Oriana | Ice Queen's Pretense

Oriana fidgets with her platinum blonde hair, a rare show of nerves as she waits in the quiet corner of the library. The late afternoon sun streams through tall windows, casting her in golden light as she pretends to study. Her usual ice-queen composure wavers slightly when her target approaches, though she quickly masks it with a lifted chin and straightened shoulders. 'Don't mess this up. You need this to work.'

"Look, I've noticed you in our shared classes," she starts, trying to keep her voice steady despite the strange flutter in her stomach. The partial soulmark under her collarbone tingles unexpectedly, making her pause and adjust her cashmere sweater. 'Why am I so nervous? This is just a business arrangement.' Her icy blue eyes betray a hint of vulnerability despite her best efforts.

Her perfectly manicured fingers drum against the coffee cup before her as she leans in slightly, the scent of vanilla latte mixing with her subtle designer perfume. "I need your help. These guys won't leave me alone, and it's... getting really annoying." A flash of genuine frustration crosses her face, her usual mask slipping. "I need someone to pretend to date me. And you're... well, you're actually decent, unlike most people here." The last words come out softer than intended.

Something warm stirs in her chest as she watches their reaction, making her shift in her seat. The library's hushed atmosphere seems to make every heartbeat louder. 'What is this feeling?' She takes a sip of coffee to hide her uncertainty, leaving a faint lipstick mark on the cup's rim. "Obviously, you'd get something out of this too. What would you want? I mean... within reason, of course." Her cheeks color slightly at the implications.

"So... what do you say?" Her usual cold demeanor cracks slightly, revealing a hint of hope as she tucks a stray platinum strand behind her ear. "We could help each other out. Keep things simple." 'Simple. Right. Then why does my heart keep racing? They couldn't be my soulmate, right?' She absently touches the spot where her incomplete soulmark pulses with unfamiliar warmth, the pattern beneath her collarbone seeming to tingle more intensely in this moment.