A Not-So-Hidden Romance

Wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with navy blue knee-length skirt and navy blue dress shoes, Diana strolled into Rose Garden in order to get married. She never thought that she would be getting married at all for so many reasons, not the least of which was that she was not interested in marriage. She also did not want to have any connections that could be used against her by her enemies, of which she had a large supply of. However, the job stipulated that she get married to another mage in order to test out a new "marriage magic", so here she was.

Diana slowly made her way to the chapel and waited outside for her partner to arrive. The blonde mage was going to get married to someone named Leon Mayura, someone she had never met before today. Thankfully she did not have to worry about trifles like parental approval because of two reasons. First, she was 22 years of age. Second, her parents died four years ago from drinking poisoned wine, so they no longer had any power over her.

Still, Diana was not keen on getting married. However, the job demanded it. Diana would marry.

[Word Count: 200]
[Total Word Count: 200/2,000]

'Leon' took his time to get to the chapel. He stiffly adjusted his necktie; pulling on the collar of his suit as he tried to breathe better. Not that it was actually there; underneath his illusion he wore plain clothes, but for a marriage he needed to spruce up a bit. That was what made him so uncomfortable; marriage. Commitment and Arsene was not a good mix. He was a wandering performer, after all. He preferred to be in control of everything, and let nothing tie him down. Marriage was the opposite of that. It was binding you down to someone else, the proverbial shackle to your ankle. This wasn't even a real marriage. It was just a test, a test for a job that he needed to take. Partly because the pay was good, partly because it was easy, and partly because he needed to make sure Leon was often seen doing jobs, else his alibi and alter ego draw suspicion. It may be a job, but that didn't take away the power the word had over him.

As he neared the chapel, Arsene took in his 'fiance' waiting. She was attractive, he had to admit. That didn't ease his worries however. Working with others was a point of weakness for him. This job not only required that they work together, but that they bond together in a mockery of many, many traditions. Arsene felt utterly exposed. Leon didn't have a different appearance. He shared Arsene's actual face and voice. Normally, that was a good thing. It let Arsene feel like the glory was to himself when he performed on the corners. Now though, that amplified the reality of the situation, and just made it feel more like he was truly committing to someone. "I believe, I'm here to propose to you, Ms. Winchester?" Arsene stopped just behind her, an awkward but friendly smile on his lips. Trying to go into his acting mode, Arsene made sure to accept the awkward air this would have, not hide it. His voice was confident and friendly, but retained that uncomfortably with it all. He was sure she was just as weirded out by this as he was, after all.

WC: 366
Total WC: 566/2,000

Diana watched the young man approach and had a feeling that he was Leon Mayura. First of all, he knew her last name. Second, he had a magic signature that was as strong as her own and only mages could test the "marriage magic" that she had been hired to test. Third, only Leon would want any kind of romantic involvement with someone like her. The blonde was pretty sure that she was facing her partner for this job.

"Yes, it would appear that way. We are to be married for the purposes of this job." Diana calmly and politely confirmed what Leon had asked. She did not feel any romantic attraction to him because this arrangement was strictly business. Hopefully Leon understood that and felt the same way about marrying her. Viewing the arrangement as a business transaction would make it easier for the both of them if they knew from the outset that this was no love match. The blonde had already come to terms with that long before arriving at the chapel.

Why was Diana even here? She had no real interest in getting married other than for the job that marrying would allow her to take. The blonde was grimly amused by the situation because only a few days ago she had just helped kill an individual who wanted to marry a businessman's daughter for the money. To be standing outside a wedding chapel so soon after that unpleasant business was both ironic and funny. The cosmic entity who had arranged for this to happen had a strange sense of humor.

[Word Count: 266]
[Total Word Count: 466/2,000]