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[img]https://i.imgur.com/fuqI1cE.jpg[/img]

[color=silver]𝓝𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝟕𝓽𝓱, 𝟏𝟑𝟐𝟕   / /   𝓐𝓾𝓼𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓭   / /   𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓪𝓷'𝓼 𝓔𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓮   / /  𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰[/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/iDKDTFD.png[/img][/center]

It would be a lie to say the last few days were of no interest for what was happening to Gwen. Just as she had gotten back from the blacksmith's shop, Imperial envoys were waiting with her brother in their ramshackle home. Shortly after, the two young folks were taken under the Empire's influence, given access to a bond, and then sent elsewhere for a mysterious purpose. Gwen never paid much attention to magical culture, so she had no idea what exactly this magical bond she gained along with her brother. But one thing was for sure, something changed in them. She did not know either the importance of this bond, that it would change their fate so radically.

But as the siblings' caravan reached the mansion, the teenage girl could not help but feel some sort of pride mixed with excitement. Everything she did, all the blood and sweat she poured at work. She did it all for her brother, in the hopes that he'd continue pursuing his studies that fascinated him more than anything. And here they were, lodged by the Empire and given an extraordinary power. Maybe it was destiny, maybe it was due to their family's fame, or perhaps Gwen's hardwork was noticed. Either way, Alistar had now access to magic. A dream Gwen had spent half her childhood supporting. Not only him, but the black-haired girl also gained power from this bond. It made her feel special. Worthy, even, to finally be something else than the talentless idiot that brought shame to her family and her brother.

Gazing upon the the estate, the youngest Ravencroft could not help but feel nostalgic at the sight. 

[color=92278f]"It looks somewhat like home, doesn't it, Brother?"[/color] Gwen remarked to Alistar, a note of bitterness in her words.

Not their home. The one Gwen was exiled from, and the home Alistar left in order to follow his younger sister. 

[color=A42A2A]"Hmph" [/color]was the only reply Alistar mustered. It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. Not only had he obtained the sacred arts, but they were being delivered to a manor worthy of his intelligence. Certainly, it was what he desired all those years after he had abandoned his education for the sake of his aloof sister. The young mage merely flipped a page in a book he had already read several times over, keeping a facade of disinterest as he had no interest in conversation for the moment. He wanted to see everything the world was going to offer to him firsthand. By his pride, this is what he deserved, according to his own thoughts. This was by his interpretation, fate rewarding him for his sacrifice. It was his destiny, afterall, to become the greatest scholar of the magic arts this world had ever bore. 

[color=A42A2A]"I just hope it is just as enriched in research as our home was." [/color]

[color=92278f]"This is the Empire! I'm sure they'll have all the ressources you need!"[/color] Gwen claimed with all of her enthusiasm. 

It was a blind guess, sure, but the younger of the two siblings thought that if the Empire decided to take them in and even go to such lengths as make a magical bond, surely they had what was needed for Alistar to continue his magic research. 

Gwen's gaze switched from the mansion to her own hand, where the midnight-colored spiked gauntlet covering her whole right arm materialized.

[color=92278f]"And even if they don't, at least you have this new magic you've been granted. I believe you could experiment with it here."[/color]
[color=A42A2A]
"Well lets just hope so, they'd be fools to stifle my brilliance anyhow."[/color] The self-proclaimed mage tipped his coned hat over his face as he closed his book on his lap. 

[color=A42A2A]"I also hope they didn't recruit idiots as well. I look forward to meeting others that share my vast knowledge, of course."[/color] He said without a falter of his pride or bluntness. 

[color=92278f]"I'm sure they will!"[/color] Gwen kept telling, keeping an enthusiastic smile.

And even if they weren't up to her brother's standards, at least that will make people for him to talk to. The last few years Alistar spent in solitude at their less-than-honorable home made the younger sibling worry a bit for the elder. Being alone all the time wasn't good, socially and mentally. He'll surely benefit from talking to other people.

Seeing as both fell silent, the servants and Mages accompagnying the newly bonded duo of siblings gave the two a tour of the estate. While Gwen wasn't quite fascinated by the luxury of the domain - as she had seen plenty of it back when she was younger - she was however intrigued by the gardens. In all honesty, she always was quite fond of flowers, and she could remember the few rare moments during her childhood, as a member of the Ravengrow, she would skip her lessons to play in the garden and pick flowers to decorate her room and her brother's. Even after they had left their family, Gwen managed to get some free time, usually after taking a bath down the stream just outside the forest, to gather some flowers and bring them back home in a splendid bouquet. 

Lost in memories as they were touring the gardens, Gwen absent-mindedly strayed from the group to take a closer look on the flowers and smell their exquisite aromas. Strange, such beautiful specimens usually aren't alive during the winterchill of November. Maybe something magical was at play here? Alistar probably knows. And as she pondered over this mystery, her questionning reached her brother's mind, her astonishment making its way through their emotionnal bond.
[color=A42A2A]
"Hard to say, though while it is possible, it'd be a waste of the arts to preserve such flowers. More likely it is some kind of agriculture trick." [/color] He answered allowed, uncaring that only Gwen understood the context of that answer. Alistar was, only moderately impressed of the manor. Sure, it was luxorious, it was only expected to treat a scholar such as himself with noble-like dignitiy. Suffice to say though that beyond that the tour didn't quite meet up to Alistar's impossible expectations. It didn't quite matter though, as he should have plenty of free time to practice his abilties and partake in his own private studies. Being a pawn of the emperor made no difference if it meant he was going to achieve his purpose.

[color=92278f]"I... see."[/color] Gwen whispered, slightly left confused over Alistar's last statement. So, was it magic or not? That wasn't very clear in her mind. Still, to be able to make flowers grow in this cold was nonetheless impressive, no matter how  lame her brother made it sound like. 

As her hand reached out to pluck one flower from its stem, one of the servants frantically forbade the clueless young woman from doing so. Apologetic, the dark-haired Knight nodded, ushering a silent apology for her misdeed. Feeling she was delaying the tour, Gwen fell back in line, following the touring group. Maybe she'll come back here at a later time to fully appreciate the gardens when their business would be concluded.

Eventually, their tour would end as the two siblings were asked about rooming.

[color=92278f]"We can have a room for two? Can we one, please?"[/color] Gwen replied without a hint of hesitation in her voice, despite how strange it might have been for the servants to hear such a request from siblings.
[color=A42A2A]
"I'd prefer my own private room, actually."[/color] Alistar requested after her sister without much care, if not being blunt.

[color=92278f]"Oh... okay."[/color] Gwen only replied, barely hiding a tinge of disappointment in her voice. "Then, I'll have my own room too, if you may please." 

In the spur of the moment, Gwen had thought that it would be fun to share a room with her brother. They've always had separate rooms back in their family's estate, and it was the same in their small ruined home. Being alone in a single room was quite lonesome. And during some nights, it was hard to sleep alone. Gwen still remembered those rare nights she sneaked out of bed after a nightmare, as a kid, to slip into her brother's bed. The comforting warmth of her big brother was reassuring at that time. She sort of wished she'd feel this warmth again, once in a while.

Slightly let down, Gwen departed with her assigned servant to show her to her room. 

[color=92278f]"I'll see you later, brother."[/color]

[hr]
[hider=Gwen's Rooming]
Fitting for a mansion of this caliber, Gwen found herself slightly impressed from the room. Again, it reminded her a bit of her time back at the Ravencroft estate. To think that one day, they’d return to this kind of life. It had been so many years since they had left the family’s household to live into that pitiful shack. It was a foolish dream, but the dark-haired teen had tried her darnest to regain a comfortable life ever since then. While to some it may appear as good fortune, Gwen liked to believe all that was happened to Alistar and she was the fruit of their dedication to each other. 
 
Rather filthy from days of negligent bathing and working to a sweat, Gwen figured that she might want to clean herself properly before meeting with the others at the dining hall. She knew her brother would like her to be proper when meeting with new people. He had his pride, and although they didn’t quite share the same mentality, Gwen did not want to make Alistar look bad by hanging around with such a mess.
 
So to the baths she went, under the guidance of a servant whom she had promptly called shortly after arriving in her room. Despite the recent tour, she had no idea where to go, which corridors to take in this maze of an estate. For a long time in a while, Gwen enjoyed the luxury of taking a bath. She was enjoying the moment so much, she took way longer than necessary to clean herself. She had remained into the hot water, basking in the comfort and the fragrance of the soap’s perfume and the pleasant warmth surrounding her naked body.
 
When she was done with bathing, Gwen returned to her room (again with the help of a servant) to get dressed for the upcoming event. She was a bit dismayed by the clothing she had been given. Robes and dresses were not her forte. Living the life of a blacksmith, she preferred clothing herself in trousers and shirts. Also, dresses seemed slightly out of place given her more-or-less muscular frame. 
 
The young Ravencroft was at an impasse. Should she dress formerly for an important dinner, or could she clothe herself more comfortably? In the end, Gwen had decided to pick a comfortable set of black pants, accompanied by a white shirt underneath a deep purple vest. Not especially high-class looking fit for a lady, but she was comfortable in those and it still worked for clothing for a woman of her works.
 
Now that she was smelling like a fresh rose, was cleaned and was better clothes than when she got here, Gwen figured that she might go and see how her brother was doing. See if he was satisfied with his room and all. It only been a hour since she left him, but she wondered what he was up to now.
[/hider]

[hr]
[hider=Alistair's Rooming]
There was a sigh of relief from the brother once he had entered his own room. There was some desire to have such a silent and well furnished room all to himself. It was the perfect setup for him to shut himself away from the world and delve deep into his studies, or to merely relax to relieve any stress he may have had. The first thing Alistar went to do was to take a bath, and afterwards, getting his more formal, less extravagant tunic ready for the dinner. He wasn't exactly one to impress others with appearances, but due to the occasion he thought of it to be appropriate for the sake of it. Having plenty of time to himself before dinner was scheduled, the rest of his time was spent reading the same book he had kept with him. At this point, he probably could recite every line. Hopefully it will be the last time he read the book, as he anticipated that he would have resources granted to him to expand his knowledge and power. Sometime later he figured he would have to test his abilities further.
[/hider]
[hr]

Being properly cleaned and dressed for the upcoming dinner. Gwen navigated through the maze that was this mansion to find her brother's room. It took longer than anticipated, and even had to find a servant to show her the way to Alistar's room. Despite the tour, she had a hard time remembering the paths to take to get to somewhere in the estate.

Manners lost on her, especially when it came to family, Gwen barged into Alistar's room without knocking. Her previous disappointed state seemed to have faded away to being replaced by her usual cheerful mood. 

[color=92278f]"Brother~, are you ready for dinner soon?"[/color] the black-haired sister called out.
[color=A42A2A]
"I'd appreciate it if you'd knock first, have you still no sense of privacy?"[/color] Alistar inquired rudely as he closed a brown tome in his book. He was prepared for dinner in the proper sense, already dressed in a more simple tunic, though he still bore the hat above his head. He wasn't exactly [i]thrilled[/i] to end his studies and interact with the others, hopefully they won't annoy him. He was atleast somewhat hungry, given the time. [color=A42A2A]"But yes, I am ready to go attend to dinner." [/color]

[color=92278f]"Whoops, my bad."[/color] Gwen only replied with a soft smile donning her face. 

Old habits die hard, not to mention these sort of manners weren't properly taught within her. Being so close to her brother all the time, she often forgot about their own privacy, even more so with this celestial bonding of theirs. It's as if they couldn't keep secrets from each other, if there were any in the first place.

[color=92278f]"Alright then. Let's meet our new friends!"[/color]
[color=A42A2A]
"Friends are a strong term."[/color] He added before leading the way.
[hr]

The trip to the dining hall was relatively short with Alistar in the lead. Unlike Gwen, he knew his way around the estate with only the tour they've benefitted from. As they arrived, there were already plenty of people attending this dinner, imperial officials and other bonded pairings alike. While Alistar had no problem finding his seat, the same couldn't be said for his sister, who had the greatest difficulty reading those.

Initially, Gwen thought of sitting next to her brother, but he was already flanked by occupied seats. Just where did she had to go? After standing still for a minute and watching all around her, she caught the look in Alistar's eyes.

Curtly, Gwen went to take a seat at the table, across her older brother. Slightly embarassed, it did not hold her from grabbing as much food as her plate could handle. It had been so long since they had a decent meal with good portions. Famished and not really one for manners, Gwen began eating just as the officials were introducing themselves. She was listening as they were speaking, intrigued by the men that were the reason they were here in the first place.

Gwen found herself interested by the woman that had made quite a ruckus as she entered the dinning hall. She seemed to have quite the bright personality, which was a huge plus compared to all the more somber individuals in this room. And that "romance" theme of her bond only made it the more interesting. Love was such a fascinating aspect of their world, after all.

When the others began their introductions, the younger of the two Ravencroft finally stopping stuffing her face with food. She took proper care to clean her hands and mouth with a nearby napkin before it would be their turn to speak. So far, there seemed to have a lot of nobles attending this dinner of theirs. From the way their standing suggested to the way they were speaking. A lot didn't quite have that country-side look to them, although the clothing they were provided helped with that.

After the two girls finished introducing themselves, there was a silence that needed to be filled, and Gwen took it upon herself to break it. Getting up from her chair, the dark-haired girl with blood red eyes scanned the room and flashed a smile.

[color=92278f]"Hello, I am Gwen A'ladriel Rave-"[/color] the girl interrupted herself abruptly, uncertainty gripping her as she did not know whether it was needed to introduce herself as a Ravencroft or not. She had been disowned by her family. Could she reslly use that name?

[color=92278f]"Gwen will be fine though! I am Knight to my brother and apprentice blacksmith. It is a pleasure to meet you all! I hope we will all be getting along."[/color]

Gwen kept her smile as bright as always, falling silent and looking to Alistar, see if he was going to introduce himself, or if she'll need to do it, like some of the others did.

Once Alistar was seated he had only taken a small portion of food to start with. He was never much of a big eater, and though he definitely hadn't seen food this well made in a long time, he only took what he figured he could eat. By the time the others began introducing themselves Alistar was ionly half-listening with arms crossed and his large cone-shaped hat slightly obscuring his face. He had little interest in these baffoons  afterall. He didn't desire any sort of social party. 

A sigh abrupted from the hat-wearing mage. [color=A42A2A]"Ravencroft, her last name is Ravencroft, just as I."[/color] Dissapointment and annoyance was left in his voice as he stood up from his chair. [color=A42A2A]"My name is Alistar A'sarel Ravencroft. I am a mage and I have little interest in making acquaintences. My only concerns are with my studies. I'll only say this once, but I have no patience for the weak-minded. I have no desire to waste my talents or knowledge to simpletons. You'll find my sister to be much more easier to talk to, so if you have any inquiries, ask her."[/color]

Seating himself back in his chair, Alistar took a single bite of an apple. 

Perhaps it would have been better if she had given Alistar a short but sweet introduction instead of the blunt words that came from his mouth, Gwen figured as she stoof still and listened to her brother. When he was done, she her enthusiastic smile turned to a somewhat emarassed smirk, trying to remain friendly-looking despite the barrage of insults unleashed by the older Ravencroft.

[color=92278f]"It will be my pleasure, really!"[/color] Gwen finished with a nervous giggle, sitting back on her chair as uickly as she had risen from it. As if to hide her embarassement, she began shoveling food back into her mouth as soon as she was back on her seat.