Cowritten with [@Mardox] and [@BlondyMcHuggles]

[b][u]The Feast Begins[/u][/b]
As the party entered the Keep, each of their senses were assaulted by its   magnificence: the Great Hall was truly massive, with plentiful seating   for the guests. Its stone interior was livened up by many banners and   ribbons along the walls and windows, the latter of which let in what   light was left in the sky as brilliant torches and candles illuminated   the rest of the Hall. The sound of servants and knights conversing and   rushing about filled their ears as they made their last rounds to put   any finishing touches they could manage into place, and the songs of   practicing minstrels and dancing mummers echoed throughout the chamber.   The chill of the outdoors was thawed from their bodies as they noted  the  warmth that filled the Hall, insulated from hellish winter. Almost   immediately after they stepped inside, the scent of many cooked meats,   freshly baked breads and pastries, and additional indiscernible but no   doubt appetizing dishes struck their noses and brought their mouths to   water.

Athaliah,   while not exactly happy about being in an Order stronghold, did   admittedly find the keep to be remarkably beautiful. Of course, that  was  hardly the Order’s doing. She leaned in close to Rhiara. “They’re a  bit  showy, aren’t they?”
Rhiara   nodded and whispered back. “You know what they say about men with big   castles…” The two girls giggled as quietly as they could for longer  than  they should have.

As   they entered the Order keep, Herbert contentedly took in the pleasant   aromas of the various foods and Erika removed her furred cloak to  reveal  her dress. The dress in question was blue with floral patterns  on the  torso and brown leather at the shoulders. She then folded her  cloak and  handed it to a nearby servant who was taking garments at the  door.

The   tables were set, though food had not yet been brought out, signalling   that the smell of the feast's main attraction was coming from a nearby   kitchen room. At the center and towards the back of the Hall, the Great   Table stood, with enough space for the Grandmaster, his followers, and   several more. Upon the lord's throne, Seneschal Hristov sat, though he   quickly rose with open arms and a joyous grin as he made eye contact   with his Grandmaster. "My friend! It is so good to see you after so   long!" he called out, stepping down from his throne to navigate around   the many long tables to the Grandmaster. The two men briefly embraced   with haughty laughter, and seconds later broke away.

"You've outdone yourself, Konstantin," Lucian replied, gesturing about the Hall as he looked around, soaking in the sight.

"Nonsense.   Only our best for you and the Apostles, Lucian," Seneschal Hristov   said, laying a hand on the Grandmaster's armored shoulder. "So, how has   Narbos treated you?"

"Oh...   no grand feast such as this," came the reply, "I arrived on a Sunday,   we held a wonderful service, and I had the time to rally our forces in   Auvergnonne against our enemy. Parties of knights have already begun   scouring the Kingdom for activity relating to the outbreak of organized  mauraders." He had a bit of a start, realizing who was with him at the   time. "Ah, yes, our guests of honor are with us! Let's not hold them   up!" With that, he brushed by Seneschal Hristov, letting him do his   work.

The   Seneschal of Illyrica summoned a great many attendants, who moved   towards the guests with basins, pitchers, and cloth napkins, beckoning   them to cleanse their hands before proceeding to the tables. The water   in the pitchers was perfumed with various aromatics, certainly to   prevent disease from traveling by its stench by eliminating the latter,   and the water in the basins was filled with rose petals. Said  attendants  bore the colours of the Order, and judging by their youth  (some being  children) it was evident that they were squires and pages.  Each guest,  including Lucian and his followers, offered their hands to  be cleansed  before heading up to the Great Hall proper and taking their  seats.

“Hey,   Rhiara?” Athaliah whispered, looking suddenly embarrassed and   uncomfortable. She gestured subtly around the room to people who were,   by the looks of things, in their best sets of clothes. “We still need  to  get changed.”
“We do… Well, there’s nowhere we can change, is there?”
“I’ve   not bought a dress for nothing; let’s see if we can find something.”   Athaliah grabbed Rhiara’s hand and pulled her along, in search of   someone to ask about this whole ordeal. Ath caught sight of an armoured   figure in white and gold – the standard colours of the Order. She   concluded that there was no reason not to talk to the man; after all,  if  he had no information then it’s not a loss.

“Erm,   excuse me, sir.” She began, hoping he was at least somewhat friendly.   “You wouldn’t know where my friend and I could change into our more   presentable clothing, would you?”

The   knight looked their way and nodded. "Why yes, certainly. Down the   hall," he says, pointing to the door on the right hand side of the   foyer, "To the left. There should be a door to a water closet behind  the  kitchen. Yeah, we recently imported a Foverosi engineer," he  added,  smiling and nodding. "Indoor plumbing... I digress, it should  suffice.  Better than changing in the kitchen in front of the staff or  in one of  the barracks."

“Many   thanks, sir.” Ath replied with a polite nod of her head. The two girls   followed the knight’s instructions, both thinking to themselves how  much  they owed the person who built that closet. Athaliah peeked into  the  room, making sure it was unoccupied. Thankfully, it wasn’t. 
Rhiara looked around the small room, looking slightly saddened. “It’s a bit… tight, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…” Ath replied as she un-fastened her jerkin. “Couldn’t they have found a room with a divider or something?” 
Rhiara blushed as Ath stripped down in front of her. “Do you want me to turn around, or…?”
Ath   just sighed in response. “Look, it’s going to take forever if we get   changed one after another. Let’s just… you know, get changed at the  same  time.” 

Rhi   and Ath emerged a little while later, wearing their dresses.  Athaliah’s  dress was long and dark blue, though it had small patches of  lighter  blue fabric giving it the look of a starry night sky. The  dress hugged  her waist slightly and the bustier she wore underneath  accentuated her  chest that bit more. Fastened around her waist was a  small half-cape,  with its shades of blue getting darker near the  bottom. Her long black  hair was tied into a braid down her back.

Rhiara’s   dress had a more foreign look to it; It was strapless, dark blue with   golden floral designs on the edges, and even the blue fabric itself had   subtle floral patterns on it. The dress was longer on one side, ending   in a point; The dress was split at the sides and the back part went  down  to her ankles. The fabric itself was semi-transparent, though  another  layer was added to the main part of the dress to make it  opaque. She  wore a semi-transparent black cheongsam collar around her  neck and her  shoulders, leaving a small part of her upper chest area  open. Finally,  some black lace stockings  and a pair of black shoes  completed the outfit.

Meanwhile,   in the Great Hall, most of the guests had been seated at the numerous   long-tables, and the Grandmaster, his followers, and Seneschal Hristov   had gotten out of their armour and by now had taken up much of the  space  at the Table of Honour, leaving four seats for their guests from   outside the Order.

With   smiles on their faces, Herbert and Erika cleansed their hands before   beginning to move towards the nearest empty seats at one of the nearby   tables. To their surprise, they were quickly ushered instead to a   different table by a servant who managed to be both sycophantic and   rather pushy. "Right this way, Ser and Madam." Simpered the attendant.   "I must insist that esteemed persons such as yourselves sit at the  Table  of Honor with the Grandmaster himself." Mildly bemused that they  were  the recipients of such attention, the couple followed and were sat  by  the Sun Elf and Samothaur woman from earlier.

The   Sun Elf was first to notice the two, simpering at the Asmeinians as   they sat down. "Oh, you're joining us at the Table of Honour?   Interesting, I figured it was reserved for Apostles and the Castle   Lord," he said.

The   Samothauress furrowed her brow and lightly swiped at his shoulder,   "Sorano, that's Herbert Leintke, you know this. He and his friends are   honoured guests tonight, why wouldn't they be here?" she whispered.

"No,   no, you're right. My apologies, the both of you," said the Sun Elf.   "Sorano of House Loraethal, Apostle, Archaeologist, Storm Mage, and   Graduate of the University of Salaminica," he said, giving a quick,   courteous bow with a flourish of the wrist. "Charmed to make your   acquaintances."

The  Samothauress was more humble in her introductions. "I am Apostle  Kinara. Of Nikidon. I think." Her confidence seemed to falter and her   expression became more thoughtful and deliberate, as though she were trying (and failing) to remember something of vital importance.

Herbert   gave the two a respectful nod and a polite smile while Erika smiled   more warmly at both of them. The Samothauress seemed nice enough,  but  the Sun Elf gave a less favorable first impression. Herbert cleared  his  throat and introduced himself. "Herbert T. Leintke. Of Krossavik.  No  affiliations or titles." His introduction was casual, despite the   mention of his destroyed hometown.

Once   he had finished, Erika gave a similar introduction. "I am Erika   Nilsson, also of Krossavik. No titles beyond that of healer. A pleasure   to meet you both." She proceeded to intertwine her arm with Herbert's  in  a way that seemed purely affectionate - and largely was - but also   disguised a small nudge to remind him to be friendlier. The monster hunter complied and adopted a more genuine smile.

Kinara's  expression slowly changed into one more downcast at the mention of Krossavik, the scorched town. Her ears folded down as her smile fell.   She opened her mouth to speak, but she simply couldn't force any words   out, lest she touch any nerves.

Sorano seemed to sense her apprehension, and spoke on her behalf. "The pleasure is mutual for the both of us. Though the two of us agree; Krossavik was a tragedy, and we're glad to see that you survived."

"Thank you." Said Herbert, warming to the Elf somewhat. Perhaps he wasn't  such  a bad fellow, after all. "It's very kind of you to say that."  There was  a brief pause in the conversation before Erika broke the  awkward  silence. "Never mind the sorrows of the past, this is a joyous  occasion.  Though I must admit that I am not entirely sure what we are   celebrating. Could you enlighten me?"

"On   a more practical note, Seneschal Hristov believed a feast would be a   good way of rallying our forces in Illyrica; something powerful lurks  on  the horizon, our priests can sense it, as can Lucian," Sorano   explained, gesturing to the Grandmaster as he took his seat at the   "head" of the table. Apparently his definition of "head of the table"   was the centermost seat, facing the rest of the Great Hall.

"Coincidentally,"   Kinara interjected, "Today is the day that the Living Gods came to   Thurius in corporeal form, to inhabit the Cathedrae Deorum in Aesera,   when the Empire was still whole."

Athaliah and Rhiara walked up towards the two free seats beside Erika while   Sorano and Kinara were speaking. They both tried to be as quiet as   possible, and only spoke after Kinara had finished so they didn’t come   off as rude. “Sorry for our lateness; we needed to look presentable,”   Athaliah said, gesturing at her and Rhiara’s dresses. 

The Krossavikings were swift to acknowledge their friends' arrival. "You look nice." Remarked Erika. Herbert, meanwhile, addressed Kinara and Sorano. "And here is the other half of our party. The lady in the Far Eastern dress is Rhiara Ludenburg  and  the lady in the dress from the  nation of your mortal enemies is  Athaliah Priscou." His tone was light-hearted as he mentioned the second  woman. It was likely that he  was trying to defuse any potential tension  over the dress with humor.

“Thank you.” Athaliah and Rhiara replied, at the same time. They both glared at each other before laughing it off; Ath gave her friend a soft, friendly punch on the arm. Athaliah’s face fell slightly at what Herbert had said. “It’s a nice dress!” she replied defensively. “I wouldn’t expect a   monster hunter like you to know anything about fashion.” She retorted  in  an equally light-hearted manner. 

"He doesn't know anything about fashion." Chimed in Erika, cheerfully.  "I'm  the one who suggested his current outfit. Left to his own devices,  he  would likely try to wear his cloak and cuirass to feasts like  this."

Herbert   clapped his hand to his chest melodramatically, before speaking   theatrically. "Even you, Erika? Such betrayal breaks my very heart.   Whatever shall I do, when everyone around me questions my knowledge of [i]fashion[/i]?!"

"Ah,  loosen up girls, that's just the true Nord in him clawing his way  out!"  said the gigantic Norsidic woman from the carriage convoy,  sitting on  the opposite end of the table. "So what if he wants to carouse in armor,  that's just as fashionable, innit, Ser Leintke?"  Notably, she too was  still encased in her armor. Interestingly, the Cathionic man who had  earlier been draped in the fur blanket was now in  more decent clothing,  and had already begun sipping from a hot bowl of  soup. Poor man was most  definitely freezing.

"That would be Katla Gunnulfdottir," Sorano replied, leaning towards  Herbert.  "'Stormbreaker' they call her. Actually killed several storm  atronachs  and their electromancer demon summoners all with just a  warhammer."

Herbert chuckled good-naturedly at the massive woman's . "I could certainly   live with that fashion. I think my adoptive father Bjorn might  have  done that a couple of times." He raised an eyebrow towards  Sorano's  statement. "Surely that can't be the case. The electricity of  such  atronachs would cause serious harm to anyone striking them with a  held  weapon."

"That's   the point. How do you think such an event warranted the title   'Stormbreaker?'" Sorano retorted. "I respect her as a warrior and a fellow Apostle, but I do not believe she inherited her father's brains."

The monster hunter's mouth twisted slightly as he processed this claim. He   opened his mouth slightly, as if intending to offer a rebuttal, but   promptly closed it with a somewhat perplexed expression. Eventually, he   merely shrugged and smiled, gesturing to Erika. "They call her the   Lioness, for in her ferocity, she tore apart a werewolf with only her   teeth and nails."

Erika blushed slightly but smiled with amusement at Herbert. "Since when do 'they' call me that?"

Herbert grinned back cheekily. "Since now."

Sorano  gave Erika a completely deadpan once-over, examining the woman, his   eyes occasionally glancing towards Herbert. He opened his mouth to  speak  when his first word was cut short by the sound of a spoon hitting  a  goblet. Several times.

All   eyes fell on Seneschal Hristov as he stood directly across from Sorano   at the other end of the table. "Hear ye. Firstly, I see it fit to  gives  thanks to every man and woman who has come up to attend this  gathering,"  he said. Almost as if on cue, attendants came in with  golden ewers of  wine, pouring the deep red contents into the glasses of  each guest. "We  are joined here in Mirador tonight by our very own  Grandmaster, Lucian  Aquila, Son of Solanius, and rightful Prince of  Heaven, and his host of  Apostles. Furthermore we are blessed to have in  our company the noble  Herbert Leintke, the learnéd Erika Nilsson, the  valiant Rhiara  Ludenburg, and the lovely Athaliah Priscou."

There was a round of raucous applause as he concluded these introductions.

Ath   leaned in close to Rhiara to whisper something. “Lovely? Everyone says   that, and then they spend enough time with me to see what they said   wrong.”
“It’s the dress, Ath; how could anyone think you’d be anything not lovely?”
“Thanks,” she replied with a small smile.

Herbert,   meanwhile, raised an eyebrow at the knight calling him noble. He liked   to believe his work did good but he seriously doubted that the  paladins  would approve of his dirty fighting style, not to mention his  occasional  prayer to Dolekar. Erika, on the other hand, quietly enjoyed  her  recognition as a scholar.

As   the applause died down, the Seneschal spoke up once more. "And as   destiny would have it, we gather here today on a most auspicious   occasion. A holy day celebrated across the shattered empire! Today was   the Day of Manifestation, when the Living Gods descended from Heaven to   live within and to guide the Aesernian Empire. In light of this, I ask   that we all rise for the Benediction."

Every   native guest, from peasant to soldier to nobleman, all ten of the   Apostles, and Lucian himself rose from their seats. There was a period   of silence, during which the Apostles and Lucian formed prayer  gestures,  a few of them clearing their throats, in particular the two  priests.

A low, deep hum emerged from each of them, and Lucian began to "speak."

[i]"Arise, O Gods..."[/i]

In true Church fashion, his speech was more of a melodic chant. Joined now by his Apostles and any guests who knew the words of the hymn, he continued.

[i]"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."

"Sol stood in the congregation of the gods, and in their midst he asked of the gods..."

"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."

"How long have they judged righteously, in the blessed Empire of Aeser...?"

"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."

"Judged for the orphaned and the poor; done justice to the humble and the pauper..."

"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."

"Rescued the poor man and the needy from the hand of the sinner, and delivered him..."

"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."

"They both know and have understood; they war with darkness; let us descend and crown Aesernia our Champion..."

"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."

"They said: 'We their gods, do grant them the blessings of the divine, and with them, we will fight, and through them the Shaituns will fall..."

"Arise, O Gods, judge Thurius... for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations."[/i]

The  Hymn concluded with a long, fluid, drawn-out "Amen" as all attendees  sat back down. With that, the doors to the kitchen burst open and the  minstrels present in the Hall burst into song, flutes, lutes, and drums  playing merrily as tabard-clad attendants brought trays of roasted  meats, seasoned vegetables, fresh baked goods, and steaming soups and  stews. They set about placing the trays on the wooden buffet shelf, and  began serving the guests, starting with the lower tables. The bounty of  food was remarkably ample, and there was certainly enough for many courses for many guests.

The  first course served consisted of roast hare, stag which had been left a  night in salt, stuffed chickens, and loin-cuts of beef. The latter two dishes were covered in an Asmeiner blonde sauce, served with gilt sugar-plums and pomegranate arils.

As  the meat arrived, the Krossavikings contentedly helped themselves.  Erika cut a slice of the stag, while Herbert opted for the beef. "You  should really try the beef." Remarked the monster hunter, after taking a  bite.

"I intend to." Replied Erika after chewing and swallowing a piece of venison. "Just thought I'd try the game animal first."

“Game  meat is the best, in my opinion.” Said Rhiara, breaking her long silence. “it’s not so much the taste, but it’s the sense of accomplishment that comes along when it’s an animal you hunted yourself. It feels like I’ve done something, you know?”

Erika  smiled and nodded. "I can certainly understand that. Do you do a lot of  hunting? I do some every now and then. Herb also sometimes brings home  something he's killed for dinner."

Rhiara  nodded her head. “I hunt with my dad every week, I think I mentioned  that? It’s the only real source of income my family gets, but we make  do. About a quarter of the food that people in Hoffen eat is because of  me and dad; I’m very proud of it.”

Erika's  eyes widened in surprise. "That's rather impressive. I mostly do it  recreationally instead of on a large scale. Do you mostly hunt small  game or larger animals? Myself, I primarily go after deer and the like."

“We  try to go after big game like deer, but it takes a while bringing a  corpse that big to town. On a good day, we can maybe get three or four  deer if we do it all day, back and forth.” Rhiara just shrugged her  shoulders casually. “Me personally, though, I go for rabbits in addition  to the deer – they’re easy to carry and you can hold onto a few at a  time.”

"Ah."  Said Erika. "I just go for one deer normally and I tend not to go for  rabbits since they're small and they have a tendency to vanish into  little hiding places when I draw near. I take it that hunting is how you  learned to use a bow?"

“In  a manner of speaking, yes. You see, my dad’s father was a hunter, as  was his father and it goes on for generations. It was only the firstborn  man of the family that would go hunting with his father, but I’m an  only child so my dad had to make do, essentially.” She shook her head  and clicked her tongue. “That’s not the answer you wanted, sorry.” She  said sheepishly. “But yes, the only reason I can use a bow is because of  the hunting. I think I knew my way around a bow before I could even run  – at least, that’s what mum says.”

"I  was an only child as well." Remarked Erika. "Though neither of my  parents really had a trade that had been passed down through the  generations. My father was an undertaker before he met my mother and  served in the town guard after that. My mother also served in the  defense of the town."

Rhiara  struggled to think about what to say next, as she knew how well  defending the town went for them. Athaliah might have joined the  conversation if she weren’t talking to somebody else. “Didn’t you ever  feel like they might have forced you into the same profession if they  had the chance? I feel like my family did to me, to some extent but I  couldn’t bring myself to disappoint them. That’s not to say I don’t like  it now, but who knows where I’d be if I wasn’t a hunter.”

"Not  really." Replied Erika. "My mother simply joined that profession due to  her natural skills and my father joined because the town no longer  needed an undertaker and the town guard was hiring. I thought you were a  carpenter, though?"

“Well, I am…” Rhiara confirmed. “But what I meant was, everything in my life has been defined by hunting; even my woodcarving hobby came about when I chopped up bits of wood for a fire one day.”

"I understand. What kind of things do you normally carve?" Inquired Erika. "I do a bit of drawing, myself."

[hr]

Most  of the Apostles opted to talk amongst themselves, given the majority  were on the other end of the Great Table, and talking across the table  simply wasn't convenient. Sorano kept up a conversation with Grandmaster Lucian - from the bits and pieces that Herbert and his companions  picked up on, it seemed to be a discussion of ancient Savarian ruins and  pre-Flame eastern theology.

Apostle Kinara, on the other hand, had been engaged in a conversation with Athaliah.

“So, you’re a bow woman, huh?” Athaliah said thoughtfully. “How good are you with a blade, though? If someone gets up close to you and you can’t  fight back well, you’ll die. It’s as simple as that.”

"Well, I am skilled with a mace or battle hammer with a buckler. It's good at crushing armour when arrows don't pierce," Kinara replied. "The balancing and techniques of swords are different, and I find myself just a bit less skilled with the blades than the blunts. What about yourself?" she gave the human a genuine smile, pleased to be socializing with people from outside the Order, it appeared.

“I’m more of a blades girl myself,” Athaliah shrugged. “I’ve never seen the value of blunt weapons in combat, if I have to be completely honest with you. They’re too heavy - in my opinion - and if you’re fighting several people, it’s over. No offence, by the way. If it works for you, keep at it.”

"Well, I think you underestimate my strength," Kinara replied with a smirk, "If I were using a maul or warhammer, weight would be an issue indeed. I'm unarmed now, so I cannot show you, but it's a flanged mace, good for striking plate armor, excellent for battering Great Helmets, especially on the flat top," she added, poking the crown of her head. "Rarely do I need to be so close as to use the mace as it stands, though, but I will keep this in mind - my buckler should aid me in multiple enemy combat at least, no?"

Athaliah nodded as the cowgirl spoke. “So, you prefer fighting on your own, I take it? I prefer fighting as part of a formation; there’s something special about being shoulder-to-shoulder with the men and women you’re fighting with. We all come together as one,” Athaliah entwined her fingers with each other, “and I love that. I know people are watching my back, and they know the others and I are watching theirs.”

"Formation fighting is good, but in the event such a formation is broken and you must fight alone, how do you go about doing it? Do you have any sidearms, like the phalanxes and cataphracts in Foveros have? Small swords or axes when you can't use your spear and shield?" she asked Athaliah.

“I carry a sword, just in case.” Ath replied. “In the militia that I’m part of, everyone who is part of a shield wall has to not only be able to use a spear and shield, but a sword and shield too. In my experience, the phalanxes that I’ve been part of have never broken because we only face small groups of bandits who’d rather run than fight us. If we fought orcs or something, well, that would probably be different.” Ath stroked her chin. “What made you choose archery, anyway?”

Kinara paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. When she had sufficiently considered her response, she looked at Athaliah and replied, "I chose to be an archer because I fell in love with hunting. Being alone -- or among those I trust -- out in nature is soothing to me. Being the hunter, earning my own keep is empowering. And as it happens, through the Blessing of Veturia placed upon my people, I can control the winds to a degree. It helps me to aim and to curve the path my arrows fly. Not to mention," she explained, flexing her arm for emphasis, "I am stronger than most; more draw power, deadlier arrows. It all just fits, I suppose."

“Hmm… maybe you could teach Weiss some things.” She saw the look of slight confusion on Kinara’s face. “Oh, Weiss is Rhiara. You know, white hair. Anyway, she’s just so squishy; could do with a bit more muscle, ya know? That sounds like an insult, doesn’t it? I mean, it isn’t. It’s kind of cute. But still…”

Kinara chuckled at Athaliah's attempt at damage control. "If you want somebody to turn her into a block of muscle, speak to Katla," she said, nodding to the half-giant, who laughed and proudly flexed her arms. "Though I suppose I could teach her things about the bow and arrow. I'd like that," she added, smiling at Athaliah as she stabbed a slice of the stuffed chicken and put it in her mouth.

“Well, there might be some time in the morning before we have to be going back home, if you’re really offering. And if she agrees, that is.” She looked over to her friend, who was busy chatting away with Erika. “I’ll ask her later.” She returned her attention solely to Kinara. “So, what is it you do in your free time, then? You can’t hunt all the time, surely.”

"Well, ever since I learned to read I've enjoyed literature," the Samothauress replied. "Rhodric and Aranirya insist that I put my literacy to use reading the Holy Codex, and I do, don't misinterpret me, but for entertainment I much prefer the works of the Avidii. I've been a fool for tales of heroism and romance ever since I picked up Sidonius Avidius's The Argent Voyage." She smiled half-nervously, as though embarrassed by her taste in literature. 

Ath gave out a small ‘hmm’ and nodded. “I read it once, but it wasn’t really my kind of thing. I like adventure books, I like romance books occasionally, but blended together? Nah; they’re usually not done very well in my opinion. It’s pretty hard getting hold of any books though, unfortunately. Hoffen is a pretty… uh, isolated place.”

"Oh, that's quite alright," Kinara replied, "Not many copies of the classics are in circulation these days anyways. Much of them are handwritten in the temples and monasteries. I suppose what they lack in speed and quantity, they make up for in sheer beauty. I've even got an Argenreaux copy of Li Desfaires. Lucian gave it to me himself. It's a beautiful tale, if not tragic," Kinara said. She was visibly enthused to be carrying on the conversation, especially with another literate.

“The language is too flowery for me, but I suppose it did its job well enough.” Ath replied, somewhat enjoying the conversation herself, even if they disagreed on a couple of points. “One of my favourite books is ‘The Lion and the Tiger’; I don’t think it’s the most well-known pieces of work, but I’m sure someone as into reading as you might have at least heard of it?”

Kinara smiled, her tail flicking about and her ears folding downwards. She wasn't sure how to respond to that verbally, but something about this human's tastes in literature irritated her. It wasn't anything to fight over, though, to each their own, but she vastly preferred the original telling of that story; Petronius and Philyra.

“You disagree.” Athaliah said blankly, with a shrug. “What don’t you like about it?”

Kinara's smile faded and her eyes widened, her expression becoming more regretful, as though she had been caught doing something wrong. "Well, I..." she paused, trying to think through what she had to say. She had been doing so well as it was socializing, better than she usually did with outsiders, and she hardly wanted to jeopardize it or alienate the guests. "I mean, I like it, but I can't say it's nearly as good as the original story it's based off of. I appreciate the author's use of hubris and dramatic irony, but..."

"The leads are too perfect," Sorano interjected (to Kinara's chagrin), "or, rather, the lesbian author insists that her lesbian protagonists are perfect victims who did no wrong or harm. Meanwhile every character that disagrees with the protagonists, regarding their single-track-minded motivation to simply get married, gets utterly fucked by the end of the play, either by their own hubris which admittedly was well designed, or by the machinations of the lead characters -- who again 'did no wrong or harm.' It comes across as the publicized sexual fantasies of the author, in which designated 'victims' prosper while their critics burn."

Kinara shrugged passively, a bit miffed that Sorano had gone and interrupted her, but ultimately agreeing with his description. "He's not mostly wrong..."

Athaliah nodded at some points of the elf’s rant, but shook her head at others. “No, no, no. I’d like to say that the leads aren’t perfect, first of all. They act out of love for each other more than anything, which is far from perfect. They were naïve to believe that their fathers would actually keep their words about having peace with the other side. Plus, they don’t prosper, by the end, at all; Acacia and Estana are both wrecks because of their families destroying each other, and they only have each other for comfort early on. Besides,” Ath shrugged. “love makes people do stupid things.”

"It was naïve to believe a homosexual marriage was legally binding to begin with, given the lack of heirs. Their fathers merely sought to exploit this by placating their daughters, whom were getting in the way of each others' conquest. As sick as it is to play with people's emotions, it was fair and legal play," Sorano continued.

"She's absolutely right about the flaws of the characters, though," Kinara retorted. She flashed him an irritated look, silently gesturing for him to politely fuck off. Turning back to Athaliah, she replied to the human, "I understand the motivations and actions of the characters, and I think the playwrightess did marvelously, but it just simply doesn't hold up as a tragedy the way Petronius and Philyra does in my opinion."

“I agree; they’re really completely different stories.” Athaliah nodded. “Petronius and Philyra is great for what it is – a tragedy. Meanwhile, the Lion and the Tiger plays with multiple genres at once. In my opinion, the tragedy is as good as in Petronius and Philyra, but you disagree, others probably do, that’s fine. The action in the book is second to none, as well; you truly get a sense of scale in the great battle scene, for instance.”

"The Battle Scene translates terribly to the stage though," Kinara said with an amused chuckle, "Act III is as good as it gets for on-stage fighting. With all the extras playing fighting soldiers on stage, you really get a feeling for how chaotic the Fall of Messerae was. And I think that playing with multiple genres only serves to confuse the audience; should they laugh, cry, scream, boo, cheer? Petronius and Philyra focuses on being a tragic romance, and does it well every time it's played. A pity it's so rare, you'd be hard pressed to find a theatre in all of the Western Kingdoms that puts it on. Despite the romanticism of events, it accurately portrays the tension between the Foverosian humans and Samothaurs of Messerae before and during the War of Samothracian Secession, and because of that, I think it makes the love between Petronius and Philyra all the more genuine and bittersweet."

“I think it’s to do with how it’s shown. To properly appreciate the Lion and the Tiger, you have to read it, on your own. Or, at least, I assume so. I’ve never been to a theatre before. Besides, can you imagine cramming thirteen thousand men onto a stage? It’d be chaos.” Ath gave out a small giggle. “Anyway. There’s another reason why I like the book."

"And what would that be?" Kinara curiously asked.

“Uh…” Athaliah began, her cheeks going pink. “You know… It’s… Damn, I thought I’d have an answer ready. I… like someone. [i]Like[/i] like.”

Sorano had been quietly listening in, and upon hearing this shot the Foverosi a curious albeit unamused glance. What truly caught his attention however was the fact that Kinara herself was blushing. "Well, that's one thing we've in common," she meekly replied.