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The music was well...music to Rayna's ears. She hummed along to the violins, bopping her head slightly to the beat as her turquoise eyes watched the others nobles interact with each other in the party. She sipped her glass of wine as she stood in the sidelines, observing and to those who are familiar with Rayna's behaviors, brooding.
She didn't want to be here.
Her gold gown was itchy and clinging uncomfortably to every curve of her body. She was sure that she's going to die of a heat stroke with all the hot air spewing out of the arrogant nobles bragging about their companies and families' mouths. Rayna was miserable, hot (even with her red hair put up in the most unnecessarily elegant bun possible with curls and all) and understandably cranky.
"Rayna, please," Her father, Altair Pierce, sighed as he approached her brooding in the sidelines of the party, "It will only be another hour or so before it's acceptable to leave."
"Why don't we leave now?" Rayna countered, glaring at the wine in her glass, "Lord What's-his-name invited us to this stupid party, why don't we just leave? We have no obligation to stay! Our families already have a business deal, we're on very good terms so he wouldn't care if we left if we told him that Samus was ill and that we didn't want to leave him home alone any longer-"
"Enough."
Rayna closed her mouth and she stared into her father's green eyes, silent on command.
"You are the heiress to the Pierce family. You are healthy and able, and you are of age for marriage. Surely, you know why I brought you along and forced you to at least greet that young gentleman earlier."
"Samus is the heir of our family. I know he's going to get everything once you either retire or die, so why bother with setting me up with a good suitor now?"
"Because Samus won't continue our bloodline."
"Neither will I."
Altair took his daughter's wine glass. "Getting on my nerves isn't going to get you to leave early. Socialize. We have an image to protect."
"That's why I'm here and Samus isn't. Wouldn't want anyone to catch him flirting with those fine gentlemen now, would we?" Rayna scoffed, lifted her skirts, and stomped past her father and into the crowd.
She maneuvered around the other attendants of the party, ignoring the young men coming on to her until she reached a balcony and slammed the doors shut behind her. With the doors shut, Rayna took a deep breath and leaned on the railing of the small, rectangular balcony. She inspected the white marble as her thoughts were racing in her mind. "Why are we-no-why am I stuck doing all of this?" She wondered aloud, staring at the stars blinking back at her with no response. "My family isn't a big influence amongst the other nobles, hell, we're only "noble" because good ol' Lord Pierce is an outstanding officer for the king! Then we got our own trading business and now here we are." A curl came loose and struck her left eye, and Rayna started to twist and play with it. Her top lip curled back into a sneer, and in an exaggerated, deep voice she said, "Rayna sit like a proper lady. Don't curse in my presence, or at any time at all for that matter. Stop stealing your brother's clothing, ladies don't wear pants. I have this dress tailored for you so wear that. Your mother would be ashamed at your behavior. Just because you and Samus are twins does not mean that you can pretend to be him!" She slammed her fist on the railing. "Damn you!" She screamed into the air as she yanked at her hair to make the bun come undone.
Rayna removed her heels and threw them to the ground. "We're not even real nobles, you damn imbecile!" She panted after her outburst, and she smirked. "Since I'm not a real noble...I can leave just fine!" Rayna lifted her skirts and re-entered the ballroom, whistling as she forced the others to get out of her way by either cutting into their original path, or by elbowing them to move aside. Rayna heard her father yelling her name as she neared the ballroom's exit, seeing the manor's entrance and her escape, pausing to look over her shoulder to see the red-faced middle-aged man making his way towards her.
"Bye!" She cackled as she started to run, fumbling as she hastily removed her restricting gown in the process. Rayna waved at the dumbfounded servants she passed, pushing the manor's door open and jumping onto the railing of the stairs to slide down the the carriage and horses waiting at the stair's beginning. The redhead stumbled when she landed, and she sprinted towards the servant-boy trying to harness the horses to the carriage.
"I'll be needing one of those fine stallions!" She panted as she snatched the reigns of the horse closest to her, "A little assistance would be greatly appreciated!"
The servant-boy nodded vigorously, not wanting to deal with the task of harnessing the horses any longer, and he cupped his hands for Rayna to step on to mount the horse.
"Thank you!" Rayna cheered as she snapped the reigns and squeezed her heels in the horses side, causing the horse to whinny and rear before taking off in a cantor.
"You're welcome, milady!" The servant-boy yelled at her retreating form.
Rayna whooped into the night as she rode away from the party, her father, her responsibilities....at least for tonight.