let down her guard. Perhaps the alcohol had hit her slightly too hard.

"I'm sure my parents wanted to give me up after what i did." He said without thinking, not even realizing what he had said.

She looked at him with a blink, "what'd you do?" She asked out of curiousity.

He wasn't sure why he was telling Elle, maybe the alchohol had hit him hardder than he was letting on but, he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. Luckily for Julian, even in his drunken state, he wasn't one to just blurt out the truth - instead avoiding the exact answer. "Lets just say there one less heir to the Lunar throne."

"One less..." she trailed off before it clicked, "oh, you had a sibling. Did...you didn't kill her did you?" She asked with a frown. Rather blunt but she'd spent years getting out of a place surrounded by murderers. Just her luck to fall for one.

"Not exactly...." was all he said before he drifted off to sleep.

She watched him as he fell asleep and sighed. Good job, Etta. Good job. She pushed herself out of the bed and out of the room.