[i][h2][color=MediumSeaGreen]Lora Kadar, Ayano Serio, and Diane Laues[/color][/h2][/i]


The Prince called for them and Lora glanced behind her to catch him moving away from the others. She turned back to the two angels for a last thanks and a goodbye, when the man reached his hands up and the woman stilled. He turned to Lora, eyes down and mouth small. He pushed off her thanks and her lips twisted into a frown. Now wasn’t the time, but she wouldn’t leave it until he understood the impact they had made.

She joined the larger group and Cyril motioned towards her and the other two, skipping over them quickly and spending twice as long on her. She flushed a brilliant shade of coral, bowing to her new travelling companions and willing her face to fade as fast as it could. She straightened and a bright voice piped up and called her name. Lora peeked behind another Sentinel to find Ayano, grinning widely in her direction. She returned the smile and approached her, surprised and incredibly pleased to find her here.

They mounted and made their way out of the village and towards Gurata, small talk eventually dissolving into a comfortable silence. She had always enjoyed Ayano, if she hadn’t managed to spend as much time with her as the others. 

But, no time like the present. They reached the end of the day and the end of their journey so far, stopping for the night at a sweet inn on Cyril’s direction. Ayano and the woman who had been sticking close to her other side weren’t given any explicit directions for action, so Lora dismounted and seized the opportunity. 

“Would you like to get food?” She directed the question towards Ayano, but smiled politely at the woman near her. It didn’t look like she was keen on leaving Ayano at any point in this journey. “I’m starved and you’ve been travelling much longer than since I joined you, so I can only imagine how famished you must be,” she added.

The Princess opened her mouth to reply, but something else beat her to it. Almost as if in response to Lora's question, suddenly Ayano's rumbled in a terrific growl. The opening of her lips changed from speech to mute horror as she instead wrapped her arms around her torso, bending over slightly. As she did this Diane quickly stepped over, a look of worry on her face, but she relaxed a little when she realized the Princess was only suffering from traveling hunger pangs... Even if they were some of the loudest the Princess had experienced.

"Oh... Yes please! Cyril only had jerky for snacks and I'm worried it's bear, so I... chose not to partake willingly..."

"I wouldn't let him feed you bear, dear." Diane sniffed slightly after she spoke, as if the idea was preposterous. Ayano, however, was too busy after straightening, hands going to rub her own backside some. Clearly her stomach wasn't the only thing in pain from all of the riding.

"Ugh... my butt hurts..."

She had stepped forward when Ayano doubled over but the other woman beat her there, and Ayano was quick with her response and confirmation it was simply hunger. Lora offered her a small and understanding smile that quickly developed into an amused grin. Saddle sores were only too familiar to her. 

“Come on, let’s find you a nice, cushioned seat and some food that is inarguably not bear.”

Inside the inn they were seated and they ordered—some chicken for Lora and some not-bear for Ayano, and tea for her companion. 

“So, what brings you two to join his Majesty on his way to Gurata? Why is he heading to Gurata anyway? You all are the [i]last[/i] people I expected to run into on my way home, much less run into and be recognized by. It [i]really[/i] is wonderful to see you again, and doing so well, your Highness.” She folded her hands on the table and offered them a sunny smile.

Diane was the first to receive her order, with it only being tea; she had made sure to order the Princess some as well, and as soon as the cups were poured she carefully directed Ayano's hands to the cup with a light touch. Even as she was directed to the location of the cup, the Princess smiled at Lora in return, even if she had no way of seeing the young woman's smile.

"Oh, we're going to Gurata to-"

"Ayano..." Where Diane might have broken a staff over someone else's head, her response to Ayano's near blunder was just a gentle, admonishing tone as she didn't even look over to the Princess, her eyes nearly closed as she sipped gently from her tea. The Princess jumped in her seat slightly, a motion that made her whimper slightly in pain before she settled back down.

"Oh, right- Um, we're on a mission! If you want to find out more, ask Cyril for specifics but... Well, it's good to run into you again too! It's been a long time! How have you been? What have you been doing? Where have you been?" The questions had begun like a flood.

The woman cut Ayano off and Lora quieted her smile to a polite shift of the lips, nodding as the Princess shifted the topic. “Of course, I understand. Someone’s got to save the world, right?” she joked, letting the topic drop. 

“I’m good, I’ve been good!” she started, leaning forward and letting her eyes drift around the Princess’ face. With no eyes to hold, she got caught on the lift of her nose and the ivory waves of her hair. “I’ve been in Gurata since I left you all in Barcea, with my uncle. He’s Alpha of his tribe there, over under Chief Kisarin? Once my tail finally came in I took up as his Beta, but I recently took off for some…uh, travelling.” She searched Ayano’s cloth and glanced at the woman before nodding lightly—mostly to herself. “Soul-searching, I suppose you could say,” she admitted. “But Gurata’s lovely, though it’s no Barcean castle.” She chuckled, twisting her fingers together. 

“What about you? You’ve certainly grown up lovely, if I can say so. You look great, and I can only assume you’re doing as equally great things if you’re accompanying his Majesty. How are you doing, saddle sore and hunger pains aside? How have you been since I left?”

“Oh, stop it, I'll blush!" Though her words may have been rejection, clearly the Princess was pleased by the compliments as she giggled slightly. To herself, Diane smiled slightly as well, though it was a smug sort of smile. At least the pup knew good breeding when she saw it, and seemed to know how to throw out a proper compliment or two.

Fingers wrapping around the warm tea cup, Ayano's smile faded back into a more settled one, rather than the beaming she briefly broke out into from Lora's words. "Well... I wouldn't say equally as great, but I have been practicing! Cyril seems to be getting really, really serious about letting me join the Sentinels! I've been joining him on trips, and starting to figure out how they work! Beyond that, I'm still working on my painting, and, well... People are saying that's going well, too!"

"You did bring your supplies just in case, Ayano?"

"Yes, of course Diane!"

She laughed as Ayano did, glad to see the girl happy and pleased she could be the cause. “Oh, that’s wonderful!” she exclaimed when the conversation opened for her. “So exciting, and impressive! I’m sure he’s very proud of you, and I’m more than sure you’re doing excellently. Oh! How nice, I’m positive it is! I’d love to see anything you have, if you don’t mind, of course. I remember when you used to paint while the rest of us ran around and it was brilliant then. I’m sure it’s only gotten better! I’ve always loved painting, it’s absolutely magnificent, don’t you think, ma’am?” she raised her eyebrows and a pleasant smile towards the woman, Diane.

The man behind the bar reached their table with the food, setting it down in front of Lora and Ayano and blundering his way back to his other patrons. She thanked the man and turned her smile back to the other two without touching her food.

Diane had placed down her tea cup by that point, one again her hands going over to Ayano. The Princess allowed her to turn them over so the palms faced up, and from there the woman then placed the cutlery into Ayano's hands. After making sure to have them turned properly, she gave Ayano a little pat; with that, the Princess actually grabbed onto the utensils, while Diane directed the Princess to just where the plate was. With Ayano able to start eating, Diane finally looked back to Lora, picking up her tea once more.

"Yes, art is quite stunning... so long as it is of sufficient quality. The Princess' for example, has such quality."

Even as Diane spoke, Ayano was feeling around her plate with her fork, discerning the size and shape of her food before she actually started to eat, carefully at first but with growing confidence at each bite.

Lora watched the direction, taking note of the setting and tapping and feeling around that was being done. She didn’t miss the still compliment of Diane’s, and retained her small smile to agree. “Yes, of course.”

She waited until Ayano was eating with no troubles before she dug into her own chicken. She was caught between simply picking it up and tearing into it, and slicing off the smallest pieces she could in order to eat like a proper lady. She eventually decided on something in the middle, being it that Ayano could only hear but not see the actual display, and it appeared Diane was going to be rough around the edges no matter how courteous she tried to be. She cut off large pieces and ate a few at the same time in an even larger bite, taking care to chew thoroughly before swallowing. 

“Do you get much chance to paint on the road, your Highness?”

As both of them ate, the look that Diane gave Lora bordered on disapproving. Her head was tilted back slightly as she looked down her nose at the newcomer, only taking a sip from her tea every so often. Ayano was not aware of this, and though she could hear the way Lora ate she didn't mind at all; after all, Sampson was a member of the Sentinels.

"Oh, not as much as I like... There are plenty of things I smell and hear that give me plenty of inspirations. But really, the only time I can do it well is when we stop for awhile... Maybe at Gurata, if we stay long enough? Oh, I hope so... After all, I don't know when the next time I'll be back there!" Ayano took a pause here as she munched away, happy to have some sustenance to enjoy.

"So are you going to part ways after we cross the border, or stay with us all the way?"

Lora didn’t miss the look from Diane, but took care to pretend she did when Ayano showed no hint of her own disapproval. She hummed as Ayano talked, smiling at the picture of her painting away in Gurata. “Yes, it’d be wonderful if you found the time!”

She swallowed one of her last bites of the meal, dragging out the end to answer the Princess. She frowned, remembering the Prince’s invitation to travel to Gurata with them. “Well, I’m not sure. My home isn’t too far off from the border really, but I’m in no rush to go home. Of course, I’m not really part of your travelling company or your mission, and the [i]last[/i] thing I’d want to be is in the way. If I’m not helping I’m probably just dragging you down, so I suppose perhaps heading home would be the best course of action, now I think about it…” She drifted off at the prospect of heading back home after travelling with the Serio family, her true ranking in society hanging in the air between them. “But this is more than I ever expected,” she added in a happier tone. “Sitting here is an [i]honor[/i], your Majesty.”

Ayano wasn't having any of it, though. In the middle of bringing her fork to her mouth for another bite she stopped, sitting up in her chair sharply. The movement was so sudden that Diane's quickly looked over her direction in worry, but relaxed after seeing that the Princess was alright, just... indignant, almost.

"No, of course you aren't in the way! You're a friend, and I bet if you asked Cyril would let you come the entire way! You know he's nice like that, so ask!"

Lora smiled brilliantly, and though Ayano couldn’t see she was sure it carried into her voice. “Well thank you, your Highness, I appreciate that very much, but we both know that perhaps Cyril can be a little [i]too[/i] kind.” Her smile faded, and her stomach twisted unpleasantly. Cyril’s sweet nature was probably her favorite thing about him—eyes aside—but sometimes she wished he wasn’t so. It made the line between Kind King and Amiable Friend very hard to distinguish. He had seemed pleased to see her and had invited her along—but because of their past and taking actual pleasure in her company, or because it was the kind and polite thing to do for an old friend was indiscernible. And it wasn’t as if she could go up and ask him to clarify—he was her [i]Prince[/i]. He had far more important things to occupy his time with than her.

“I’d hate to take advantage of that and guilt him into letting me come along, or make him feel bad for asking me not to tag along like a lost pup.” She cringed at the picture. “Really, don’t worry about it, please.”

"If you don't talk to him, I will!" Ayano was adamant, holding the base of both of her utensils against the table as she leaned forward slightly. Blinking quickly, Diane's hands went over to almost seem to restrain the Princess, who looked like she might pounce at Lora with how intent she seemed on having the friend from long ago come along.

"That's enough, Ayano. I'm sure she gets the point."

"You heard her, she's not going to do it! So I'll take it into my own hands!"

Lora’s hands twitched to raise in a placating motion, but she held them down because Ayano wouldn’t be able to see them anyways. “Your Highness, [i]really[/i], that’s not necessary.” The only thing worse than asking Cyril to let her follow them like her previous thought of a lost puppy was having Ayano do it for her. He would certainly feel worse turning down the sister he loved so much than he would her. 

“I’ll talk to him, alright?” she bargained gently. “But if he says no I won’t push him—as much as I’d love and be honored to spend more time with you all, I won’t get in the way of your mission. You’re obviously going to Gurata for something far bigger than rekindling old friendships and I would never stand in the way of that. Besides,” she started, hoping she wasn’t too forward but wondering if Ayano wouldn’t leap across the table and drag her there if she tried to step back at all, “If you really like we could always cross paths again—I’d love to be of any help to you all I can, even if it’s not necessarily this time around you could use me.”

"Fine, so long as you do it!" The Princess, for the time being, seemed satisfied, giving a smile. "See? Was that so hard?"

Lora barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes, for once extremely glad the Princess couldn’t see her. “No, I suppose not,” she answered with a sigh, turning back to her plate and finishing off the last bits of her dinner.