He rushed down the stairs as fast as his legs can carry him, loud thumps echoing throughout the entirety of the house. He could hear the sound of a woman’s chuckle, sounding almost like a melody as it mixed with the gentle footsteps following not far behind, but his mind was hardly focused on that now. He made it to the bottom of the stairs, the door in sight, his feet carrying him without thought until he burst through. Light washed over his vision, making everything hazy for but a moment as he stopped to see for his own eyes; at the very end of the path, on the other side of that gated fence was a tall, dark haired man. His beard well-groomed and meticulously taken care of, his bright scarlet jacket, and his eyes, a  green shimmering sea of kindness and comfort… The sight was all too familiar to him. He looked back, seeing for but an instant the woman, her long jet-black hair blowing in the breeze from the outside, smiling and nodding to him. And in an instant, he was at the man’s legs hugging them so tightly that there was clearly no intention of letting go. However, it was the promise of a surprise. As the man took a step away, rubbing the top of his head firmly with affection as he reached into his satchel. He knelt to the ground, holding out a leather bound book to him, a smile full of pride stretching across his face. He reached out with his tiny arms, his eyes wide and eager to read yet another-
[center] [color=FC052A]~~~ [/color] [/center]
Connor’s eyes shot open. He groggily hoisted himself up to a sitting position, bringing his feet to the cold wooden floor as he looked around his room. And with a deep sigh full of reluctance, his day had begun.
He had to make sure he looked proper for the festival. He made sure to make his outfit formal enough for an audience yet practical enough to set out when the time came; a black button down collarless shirt, black trouser, black leather shoes, and an all too familiar long bright red jacket. He brushed his hair, though it was difficult to tame such a man of dark brown hair. All in all, though, he was confident enough in his appearance that he was satisfied. After that, he went into the study, shelves filled with books lining the walls, though Connor’s attention was focused on the lard wooden table in the center of the room; gemstones and loose papers scattered about around many opened texts. More importantly, Connor reached for the red silk bag, closed with violet drawstrings. He grabbed the bag, thinking to himself as he tied the bag to his side. Between what he had in his bad, along with the jewels he had in each pocket of his jacket and his pants for emergency, he was sure he had enough jewels to last him for several days so long as he was smart about how he used them. Which he always was.

It was only a matter of time before there was a knock on his door, two large escorts waiting for him on the other side. Connor found the thought of being escorted to the festival utterly ridiculous, what did it say about him that a prowess mage chosen for the Ascension needed an escort? Though he understood the formality of it…

So he begrudgingly complied, traveling with the men to the capital.
[center] [color=FC052A]~~~ [/color] [/center]
"[color=fdc68a]What about you Connor?"[/color]."

Connor blinked, bringing himself back from a state of recollection at the sound of Selti’s words. Ever since the end of the king’s speech, Connor could not help but replay scenes in in head. Maybe it was merely hitting him late, that he would most likely not be returning home for a very long time. Regardless, Connor was still partially in reality at the time, and given Edward’s childishly eager expression it was all too obvious that he had not missed much anyhow. He seemed… nice. Though it was obvious to Connor that Edward and he were like water and oil. After all, even their fighting tactics could not be further from the same. Still, he probably meant well. Connor did like Selti, though. Even though she was not very outspoken, Selti seemed to be very bright. It would not hurt to witness some use of magic through runes for his notes, either.

“[color=FC052A]Weirdly enough, I believe Edward has the right idea,[/color]” Connor admitted. “[color=FC052A]It is as the king said, the tournament is where people go to be noticed by the Architects. Therefore it would be correct to assume that there are some sort of scouts there that will be judging who is fit and who isn’t, which means they could see how well we fare in battle as well. [/color]” Looked about, as if he were looking for the said scouts. Clearly, there would be no way of knowing who they could be, but he knew they were out there. Watching. 

“[color=FC052A]It would be a prime opportunity to show just how capable I am as a mage. Capability leads to promotion, and promotion leads to knowledge. And there is far too much I need to know that I do not. [/color]” Connor look to Edward, a mischievous smirk stretching across his face. “[color=FC052A]Besides, why would I give anyone else the satisfaction of wiping that look off Edward’s face when I so clearly have the opportunity? That being said though, I am craving something sweet, and it is a festival after all. [/color]”